Koto Hime Maple Progression

[Darth Masiah]

11/28/20
18mo old cuttings. the fall color is just breathtaking. you could probably wire cuttings in the fall of the same year you strike them, but doing it in their 1st spring worked out for me. I'm going to up pot them this spring and we'll be able to see how the roots did after the slight prune i gave them when i wired them up.

 

[JoeR]

I see two possible options with the main tree, but I prefer option #1 personally. Progressing nicely either way

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2


When are you taking your cuttings, and what are you rooting them in?

 

[Gabler]

I see two possible options with the main tree, but I prefer option #1 personally. Progressing nicely either way

1
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2
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When are you taking your cuttings, and what are you rooting them in?

I'm a fan of option #2. More in keeping with the natural growth habit of maples.

 

[Darth Masiah]

When are you taking your cuttings, and what are you rooting them in?

i took these cuttings in late may/early june '19 from the the shoots that had come out in spring. i used clonex gel, stuck them in my regular bonsai soil, put them in a see through tote, and misted them till i saw new growth.

 

[Darth Masiah]

12/2/20
after another year or two I'll probably go with option 3; to quote the waterboy - cut his f@#$ing head off! i want the lower trunk section a little thicker so I'll have more taper to work with in the future going up the tree.

 

[Darth Masiah]

3/3/2021
I've started repotting my kotohime cuttings into 6" containers. it's great to see the development steps i took starting to bear fruit already. i love the squid looking exposed root styles a lot, whither it be just slightly exposed roots, or almost the whole trunk is a spiraling root mass. i like eating pancakes sometimes, but i don't want my nebari looking like it needs butter and syrup.









I'm just temporarily holding the mound down till i can get a piece of screen around the tree instead. i don't want to expose the roots yet.

 

[YamadoriJaeger]

I have some kotohime trees that are alive but not flourishing. I’m in so cal 20 minutes from the ocean so it’s not too dry. Any pointers to help my trees flourish? They are in volcanic rock mix with pumice and some organic tree bark.

 

[Darth Masiah]

I have some kotohime trees that are alive but not flourishing. I’m in so cal 20 minutes from the ocean so it’s not too dry. Any pointers to help my trees flourish? They are in volcanic rock mix with pumice and some organic tree bark.

what zone is your tree in? I'm in 8a. my inorganic substrate, watering everyday(from spring to fall), feeding every 10 days(202020 salts/recharge) routine works well in my environment, but one size doesn't fit all in bonsai. maybe a so-cal kotohime grower would chime in.

 

[YamadoriJaeger]

what zone is your tree in? I'm in 8a. my inorganic substrate, watering everyday(from spring to fall), feeding every 10 days(202020 salts/recharge) routine works well in my environment, but one size doesn't fit all in bonsai. maybe a so-cal kotohime grower would chime in.

10a. Last year the leaves got super crispy at the ends and I thought it died. Stem still green and dark pink buds are swelling.

 

[Darth Masiah]

10a. Last year the leaves got super crispy at the ends and I thought it died. Stem still green and dark pink buds are swelling.

increasing shade and moisture will probably help. not having a winter dormancy can weaker some maple cultivars, too.

 

[Darth Masiah]

 

[Darth Masiah]

doubled up drywall mesh tape hack

 

[Darth Masiah]

5/18/21

 

[Darth Masiah]

6/3/21
a few anchor wires were biting in

 

[Darth Masiah]

 

[weetree3]

5/18/21

View attachment 375688
View attachment 375689

Off topic but where did you buy your benches? I like them very much.

 

[Darth Masiah]

Off topic but where did you buy your benches? I like them very much.

i actually get all the aluminum extrusion for free from my job. when tables or structures or fences made out of this stuff gets hit by forklifts or whatever, it gets marked scrap. then i come and take it home before it goes in a dumpster. the steel fence pieces are awwesome. i like seeing how things are draining. buying extrusion pieces from tnuts or 80/20 sellers will add up quick with the hardware to connect them, and I'm not sure where to get steel fencing thats powder coated like this. buuuuuut, your table would last forever. no rotting wood here.

 

[Darth Masiah]

i need to get salvaging and stop bs'ing

 

[Darth Masiah]

july 2018 to july 2021
they seem to thicken up quickly if you let it run. i think I'll take off a sacrifice next june and take another round of cuttings.

 

[Darth Masiah]