32 year old Acer Rubrum

[Frozentreehugger]

Acer Rebrum red maple . Will hybridize with other soft maples . Notable silver maple . The offspring will normally lean to one parent or the other . Some have claimed excessive vigorous but I have not experienced that . Silver dies grow faster . The town I live in has heavy plantings of both . The fall colour of red maple is not always red . There are cultivars in nursery trade that are reliable red . But in nature normally a red maple forest has red trees and yellow trees . Some people claim it matters what they grow in but I don’t . Example the nature red in my yard is always light red . But the seeds are often . Yellow . The hybrids with silver . Normally have a silver like leaf and are yellow in fall

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Acer Rebrum red maple . Will hybridize with other soft maples . Notable silver maple . The offspring will normally lean to one parent or the other . Some have claimed excessive vigorous but I have not experienced that . Silver dies grow faster . The town I live in has heavy plantings of both . The fall colour of red maple is not always red . There are cultivars in nursery trade that are reliable red . But in nature normally a red maple forest has red trees and yellow trees . Some people claim it matters what they grow in but I don’t . Example the nature red in my yard is always light red . But the seeds are often . Yellow . The hybrids with silver . Normally have a silver like leaf and are yellow in fall

Acer x freemanii - the Freeman maple is the hybrid maple, see wikipedia entry for all the info one could need.

Acer × freemanii - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Silver maple is not often used for bonsai because it's autumn colors tend to be poor, often going from green to brown without any attractive color phase. Sometimes silver maple will turn yellow, but this phase is brief, brown quickly dominates. For this reason and the large size of the leaves, silver maple, Acer saccharinum is not often used for bonsai.

Acer sacharum - the sugar maple, has wonderful autumn colors. It is occasionally used for bonsai, but its leaves are large and difficult to get to reduce. Autumn colors are fabulous, making the species worth the effort to work with according to some bonsai artists. Suggestions are to "go large" at least one meter tall trees to compensate for lack of leaf reduction.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Acer x freemanii - the Freeman maple is the hybrid maple, see wikipedia entry for all the info one could need.

Acer × freemanii - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Silver maple is not often used for bonsai because it's autumn colors tend to be poor, often going from green to brown without any attractive color phase. Sometimes silver maple will turn yellow, but this phase is brief, brown quickly dominates. For this reason and the large size of the leaves, silver maple, Acer saccharinum is not often used for bonsai.

Acer sacharum - the sugar maple, has wonderful autumn colors. It is occasionally used for bonsai, but its leaves are large and difficult to get to reduce. Autumn colors are fabulous, making the species worth the effort to work with according to some bonsai artists. Suggestions are to "go large" at least one meter tall trees to compensate for lack of leaf reduction.

All correct I currently have mainly sugar growing in the ground . Most will be coming out for a root prune this spring . Largest is about a foot across the base . Splits into 2 trunks cut back to about 2 feet high . Last fall . A red that is getting air layered . But it’s just a stick . The hybrids I am referring to were when I grew . From seeds . Have not in a few years . Am going to again this year . There is a 40 footer of silver and a red in my front yard . And plenty more on the street . Interesting my trees normally come true to form . The largest silver on the street . About 3.5 foot trunk has the most interesting . Outcome from seeds . Some very deep cut silver leaves some normal and some hybrids . You are correct about the fall the silvers colour yellow around here . But normally fairly good time length not as long as the reds though . The silver is interesting perfect in tune with the local weather . First tree to bud and leaf out in spring crazy it always seeds drops them in a week of higher wind and is followed every year but several days of rain . Amazing to think about . The sugars do the exact same in the fall . I have nothing that is not in development so no idea if leaf reduction . Capabilities . But assume I’ll only have so much success but we’re having fun

 

[DeeJay]

A small mound of Growstone is put over the holes keep the roots from growing into the holes and clogging the drainage.

