Summer Maple Collection

[DirtyZ]

I dug 5 varying sized maples over the weekend and potted them yesterday. I know it’s not the best time of year but the guy wanted them gone asap and it seemed like a good learning experience!


Were growing in a nest of big rocks, gravel, and yard decor lava rock as if the devil himself planted them. Apparently they sprouted up randomly next to the rhododendron so I’m thinking they’re native species.

Wasn’t able to really get a lot of fine roots. Planted into roughly 50/50 pumice to some bark compost I had laying around. I mixed some mycorrhizae powder into the soil and dabbed a bit of rooting powder on to the base of the biggest tree over some of the thick cut roots. I also tried my first attempt at a root graft and pinned the one root to the base covering it with a cut paste.

I pruned most of the crispy branches (I left the tree in direct sun for the first two days in 90 degree weather ) Stuck into greenhouse now. Plan is to keep misting them, use a liquid kelp extract as well.

Lingering questions in my mind:

-Wondering what type of maple this is? Was thinking field maple?

-Should I just chop the trunks way down on the two thicker trees? Or maybe instead just prune off leaves as they dry out naturally. (Have read conflicting opinions about the utility of leaves in photosynthesis and the water draw either helping/hindering new root growth)

-Is this soil composition likely to be too water retentive for root development?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

As you yourself have said, this is a tough time of the year to be collecting trees. If you think like a tree, this is the time of the year that they have stopped pushing foliage growth and are instead growing roots and otherwise working to build up as much energy as possible. If you have to collect a tree right now, I would protect it from the elements and otherwise not do a thing to it until next spring.

 

[Shibui]

I've trialled repotting and root pruning maples right through Spring and Summer. Mostly they survive but most of them drop all the leaves to conserve moisture until the new roots can provide new supply.
I've also seen articles from Japan of professionals repotting maples in full leaf. They seem to defoliate, which I assume puts the tree into temporary dormancy - or at least reduced water demand.

I'd chop the crispy tree right back to stumps. The crispy leaves are dead so cannot assist with photosynthesis now. If it survives, most of the new shoots will emerge from the upper reaches of trunk and branches which is not what we want for bonsai. New shoots will emerge just as easily from lower areas If you prune now.

Keep the others well watered and high humidity and see what happens. If leaves drop do not lose hope. maintain care for at least 6 weeks before declaring death.

Leaves look like field maple.

 

[DirtyZ]

I've trialled repotting and root pruning maples right through Spring and Summer. Mostly they survive but most of them drop all the leaves to conserve moisture until the new roots can provide new supply.
I've also seen articles from Japan of professionals repotting maples in full leaf. They seem to defoliate, which I assume puts the tree into temporary dormancy - or at least reduced water demand.

I'd chop the crispy tree right back to stumps. The crispy leaves are dead so cannot assist with photosynthesis now. If it survives, most of the new shoots will emerge from the upper reaches of trunk and branches which is not what we want for bonsai. New shoots will emerge just as easily from lower areas If you prune now.

Keep the others well watered and high humidity and see what happens. If leaves drop do not lose hope. maintain care for at least 6 weeks before declaring death.

Leaves look like field maple.

Thanks. It does make sense to me to not leave the longer branches if they’re only going to develop buds that will eventually be chopped off anyway. Also seems to make sense that reducing the branching should conserve water for that lower trunk and roots.

Would you say after 6-8 weeks if they’re not budding that it’s definitely dead…In other words, it wouldn’t be likely that it’s just gone dormant this year and might bud next spring?

 

[Shibui]

Would you say after 6-8 weeks if they’re not budding that it’s definitely dead…In other words, it wouldn’t be likely that it’s just gone dormant this year and might bud next spring?

I have had deciduous trees go dormant a few weeks early and survive to Spring but it's a bit early in the season for that now. If no new shoots in 8 weeks I would say possibly dead rather than definitely.
I would give it all the rest of the season. If still no leaves by mid Fall, chances are diminishing even further. Then, it depends how much space you have. Here, I'd probably put it at the back of a bench and wait until end of Spring before declaring definitely dead.

