Japanes Maple question

penumbra said:
I might re-pot it if it looks like it is needed now, but otherwise I would just pretty much watch it and study it for a season. Haste is never good in bonsai.
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Thanks for the tips.. i need to practice my patience in this hobby. This is my original plan to put it asside and watch it grow for at least 1 season.
 
Shibui said:
There is no problem root pruning, repotting and pruning in one session for Japanese maple.
I would do this any time from mid winter through to buds opening here. I suspect CA has a similar climate.
The cut @Hack Yeah! has suggested looks good. That section has long internodes and straight sections and they are not desirable for bonsai. It will also reduce the height - also a good thing. i would also shorten any other longer branches so they will ramify when they grow this season.
It is definitely easier to prune a stable tree before repotting but I generally do the root pruning first then prune the branches. Sometimes the rootage you uncover will suggest a different trunk angle and therefore a different trunk line and branching and you will not know any of that until the roots are uncovered. Final step is to pot into a new pot.

It looks like there are good lateral roots near the surface so you could just cut through the root ball at the red line you have proposed. Never do that unless you know there are good lateral roots above the proposed cut as some trees have been planted deep and it is possible to cut right through the trunk and leave no roots if you chop through without looking. I know because I have done this (only once!) Much safer to rake off surface soil until you see a good layer of lateral roots before making the first horizontal cut.

Some people seem to want to see grafts in every trunk. I see no sign of this having ever been grafted. If it is grafted the job was so well done there is no need to worry about it. Correct and professional help is what you are receiving from most of the replies here.
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Thank you very much. I think you answer the biggest question i have, which is why i need to chop that section.

20210207_044458.jpg

Thanks for the suggestion and tips regarding the repotting i would search more information on how to deal with the root ball so i will not damage any. Thanks!
 
It's grafted, but a pretty good union line-up, so one of two things happened: the scion died but rootstock took over so you have a wound which is healing and will someday just be a kink that we call movement. Or, it was grafted to something that is close to the same growth rate and maybe indistinguishable as a specific cultivar and if so, the seller wouldn't sell it as a named variety. Either way, it's a usable tree.

I think a new kid should prove he can keep it alive for year and wait until spring, 2022 to do anything more than tend it and find a place out of the California sun to keep it from getting crispyized leafs. He can kill it next year. Meanwhile, back at the ranch he can eavesdrop on a few repot and styling fights, not to speak of polite soil discussions. (Just in case we have one)
 
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pamboys09 said:
Thank you very much. I think you answer the biggest question i have, which is why i need to chop that section.

View attachment 352991

Thanks for the suggestion and tips regarding the repotting i would search more information on how to deal with the root ball so i will not damage any. Thanks!
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Nice tree with a pretty nice base. This could make a nice bonsai someday. As far as repotting, you can pretty much bare root it by using the jet setting on your hose nozzle. Remove the nursery soil and pot it in bonsai soil (do a search on here for soils, there are lots). You can certainly reduce the rootball and start doing some initial nebari work. Someone suggested previously to "go shallow". I'm not exactly sure what that means but I wouldn't go immediately into a bonsai pot. A really shallow pot will slow it down considerably. Build a grow box or put it in an Anderson Flat. This will allow for growth while still keep the roots developing laterally. And finally, make sure you wire the tree into the pot. Any movement can damage small developing roots.

I think you can reduce the foliar portion of the tree at the same time as the repot (although others may disagree). Make sure you seal the cuts with cut paste.

Cory
 
Forsoothe! said:
It's grafted, but a pretty good union line-up, so one of two things happened: the scion died but rootstock took over so you have a wound which is healing and will someday just be a kink that we call movement. Or, it was grafted to something that is close to the same growth rate and maybe indistinguishable as a specific cultivar and if so, the seller wouldn't sell it as a named variety. Either way, it's a usable tree.

I think a new kid should prove he can keep it alive for year and wait until spring, 2022 to do anything more than tend it and find a place out of the California sun to keep it from getting crispyized leafs. He can kill it next year. Meanwhile, back at the ranch he can eavesdrop on a few repot and styling fights, not to speak of polite soil discussions. (Just in case we have one)
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Lol, im considering this too. Keep it as is for 1 season.

Thats good to hear that at least i picked a bonsai that is okay to use.
 
misfit11 said:
Nice tree with a pretty nice base. This could make a nice bonsai someday. As far as repotting, you can pretty much bare root it by using the jet setting on your hose nozzle. Remove the nursery soil and pot it in bonsai soil (do a search on here for soils, there are lots). You can certainly reduce the rootball and start doing some initial nebari work. Someone suggested previously to "go shallow". I'm not exactly sure what that means but I wouldn't go immediately into a bonsai pot. A really shallow pot will slow it down considerably. Build a grow box or put it in an Anderson Flat. This will allow for growth while still keep the roots developing laterally. And finally, make sure you wire the tree into the pot. Any movement can damage small developing roots.

I think you can reduce the foliar portion of the tree at the same time as the repot (although others may disagree). Make sure you seal the cuts with cut paste.

Cory
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Thanks for the information cory. Im still learning the terms and wordings in Bonsai.

And i believe with just posting here I already learn alot.

Is cut paste need to be applied right away?
I bought some but still on the way and i cut some of it already 😐
 
pamboys09 said:
Thanks for the information cory. Im still learning the terms and wordings in Bonsai.

And i believe with just posting here I already learn alot.

Is cut paste need to be applied right away?
I bought some but still on the way and i cut some of it already 😐
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Ideally, yes, you put it on there as soon as you make the cut. Putting it on there late is better than never, though. It seals the wound from disease and pests and also keeps moisture in so it can heal over better.
 
pamboys09 said:
Elmers glue? Are you serious? Lol
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I bought a tree that was grown at Wee Trees, a now defunct bonsai nursery here in Oregon, and they had used Elmer's or wood glue to seal a large wound. It worked just fine, but it took 4 years or so before I could pry it off the trunk without damaging it.
 
pamboys09 said:
Lol! 🤣, Dont get me wrong. Im new to this and didnt even know that stuff can be use to bonsai 👍
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It works weill (Elmer's Glue).
Most anything that acts as a moisture barrier will do, as the whole point is to keep the exposed cambium from desiccating until it forms its natural epiderm. Depending on circumstances, saran, visqueen, Parafilm, just about any kind of putty that will stick. and even a bit of Aluminum foil crinkled tightly over the wound will do.
 
0soyoung said:
It works weill (Elmer's Glue).
Most anything that acts as a moisture barrier will do, as the whole point is to keep the exposed cambium from desiccating until it forms its natural epiderm. Depending on circumstances, saran, visqueen, Parafilm, just about any kind of putty that will stick. and even a bit of Aluminum foil crinkled tightly over the wound will do.
Click to expand...
True. In the early 90s before I knew anything about bonsai I used beeswax mixed with a bit of mineral oil to keep it flexible, that worked quite well.
 
Looks good.
For some reason the leaves or foliage of this maple is so huge..
Is that normal?

I can tell the vigor of this tree is too much that most likely ill prune it once hardened.
 
Sure it's normal after you hard prune they have a lot of stored energy just waiting to burst. It'll reduce leaf size with ramification.
 
I like it. Did you make the cut?
 
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