Wavy's Big Japanese Maple Project

[WavyGaby]

I won this Japanese Maple at our club auction in September 2023. It came from an air layer from a yard tree. The price was too good to pass especially for all the education I will get / have gotten by building this tree.

It was extremely leggy with multiple branches crowding each other and creating inverse taper in several locations. I trimmed off a lot of branches by cutting back to pairs, and removing obvious problems. I left a bit of length on a few branches that I knew I could use for grafts.



The top was a complete mess. Now I could see the tree though.


After leaf drop, early December 2023




Our club was lucky enough to have Mauro S stop by for a demo and tree evaluation. I brought this one and he suggested a couple more chops, thread grafts, and this as the front.


March 2024
This giant branch in the left is coming off


Some sort of epoxy was used to heal a previous scar.


Top swelling branch removed

Overall pic. I'm not sure if I removed enough of the old branch transition to the first branch.




Grafts coming next!

 

[WavyGaby]

I bought a long drill bit and a friend came over for some thread grafts. I added two branches on the left side. The first low, left one is a back branch. I added a branch to the upper right portion, too.

The graft holes were drilled, the branches were threaded through, the lower portion of each branch was scraped to the cambium and pressed down with tooth picks. We sealed each hole with cut paste. Fingers crossed that these take!
Not sure what to do with the apex but I think I will see it after it grows into summer and I see what is healthy.

 

[bwaynef]

Much improved! I love seeing this type material being improved drastically.

 

[WavyGaby]

Much improved! I love seeing this type material being improved drastically.

Thank you!
I took it out of that giant container and into a mica pot. The roots were very nice and radial below some of the higher, thicker roots. I trimmed off the higher roots except for one area that I wasn't confident about taking yet.

 

[WavyGaby]

The three thread grafts didn't take. I think my friend and I wedged them too tightly with toothpicks and it likely damaged the cambium. I'll try again next year.

 

[19Mateo83]

Even though the thread grafts didn’t take it is still coming along nicely.

 

[WavyGaby]

Even though the thread grafts didn’t take it is still coming along nicely.

Thanks buddy! It's a rewarding project

 

[WavyGaby]

I let the tree grow heavily in 2024 to build branches and strength. Here is round two of thread grafting branches.

Four thread grafts were placed by drilling 1/8 to 5/32" holes and threading branches through. I scraped the top of the cambium and gently wedged the branches in place. As I type this, I realize I probably should have scraped the bottom of the branches as I assume the healing would be better on the bottom side. Idk, do you?

@Chunky Trunks - FYI

I also cut off more of the trunk's right upper side where the trunk moves to the left



Lower left graft. Buds look ok


Upper left graft. Buds look ok


Lower right graft. Buds damaged. Probably wont survive


Upper graft right. Buds ok


Backside. The lower big chop was not healing well and I found a lot of rot. I carved out the area sometime in the summer 2024 and used a wood filler to bridge the gap.


The upper and outer portions are healing well. The lower left side not so much. Ill probably need to excavate a bit more on the lower left side


I also need to repot and bury the roots better in the next few weeks.

 

[bwaynef]

For threadgrafts, they need to contact the side or the bottom. I've read differing things on whether scraping the cambium is necessary. I've had luck with scraping and not. It makes more sense to me that scraping would accelerate the graft knitting together, but I don't have any proof of that.

Also, I'd recommend planting this a bit deeper for now and let the nebari mature a bit before revealing it.

 

[WavyGaby]

For threadgrafts, they need to contact the side or the bottom. I've read differing things on whether scraping the cambium is necessary. I've had luck with scraping and not. It makes more sense to me that scraping would accelerate the graft knitting together, but I don't have any proof of that.

Also, I'd recommend planting this a bit deeper for now and let the nebari mature a bit before revealing it.

It makes sense that scraping the cambium would not be required as the cambium layers of the stock and whip should both expand and contact with time. I put the small wedges on the bottom this time. Im hoping I got my wedges embedded far enough so the callous can grow flush from stock to whip.
Waiting a couple months to know if / how bad I messed up is frustrating but thats the game we play!

I felt unsure of the repotting / grafting order of operations. The tree needs both and I figured I could wait until bud swell for a repot but the grafts needed to happen now. I do forsee a risk of damaging the grafts during repot though.

 

[The Barber]

Also, I'd recommend planting this a bit deeper for now and let the nebari mature a bit before revealing it.

I came here to say this as well.

 

[bwaynef]

I put the small wedges on the bottom this time.

That would have the threadgraft contacting the top. It needs to contact the bottom or the side of the hole.

I felt unsure of the repotting / grafting order of operations. The tree needs both and I figured I could wait until bud swell for a repot but the grafts needed to happen now. I do forsee a risk of damaging the grafts during repot though.

If you choose not to repot, put up a collar of soil around the roots like you're going to airlayer or pot it deeper if there's room in the pot. I think I'd recommend the collar though.

 

[WavyGaby]

This is just one source and I am not sure who he is but Randy Bennetts article says to put the wedge in the bottom so the contact is on the top.

https://gnobs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Threadgrafting.pdf

 

[Hack Yeah!]

I've successfully placed the wedge in the bottom, not sure it really matters. Just feed heavy.

Good luck

 

[WavyGaby]

I've successfully placed the wedge in the bottom, not sure it really matters. Just feed heavy.

Good luck

Good to hear. Thank you!