 

[DirtyZ]

I have had deciduous trees go dormant a few weeks early and survive to Spring but it's a bit early in the season for that now. If no new shoots in 8 weeks I would say possibly dead rather than definitely.
I would give it all the rest of the season. If still no leaves by mid Fall, chances are diminishing even further. Then, it depends how much space you have. Here, I'd probably put it at the back of a bench and wait until end of Spring before declaring definitely dead.

That’s seems like a sensible approach. I’d be fine leaving them around time next spring if it comes to that. Curious to see what happens with them.

 

[DirtyZ]

As you yourself have said, this is a tough time of the year to be collecting trees. If you think like a tree, this is the time of the year that they have stopped pushing foliage growth and are instead growing roots and otherwise working to build up as much energy as possible. If you have to collect a tree right now, I would protect it from the elements and otherwise not do a thing to it until next spring.

Thank you

 

[Mats Hagström]

If I have to move or report a tree during summer I defoliate the tree first to reduce it's water needs until the roots recover. I took down a couple of seju elm air layers with some (buy insufficient ) root development. It's too hot, I don't have a green house and I should have put them in the shade. I should be more patient. Five weeks was not enough in this heat.

 

[leatherback]

I have done serious rootwork on maples throughout the year, and not had any problems recovering. Key is of course to not loose the fine roots. In your case it looks like you have allowed the fine roots to go dry, which is why water uptake is nill. Fieldmaple can however recover. I once pulled one from a pile of lifted trees along the roadside in late summer. They had been there for a long time. Potted it up and waited. Took till spring, but then it rrupted with growth. Repotting in fall, and the pot had filled with roots. These want to live.

 

[DirtyZ]

I have done serious rootwork on maples throughout the year, and not had any problems recovering. Key is of course to not loose the fine roots. In your case it looks like you have allowed the fine roots to go dry, which is why water uptake is nill. Fieldmaple can however recover. I once pulled one from a pile of lifted trees along the roadside in late summer. They had been there for a long time. Potted it up and waited. Took till spring, but then it rrupted with growth. Repotting in fall, and the pot had filled with roots. These want to live.

Thanks for that, that’s good to know you had success with a rescued tree like that. Hopefully at least one or a couple of these makes it.

 

[DirtyZ]

Figured I’d post an update…I chopped down all of the trees I’d collected to short trunks and getting rid of the leaves as they’d died back.

I went back to the place I’d collected the first 5 field maples and collected the last three. The largest of which I had chopped the first time I was there (about 7-10 days prior) to just a stump.

I potted them all into the same Anderson flat divided by 3.5 inch cedar planks. I am experimenting with different recovery soil types…as can be seen written on one of the photos…

It differs from the first batch in that those were all planted into bark compost/pumice, unsifted… It was staying too wet, so I went back, vacuumed out the soil, sifted it, and added a bit more pumice (everything under 1/16” sifted out.)

The most recent trees got a different treatment slightly-I removed anything 1/8” or smaller…to hopefully add better balance or air/water.

This second potting occurred on July 11…after 10 days the thickest tree (and the one I’d previously chopped before digging) of my 2nd batch of plantings is pushing buds along the trunk. Very excited to see this.

I have kept them in late morning to early afternoon sun and all have had white garbage bags draped over them. I’ve misted, and kept an eye on temp/humidity with small thermometers from Amazon. Added mycorrhizae powder at potting, and started watering with kelp immediately after potting and continuing weekly. Also now am fertilizing with miracle grow/fish emulsion alternating weekly.

Some maple trunk cuttings were placed in a bin with other branch cuttings (bald cypress/giant sequoia/yew/blue spruce) unfortunately those were left in the greenhouse and got up to well over 100 degrees the first week so have mostly been destroyed, so it seems. Some still showing green when scratched so we’ll see what happens.

