Lorax7 Amur Maple #1 progression
- Thread starter Lorax7
- Start date
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- acer ginnala amur maple
Here it is now. It’s had several branches die, probably due to rookie mistakes I made before I became aware of how prone to die-back this species is. I’m open to restyling ideas for its future. For now, I’ve left the dead branches on the tree since I haven’t decided whether to try to replace them or incorporate them into the design. I won’t be restyling it for a while though. My plan at the moment is to repot in the spring to get it back to growing vigorously and generally focus on health. I’m thinking I’ll put it in a larger container when I repot to encourage vigor.
Front:
Back:
Right side:
Left side:
Front:
Back:
Right side:
Left side:
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
Nice trunk! I like the roots as “a feature”...
Buuuut I think, I honestly like the “back” better for the front.... Those bar branches aren’t as obvious.
Cool Ginnala.. I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Buuuut I think, I honestly like the “back” better for the front.... Those bar branches aren’t as obvious.
Cool Ginnala.. I can’t wait to see where it goes.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
Oooh i see... do you possibly have die-back down that whole side?
GreatLakesBrad
Chumono
Cool tree! Flower market by chance?
what have you learned regarding dieback? I am trying out fall pruning (works well for most of my deciduous) this season in hopes I can avoid dieback.
I’ve noticed pruning at bud break, AND pruning during the growing season causes some dieback back. Still figuring these out but lovely how hardy they are, no worries for winter!
what have you learned regarding dieback? I am trying out fall pruning (works well for most of my deciduous) this season in hopes I can avoid dieback.
I’ve noticed pruning at bud break, AND pruning during the growing season causes some dieback back. Still figuring these out but lovely how hardy they are, no worries for winter!
Even with the big apical region of deadwood, you still like the current back better as a front?
Quite possibly. I'm not entirely sure of the extent of it yet. I guess I'll see in the spring if nothing buds anywhere on that side. There are a couple of branches on the other side that also died.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
Yes, it is indeed a Flower Market tree.
As far as what I've learned regarding dieback. Mainly, I've learned that this species is especially prone to it and trying to apply techniques from books written about Japanese maples or Trident maples can get you into trouble as Amur maples do not respond in the same way. I still haven't really sorted out best practices for pruning it. It seems like if I even just look at it funny another branch dies back.
The fall color and the cold hardiness are the best features of the species.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
This has been my experience, as well.. after/at budbreak, or during the growing season is kind of a gamble... I’d imagine more careful and proper handling would help.. I’ll try that.. next time.
Divide_by_zero
Yamadori
Just a thought, do you leave a stub when you prune to allow for die back? And do you seal all cuts? I do both as a matter of course on all my trees and luckily haven't had much problem with die-back.
As a disclaimer, I have not had an amur maple in my care for more than ten years now. So you shouldn't necessarily rely on the memory of an old fart.
As a disclaimer, I have not had an amur maple in my care for more than ten years now. So you shouldn't necessarily rely on the memory of an old fart.
Yeah, I always leave room for die-back and use cut paste for cuts, at least in recent years. No doubt I made some n00b mistakes when I was first getting started for the second time around 2017. I did bonsai a bit in the 90s as well, but that hardly counts as I only had one tree (a juniper) and only one book on caring for bonsai… I didn’t know about any clubs or know anyone else who did bonsai back then.Just a thought, do you leave a stub when you prune to allow for die back? And do you seal all cuts? I do both as a matter of course on all my trees and luckily haven't had much problem with die-back.
As a disclaimer, I have not had an amur maple in my care for more than ten years now. So you shouldn't necessarily rely on the memory of an old fart.
So, now that it's spring, I've had a chance to look at the new buds and assess the extent of the dieback (although I forgot to take a new picture -- this is the photo from fall). This happens to be the view from the back, as it's a bit easier to point out the dead areas from this vantage point. The branches outlined in red are dead, dead, dead. I believe it's likely that the section of trunk outlined in orange died and that's what took out the other branches. I'm planning to repot it soon, to get some fresh soil in there to reinvigorate the tree. It was last repotted in spring 2019, so it's due for a repot. The decision I have before me is whether to:
1. Leave the deadwood on the tree and have a tree with sort of a Halloween-spooky aesthetic (half dead, half alive).
or
2. Cut off the dead regions until I find green, slather everything in cut paste, and set about building a new apex from scratch.
Thoughts? What would you do with it?
GreatLakesBrad
Chumono
I’d consider waiting until next spring to go hard into finding green. Maybe repot it and let recover this season?
I know you’re close nearby - are you seeing these buds pop yet? Mine are getting ready to extend here in GR …
I know you’re close nearby - are you seeing these buds pop yet? Mine are getting ready to extend here in GR …
To clarify, I wouldn't be cutting into the green, just removing bark bit by bit off the part of the trunk that I know is dead, gradually exploring until I find green at the margins (stopping right there).
River's Edge
Masterpiece
You are at the beginning of the growing season, your instincts to remove deadwood to live edges is excellent thinking.
I did a bunch of carving with the Dremel and a repot today. Unfortunately, I lost yet another branch due to a freak mishap with the canopy over my work area (wind caught it, lifted it up, and knocked it over. In the process, the canopy hit the tree and knocked the pot off the table. The pot survived, but one branch snapped. I planted it as a cutting. We’ll see if it survives. I carved a lot of the dead wood, although Amur maple wood is tough as nails, so I left some of the dead. I’m not hopeful that it’ll ever fully heal over, but I was able to put most of the scar in the back by choosing a new front for the tree. Did quite a bit of root work when I repotted. I think the tree is in decent shape to move forward now.
After carving
Tree was very root bound:
After trimming the roots:
Back in the pot with the new front of the tree:
Put the moss back on:
After carving
Tree was very root bound:
After trimming the roots:
Back in the pot with the new front of the tree:
Put the moss back on:
River's Edge
Masterpiece
Well done. best thing we can do is make the most of what we have. that you have done!
Assuming it rebounds ok from all this work, I think it may ultimately end up a better tree for it. I see the vertical branch that is the apex at the moment as a sacrifice branch and the branch going off to the right as the new trunk. Also, the big ugly scar in the front where a branch had been removed in the past is now gone (because it was part of the dead section).
