JM Trunk Chop Decisions and Next Steps

[Polifrog]

Hello all,

I am looking to start to work on an older field grown Japanese Maple that came with our new house but am having a hard time deciding on what general style would work best with the shape. I feel like as it is right now, I have the following options:

A. Keep the thickest branch leaning left and remove right
B. Keep the right branch that has good movement/taper and remove left
C. Keep both left and right and chop closer to the base
D. Something else I should consider

Secondly, this will be my first big work/chop effort so I would like to confirm that I should only do the limb work this year (once buds start to swell) and then pot up next year. Appreciate any guidance or information in advance!

 

[Shibui]

Before committing to a design you should check the roots arrangement. High roots on one side will preclude leaning the trunk away from that side which will limit some possible options. Most roots on one side of the trunk will also limit where your front can be unless you grow new roots by layering.

Need to bear in mind that a chop is NOT the height of your finished bonsai. After the chop you need to develop new branching and trunk line which will mean your tree could be twice the original chop. No real scale in the photos except leaves and irrigation pipe so I can only guess how high the forks are but my gut feeling is the trunk in the second picture would be way too tall for a good JM bonsai unless chopped below the 2nd fork.

FYI, many, many people have tried to convert landscape maples to bonsai. I've yet to see one I would like to take home.

 

[Gabler]

If you want to use this tree for bonsai, keep it in the ground, but try to take air layers from it. That way, you can keep your landscape tree, and you can start your bonsai with better roots. Also, bear in mind that not all Japanese maples are equally suitable for bonsai. There are actually three subspecies of Japanese maple, and the ones that are best for bonsai have slightly smaller leaves and tiny seeds. Of those three subspecies, there are many cultivars, many of which are hybrids between the subspecies. Most cultivars are poor for bonsai. The ones with good characteristics for bonsai will still be less vigorous than the wild-type trees. Even though Japanese maples are an iconic bonsai species, not all of them are equally suitable.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

I agree with layering a few sections as well, provided the cultiver will layer. I generally start these in mid to late April in our area. That is also a good time to prune the trunk down if you decide to just go with the whole tree.

 

[johng]

First you should realize that Japanese maple is most appreciated in bonsai with a scar free or nearly scar free trunk. It is highly unlikely that you will ever be satisfied in the long term with the results of the big chops you are thinking about...it is highly likely that whatever big scar is created will not heal completely and will likely become an avenue for disease to enter the tree. There are quite a large number of smaller branches that could be air layered to create interesting trunk lines with more reasonable scars to heal. Instead of one tree (with a giant scar that will never heal) you could actually end up with a dozen or more much nicer trees over a couple of years. Search the forum for a post by Bonsainut called A guide to Air layering (I think that is the correct name)

 

[Polifrog]

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! I'll likely layer it quite a bit like you have all suggested and not try to work this into something by itself.

 

[clem]

D. Something else I should consider

i would just airlayer small branches to create a JM Bonsai from them.
i don't see a good pre-Bonsai in your big JM (bad tapper, bad trunk line).. sorry for my frankness and.. each to their own

 

[Canada Bonsai]

Please see attached.

You are better off starting with a cutting (not from this tree). With a cutting you will have more freedom, and a better learning experience that you can carry over to other trees.

This 'field-grown material' will have unusable roots (not maybe, definitely), the structure is taperless on the scale that we actually practice bonsai (see attached). Even in the hands of a top level bonsai practitioner, this project would be full of frustration, big risks, and difficult manoeuvres to end up--even 30 years from now--with a tree that you will not be proud of. Moreover, any Japanese maple planted in the ground is unlikely to be an appropriate cultivar for bonsai (when I say unlikely I mean less than 1/10,000 chance because there are people who plant bonsai-appropriate cultivars in our landscapes/gardens, but this is very very uncommon).

You are starting with material that will never make a good bonsai no matter how many years you put into it, even if you were a top-level artist.

As a general rule, if you're using the word 'big chop' to referring to anything over an 1-2" in diameter, you're probably not looking at worthwhile material -- there are better places to start.

 

[dlayton]

I agree with the root comments and the air layer comments. You could get many trees from this one if you want. And there’s probably a lot nicer baby bonsai hidden somewhere in the canopy. But, don’t let anyone discourage you. (And that’s not directed at any of the previous comments)
If you want to work on this tree as bonsai, have at it! It’s your tree and it sounds like it was free!
Is this tree perfect? No. Will it ever be an award winning tree, doubtful. But it also didn’t cost you a fortune to get started.

But neither will any of the ones on my bench. I practice bonsai because I have a love for trees, nature, and horticulture. It keeps me outside and in nature!

From the picture, it looks like this tree may be tucked in the back of the yard out of “sight” per say. You could put it in a nice big planter, cut it off about 4 foot all the way around and make a heck of a nice “patio tree” out of it in a few years. All the while still practicing the same bonsai principles that help take care of and manage a tree.

If you want to get immediate taper, and it’s hard to tell from those pics, but would this work?

Sorry for the rant but I just wanted to give you a little encouragement!

 

[dlayton]

And remember. If you reduce the roots, you need to reduce the canopy. So if you chop, there’s no problem with digging. But if you chop this year and leave in the ground, it will recover and put off more buds and foliage with the extra roots.
1. Chop this year, leave in the ground. Will recover and heal faster.
2. If you dig, you must chop.