Ebihara maples

[markyscott]

If it were me I would have more of the tap root. With tridents you can be ruthless - I would have carved it all the way down until it was flush with the radial roots. Also remove the upward and downward growing roots. Then cut back the thicker roots and leave the thinner ones long.

 

[bilbocannon]

If it were me I would have more of the tap root. With tridents you can be ruthless - I would have carved it all the way down until it was flush with the radial roots. Also remove the upward and downward growing roots. Then cut back the thicker roots and leave the thinner ones long.

While doing it i was thinking it could look cool by allowing the higher up roots to extend down and out eventually creating a nebari that was shaped like an upside down cone?

 

[Lars Grimm]

@markyscott When you are wiring your initial primary branches how thin a diameter do you start with? On one of my select red Japanese Maples, a new branch was coming off at a steep vertical angle and I cracked it at the trunk while trying to wire it down =(. It was about 5-6 mm in diameter.

 

[markyscott]

@markyscott When you are wiring your initial primary branches how thin a diameter do you start with? On one of my select red Japanese Maples, a new branch was coming off at a steep vertical angle and I cracked it at the trunk while trying to wire it down =(.

Bummer about the branch, but a good question. It's a tricky balance - if you do it when the branch is too young you risk damaging it. If you wait too long, it becomes difficult to adjust the angle where it comes out of the trunk. You have to find the Goldilocks zone. For me, that's usually 6 or so sets of leaves on the branch. Then wire. Leave the growing too if you want it to thicken more and cut it off if you want to slow it down.

 

[Lars Grimm]

Bummer about the branch, but a good question. It's a tricky balance - if you do it when the branch is too young you risk damaging it. If you wait too long, it becomes difficult to adjust the angle where it comes out of the trunk. You have to find the Goldilocks zone. For me, that's usually 6 or so sets of leaves on the branch. Then wire. Leave the growing too if you want it to thicken more and cut it off if you want to slow it down.

I think it had about 12 pairs of leaves... Good practical advice as always!

 

[markyscott]

I think it had about 12 pairs of leaves... Good practical advice as always!

Sounds as though you may have waited a bit too long - when it's lignified it can be difficult to bend, which could have caused the problem. Perhaps try it a bit earlier next time. I worked mine back in April/May here in Houston.

Scott

 

[Adair M]

I think it had about 12 pairs of leaves... Good practical advice as always!

If I may add:

This is one of the times aluminum wire works better than copper. Aluminum, being fatter, cuts in less than does copper.

 

[IrishCrow]

Finally, the entire board is wired to the Anderson flat. Put a thick drainage layer beneath the board. Fill in soil on top of the board and roots until the nails are covered and you're ready for spring! Easy peasy.

View attachment 68546View attachment 68547

The idea behind the technique is that over time, the roots near the nebari will slowly fuse causing that melting base that Ebihara is famous for. Looking forward to seeing how it works for me.

Scott

Wow. Thanks for all the great info markey! The whole planting on wooden board thing is fascinating. I really appreciate all the info. Now I'm off to get another jap maple to experiment!

 

[markyscott]

Wow. Thanks for all the great info markey! The whole planting on wooden board thing is fascinating. I really appreciate all the info. Now I'm off to get another jap maple to experiment!

Thanks. Things have slowed down now, but we'll, get back to this thread this winter with some repotting and cutback. I'm anxious to see the results!

Scott

 

[Adair M]

Thanks. Things have slowed down now, but we'll, get back to this thread this winter with some repotting and cutback. I'm anxious to see the results!

Scott

That's when all the Ume grafts will be blooming!

 

[Lars Grimm]

Hey @markyscott can you comment on the depth of soil beneath the board. Based on the diagrams from Boon's intensive it looks quite deep but I'm not sure if that is just figurative.

 

[markyscott]

Hey @markyscott can you comment on the depth of soil beneath the board. Based on the diagrams from Boon's intensive it looks quite deep but I'm not sure if that is just figurative.

Hi Lars - good question. It was not deep. I put less than 1" of drainage layer beneath the board. Then the soil with a layer of sphagnum on top.

Scott

 

[Lars Grimm]

Hi Lars - good question. It was not deep. I put less than 1" of drainage layer beneath the board. Then the soil with a layer of sphagnum on top.

Scott

Do you use your regular soil mix or something different?

 

[Adair M]

Regular mix.

 

[markyscott]

Do you use your regular soil mix or something different?

For the drainage layer I use pumice or haydite or scoria sieved to 3/8" - 1/2". For the soil I use this - it's my regular mix.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

Time to cut back those maples too. In Houston, "Fall" amounts to waiting for a bit of cold weather in december and running outside to cut off the leaves. There is not fall color really, unless you count "brown and crispy". If you do, we have lovely fall color. Anyway, here are two of the ebihara's

Before


After cut back


Scott

 

[markyscott]

Before


On this one I plan on doing a bit of grafting in the spring. So for now we just wire a shoot into place. Here's the one I like.


And then after cut back and wiring the shoot I'll graft in spring.


Scott

 

[Random User]

If it were me I would have more of the tap root. With tridents you can be ruthless - I would have carved it all the way down until it was flush with the radial roots. Also remove the upward and downward growing roots. Then cut back the thicker roots and leave the thinner ones long.

I'm sure that people are getting tired of me saying this, but for taproot trimming, I use a 60 - 80 grit flapper disc on a 4" angle grinder. It works reasonably fast and I find that it is easier on the tree because I don't damage other parts of the tree when I'm wrestling with it and not paying close attention to what is rubbing, bending, or breaking elsewhere when I'm distracted.

I also use stainless steel lag bolts on larger trees, but you have to drill a pilot hole in the bottom of the tree first, so the trunk won't split... then you have to be sure that you seal the wound/hole well after removing the lag screw, or remove the board, re-inert the lag screw, then zip cut the bolt flush with a thin cutting disc (again, on the angle grinder)... basically, I just leave a portion of the screw in the tree.

My Manitoba Maple trees out front of the house are getting large plates at the base, because the back wheel on the lawn mower drags the dirt away from the base of the tree little by little each time I mow around them... it's interesting to see it happen, is it a natural reaction that is causing the roots to fuse, or a natural reaction causing them to swell when exposed to the atmosphere... or, is it possibly both?

Having said that, we don't have the climate for the types of maples you southern folk have, and MMs are unsuitable for bonsai for a number of reasons, so I've never tried that on a MM in a pot.

 

[Random User]

Hi Lars - good question. It was not deep. I put less than 1" of drainage layer beneath the board. Then the soil with a layer of sphagnum on top.

Scott

I've been forced to stop using the sphagnum, because the robins always find it and dig it out for their nests... dunno exactly what I'll try next, maybe a layer of vermiculite or pearlite, but I hate to use either.

 

[markyscott]

I've been forced to stop using the sphagnum, because the robins always find it and dig it out for their nests... dunno exactly what I'll try next, maybe a layer of vermiculite or pearlite, but I hate to use either.

Have you tried milling the sphagnum?

Scott