How to pick a Japanese Maple for good Bonsai stock....?

[Wee]

I'm just not sure what to look for and I'm cheap and too new at this to spend more than $50. Below are some pics from the same nursery I got my dwarf crape myrtle from....These range from $27 for this one....

To $39 for the ones this size....

To $49 for the ones this size....

Brian

 

[marcosolo]

Nebari(Surface roots)-Should radiate outwards from the tree , look for ones with similar sized roots instead on ones with one big root and a few weaker ones..

Taper-I doubt you find anything with good enough taper to just start growing brances off of in a nursery, so try and find something that atleast doesn't have reverse taper down low, or look for low branching that could be used as a new leader once a chop is made..

Movement-(Straight IS BAD!!!!!!)-Look for something with a subtle undulation or wiggle to it in the first ten inches, not extreme(like an S shape) but nice and smooth, natural is the word I'm looking for here...

Grafts-(BAD!!!!!)-Some people say look for a low graft( so it isn't noticeable), but I , for one, cant stand grafts so I normally look for a higher graft and then air layer the cultivar scion off and ,Viola, you have two decent trees on their own root stocks and the original root stock actually has a trunk....

That pretty much sums up what I look for when I'm digging in a garden nursery for Jap Maples......I expect other's methods will be pretty similar....

Oh, one more thing

SKINNY IS BAD!!! THICK IS GOOD!!!

 

[will0911]

Main points are: the nebari and if it is a grafted tree or not. You don't really want a grafted tree because over time it can swell and they never really look pleasing. More than likely this tree from the nursery will have to be chopped down significantly so dont pay a lot of attention to branches at this point, but focus on good nebari or you're going to have to correct it anyways. Also the trunk size, movement, and taper all come into play as well. Don't feel like you have to buy something if you go into somewhere. Hope this helps.

 

[0soyoung]

Look for small leaves and short internodes on the trunk.

You can air layer it off grafted root stock. You can create nebari. You can create branches anywhere there is an internode. You can create your trunk by chop and grow. But you will never significantly change the leaf and especially internode size of a JM by much. Internodes on the trunk are important because future branches will only be possible at nodes on the trunk.

Shishigashira has these characteristics as does (shin) deshojo and any cultivar with 'hime' in its name. There are also many dwarf cultivars without 'hime' in their names, such as Sharp's pygmy, that have these characteristics, but are usually slower growing and higher priced. Generic green acer palmatum can be just about anything but usually is a good choice with a lot of bang for the $$.

 

[Wee]

Thank Ya'll for the reply's.....The thing with this particular nursery is that most stuff is not marked....So there is no way to tell other than by looking at the trees what variety they are. They are also pretty cheap compared to the big box store prices and the tress have better trunks and root systems.

"Small leaves" I understand....."Short internodes on the trunk" that one I need to look up.

With the advise I think I need to take a closer look at the first one I posted....I don't remember if it was grafted or not and it is the cheapest....I'm not trying to create a master piece just learn the basics.

Brian

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

You'll be light years ahead if you learn the basics on material that's been grown for bonsai. Save another $50, and take that $100 to Plant City...an actual bonsai nursery that's reasonably close and run by a professional.

http://plantcitybonsai.com/

 

[jk_lewis]

Listen to Brian. None of those maples is worth working on. ALL of them are too tall. No taper. Bad bases.