View attachment 289734View attachment 289735

I thought about that. I put a little patch of insect screen over the holes - was thinking the rocks might shrink the holes too much. Seems to work great for you!

 

[Joe_B]

Very nice indeed. Love seeing a Rubrum get worked on.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

OK, I looked up swamp maple and it appears to be a term referring to several types of water loving maples mainly the red maple ,silver maple and some other type. When I checked the leaves you can really see the difference. Flowers of red maple are very red and the fruit is tiny.

The second picture looks like . Acer rubrum var tridens . Very common version of rubrum . Three lobed with rounded base . Normally takes this form or . The familiar 5 lobed version . Tridents would make good bonsai choice as the leaves are naturally slightly smaller . I believe it is more heat tolerant than the 5 leaf versions . Which are more common in the north . Easiest. Identification of 5 lobe rubrum Is the leaf edge is aerated . Where sugar maple and Norway maple are not . That and it’s name rubrum comes from some part of the tree is red . In every season . Buds young stems . Leaf stem fall leaves NHL Toronto maple leaf hockey team crest is red maple . Canadian flag is sugar

 

[Orion_metalhead]

David, when do you wire on and wire off on your rubrum?

This has been an inspirational tree for so many. Deserving of the recognition its getting.

 

[ABCarve]

David, when do you wire on and wire off on your rubrum?

This has been an inspirational tree for so many. Deserving of the recognition its getting.

Mostly wired in the spring. Taking it off can vary from 3 weeks to one year. Just look for the bite.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

In spring after or before lignification?

 

[ABCarve]

In spring after or before lignification?

After

 

[ABCarve]

This year I tried a little different leaf pruning regime, I think to a good response. Since it was more than moderately root pruned when working on the nebari this spring I decided to go easy on it a not fully defoliate it. I did not bud pinch as they emerged either. As the buds extended not all of the leaves were over-sized. By mid-May the extremely large ones (10%) were cut off to keep light coming in to the interior. Over the next few weeks some of the smaller leaves grew larger (25%). For those I simply cut them in half to keep the interior open even more. I do this on a number of other tree and it doesn't seem to detract from the overall look of the foliage. It is sprayed prophylactically with copper sulfate to keep the tar spot away.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Love this tree every time. It may supplant my Mach5 desktop background. How tall is it?

 

[ABCarve]

Love this tree every time. It may supplant my Mach5 desktop background. How tall is it?

30” from soil.

 

[DeeJay]

This year I tried a little different leaf pruning regime, I think to a good response. Since it was more than moderately root pruned when working on the nebari this spring I decided to go easy on it a not fully defoliate it. I did not bud pinch as they emerged either. As the buds extended not all of the leaves were over-sized. By mid-May the extremely large ones (10%) were cut off to keep light coming in to the interior. Over the next few weeks some of the smaller leaves grew larger (25%). For those I simply cut them in half to keep the interior open even more. I do this on a number of other tree and it doesn't seem to detract from the overall look of the foliage. It is sprayed prophylactically with copper sulfate to keep the tar spot away.

View attachment 446643

Beautiful!

 

[GreatLakesBrad]

That bark down low is so neat!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Any current fall/winter photos of this tree? Currently my work office computer desktop background. Would like it to match the season. Haha.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

I love the aged bark on the lower trunk . I have noticed . In the wild there seems to be a difference . In bark on red maple sone grow fairly old with relatively smith bark . Often strong silver colour . Others seem to bark up fairly young . I have noticed sone rock pocket trees that seem to be naturally dwarfed . From restricted roots . Are slow to bark up . Or are the smooth variety . At least there in the same area . Be interested in knowing the bark history of this tree . When did it start to get rough .

 

[dbonsaiw]

The more I contemplate my own rubrum airlayer the more I appreciate just how nice your tree is.

 

[penumbra]

And the more I appreciate the species.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

And the more I appreciate the species.

according to Canada bonsai . There are people in Japan working with this species . What’s that telling you