Field Maple

[Choppychan]

Hi,

New to Bonsai. I have acquired a small collection of pre bonsai's from a guy who was downsizing.

These trees have a number of faults I'd like to correct with time. The first tree I'd like to tackle is the field maple. Originally this tree had multiple branches crossing over and pointing inwards. Branching and taper was (and still is) poor. I have given it a trim to reveal the shape of the tree underneath the mess. The more I look at it however the more I think that it needs to be completely started over. I have attached pics of before, after trim (still lots of faults) and proposed final trim to start fresh (chops marked in red).

I could see the buds swelling up and gave it a harsh trim a couple of days ago as per pic (Scotland).

Since I am still fairly inexperienced I was wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction. Would it be okay to give start it over as proposed?
Would it be too soon for this or do I need to wait till next year?

The tree is currently in a fairly large training pot and I could plant it in the ground ( south west facing garden). Would this be okay and should I trim the roots back a bit to avoid excessive bleeding (sealed cuts with japanese paste). Or should I just leave it as it is or trim roots back, freshen up soil and put it back in its pot?

I appreciate that is a lot of questions but it would be great if I could get some pointers.

Thanks,

Choppychan

 

[Juanmi]

Nice wee tree!

Somehow it has some charisma as it is, but certainly it would develop inverse taper if you keep all 3 branches.

If the tree is in good health, and the buds are swelling, now could be the right time to do it.

If you feel like starting over don't wait until next year.

About the roots, that's something you could only evaluate during the repotting. If there are lots of roots and you want to repot it on the same pot, you should trim. If you want to get lots of growth you can put it in the ground and only prune thick roots or the ones you know won't be useful, but if you do, you might need to rework the roots a few years later, because they will grow like crazy on the ground.

I hope I answered your questions

 

[gooeytek]

I would let it grow and thicken.

 

[Eckhoffw]

I like your chop spots. Be sure to not let to much extend right under the top chop. There is a little bulge already that will get larger if you allow more than one sprout from that spot.

 

[Choppychan]

Nice wee tree!

Somehow it has some charisma as it is, but certainly it would develop inverse taper if you keep all 3 branches.

If the tree is in good health, and the buds are swelling, now could be the right time to do it.

If you feel like starting over don't wait until next year.

About the roots, that's something you could only evaluate during the repotting. If there are lots of roots and you want to repot it on the same pot, you should trim. If you want to get lots of growth you can put it in the ground and only prune thick roots or the ones you know won't be useful, but if you do, you might need to rework the roots a few years later, because they will grow like crazy on the ground.

I hope I answered your questions

Thanks for the advice.

I am not afraid to start over. The tree was not in my care and I believe it has just been trimmed back throughout the years without addressing cross over and inward pointing, reverse taper etc.

100% agree with the reverse taper. The main leader I picked is the best out of the 3 possible choices. One is too thick and straight up and not interesting. The other one has a strange insertion. The remaining one is smaller than the main struck, some nice movement so it has to be that one.

Nice wee tree!

Somehow it has some charisma as it is, but certainly it would develop inverse taper if you keep all 3 branches.

If the tree is in good health, and the buds are swelling, now could be the right time to do it.

If you feel like starting over don't wait until next year.

About the roots, that's something you could only evaluate during the repotting. If there are lots of roots and you want to repot it on the same pot, you should trim. If you want to get lots of growth you can put it in the ground and only prune thick roots or the ones you know won't be useful, but if you do, you might need to rework the roots a few years later, because they will grow like crazy on the ground.

I hope I answered your questions

Thanks for the advice!

Agreed about the reverse taper. The main leader I picked seems to be the best option IMO and it does have some nice movement. Will get chopping then.

I think I'll put it in the ground and cut large roots as you suggested. I also watched a video where they said to put a slab or anything below the tree when planting it in the ground so that the roots grow horizontally rather than straight down. Would that be a good idea? What would you use as a barrier?

 

[Choppychan]

I like your chop spots. Be sure to not let to much extend right under the top chop. There is a little bulge already that will get larger if you allow more than one sprout from that spot. View attachment 528786

Absolutely! Will need to snip that off. This tree is super vigorous and has many buds coming out everywhere. Need to watch it closely as it develops so I can avoid swelling and reverse taper.

 

[Juanmi]

I think I'll put it in the ground and cut large roots as you suggested. I also watched a video where they said to put a slab or anything below the tree when planting it in the ground so that the roots grow horizontally rather than straight down. Would that be a good idea? What would you use as a barrier?

Sure, it's a well known technique that gives great results. Personally I've never used it, but I've seen people putting just a wooden board under the tree and attach it with a screw to the centre of the trunk (don't worry it won't harm the tree).
That would give you a good start, but don't forget to check and prune the roots every 2 or 3 years, that will slow down the tree growth, but it's necessary to achieve a decent nebari.

 

[Choppychan]

Thanks, will do. I've already started chopping but I am stuck as there are many possibilities for the new leader. I think the tree now looks better in pic 1 (old front), leaning towards the yellow but not sure.

 

[Choppychan]

I like your chop spots. Be sure to not let to much extend right under the top chop. There is a little bulge already that will get larger if you allow more than one sprout from that spot. View attachment 528786

Left all the buds still as I'm still deciding the new leader. I think I am still leaning towards my original ideas but there are so many options. Which one would you recommend. Still the yellow cut?

 

[Eckhoffw]

Red line is nice. Gives you some additional movement to build from.