 

[oranjeaap]

I collected a few small trees and clumps mid summer. They were growing in places they shouldn't so they had to go anyway. Since it was was either collect them in the worst possible time or straight to the compost bin I choose to experiment with them.
Most lost their leaves within a day and still don't show signs of life 1 month later. They are tough species like Elm and Norway Maple so I'm quite sure they will come alive next spring.
Also among them were two field maples. One had drooping leaves for a day and then went on like nothing happened.

This one I trunk chopped and potted with barely any roots:

 

[DirtyZ]

I collected a few small trees and clumps mid summer. They were growing in places they shouldn't so they had to go anyway. Since it was was either collect them in the worst possible time or straight to the compost bin I choose to experiment with them.
Most lost their leaves within a day and still don't show signs of life 1 month later. They are tough species like Elm and Norway Maple so I'm quite sure they will come alive next spring.
Also among them were two field maples. One had drooping leaves for a day and then went on like nothing happened.

This one I trunk chopped and potted with barely any roots:

View attachment 607269

Very cool! What kind of soil did you use?

 

[oranjeaap]

Very cool! What kind of soil did you use?

Another 1.5 week later:



I made a mixture of coarse potting soil, coco coir and Perlite in maybe 1:1:2 split.
The bottom 1/2 of the pot is Clay hydropellets mostly because the pot was a bit too big.
There were just a few very fine roots coming out of the trunk near the soil level so I covered them with peat moss to prevent them from drying out.
Covering with moss also looks nice but I noticed when I lift the moss the soil is usually dryer underneath so you actually risk underwatering. But my mix retains plenty of water so no issue for me.

 

[DirtyZ]

Another 1.5 week later:

View attachment 607270

I made a mixture of coarse potting soil, coco coir and Perlite in maybe 1:1:2 split.
The bottom 1/2 of the pot is Clay hydropellets mostly because the pot was a bit too big.
There were just a few very fine roots coming out of the trunk near the soil level so I covered them with peat moss to prevent them from drying out.
Covering with moss also looks nice but I noticed when I lift the moss the soil is usually dryer underneath so you actually risk underwatering. But my mix retains plenty of water so no issue for me.

Glad to see it pushing new leaves

Interesting about the moss, from what I’ve read having the moss layer can help see when the soil underneath also is drying and needs watering. I’ve been using it as a top dressing myself, I’ll have to keep a closer eye on the soil underneath

 

[oranjeaap]

Glad to see it pushing new leaves

Interesting about the moss, from what I’ve read having the moss layer can help see when the soil underneath also is drying and needs watering. I’ve been using it as a top dressing myself, I’ll have to keep a closer eye on the soil underneath

Maybe someone can clarify that because I don't see how that would work. The moss holds a lot of water and the better draining your bonsai substrate is the higher the moisture disparity between moss and substrate will be.
I'm talking living spaghnum (peat) moss specifically of course.

Anyway, to stay on topic, field maple can grow in a range of soil conditions, in my garden they grow in a rather dry and sandy soil. They can push new growth more than once. If a handful of finer root survived I'm fairly certain you will get new buds even before summer is over.

 

[DirtyZ]

Maybe someone can clarify that because I don't see how that would work. The moss holds a lot of water and the better draining your bonsai substrate is the higher the moisture disparity between moss and substrate will be.
I'm talking living spaghnum (peat) moss specifically of course.

Anyway, to stay on topic, field maple can grow in a range of soil conditions, in my garden they grow in a rather dry and sandy soil. They can push new growth more than once. If a handful of finer root survived I'm fairly certain you will get new buds even before summer is over.

Makes sense to me that different soil types would mean different changes to the topsoil layer. I’ve been doing the mix of sphagnum/local dried moss on top and have noticed that with the more organic soils the top will stay wet almost too long, whereas the pumice heavy containers dry out maybe too fast. Seems having it atop a taller nursery container gives even different results and perhaps dressing isn’t necessary with them anyway.

That’s good to hear that they seem to be pretty resilient plants though