Atropurpureum Red Japanese Maple Clump

[BonsaiOnTheBrainTX]

Last summer I purchased 12-15 Atropurpureum seedlings. I wanted a couple to grow as individual trees, some to try a forrest planting, and the rest for a clump style. I only had 5 left for the clump so hopefully none of them die on me. The bases have been wired together for about 9 months now. The wire doesn’t look to be biting in yet around the bottom. But I’ll be monitoring it through the spring growth. It’s a bit unconventional I guess because 2 of the trunks are crossing each other. But I like the way it looks and am excited to see how it develops. Let me know what you think
Thx

 

[Shibui]

Good project. I'm a big fan of clump style Japanese maples. That's how they grow naturally so a great choice for bonsai styling.
Mot sure about your bending though. I have no problem with a trunk crossing in necessary but I can't see natural bends in what you've done. The trunks seem to wander in and out at random. Natural clump style trunks usually grow out, away from the neighbours seeking light. They rarely head back into the centre of a cluster. I think it helps design if you consciously analyse lots of trees to try to pick up the general features and how the trunks and branches grow.

The basal wiring you've used should help the trunks fuse but, in my experience, you're likely to end up with wire marks on the outside well before they fuse. Another issue I've had when using similar binding is the trunks bulge above and below the binding. I prefer to use something wider and a little more flexible like grafting tape as any marks are less obvious.
Did you remove any bark where the trunks touch to try to speed up fusing?

I hope you can prove my concerns unfounded and would like to see updates as this one develops.

 

[BonsaiOnTheBrainTX]

Thanks for the response. I tend to favor some unnatural bends in my wiring for some reason. Maybe because I’m still learning and I like to see how far I can push things without breaking, to learn the limits. But I also don’t have any mature trees that I’ve developed. Everything I have is very young. So maybe that will change over time and as I improve. I do like old mature specimen trees that look natural, but it’s not something I’m trying to strictly adhere to.
For the wiring around the base, that is something I’ve been wondering about. I have 2 of these clumps, both with wire at the base holding them together. I did not remove any bark, I actually haven’t seen anyone do that when making a clump composition. But it makes sense! I have some grafting tape, maybe I’ll remove the wires around the base today and reapply with the tape. That definitely seems less likely to leave scarring. I appreciate the suggestion and Im going to try to post updates in these threads. Thanks again!