Murasaki Kiyohime new arrival

Kurt

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This is my new Murasaki Kiyohime I just received in the mail, top quality. Any suggestions would be great. Its a little to late in the season (tree being leafed out, still freezing temperatures at night in Michigan) for work but is it ok to slip pot it and let it grow?
 
Youtube video of tree, can't upload pictures
 
repotting jap maples is usually best done as the leaf buds swell. nice tree! where did you order it from?
 
It's pretty much always OK to slip pot into a larger container, with minimal root disturbance.
 
It's pretty much always OK to slip pot into a larger container, with minimal root disturbance.
I slipped it into a 10 gallon tote for this season until I can find a good training pot.
 
repotting jap maples is usually best done as the leaf buds swell. nice tree! where did you order it from?
Soonerplantfarm.com but they are sold out as of this morning
 
Seems pretty happy in it's current container. Zero need to slip pot as long as the water doesn't take forever to drain thru.

What soil did you use to backfill?
 
Fast draining cactus/succulent soil mixed with perlite. Takes about 5 seconds for water to start draining out of the 10 gallon tub i slipped it into
 
Seems pretty happy in it's current container. Zero need to slip pot as long as the water doesn't take forever to drain thru.

What soil did you use to backfill?
It's roughly the same soil it was in without the big chunks of bark.
 
Id consider no repot and an airlayer above the graft line, has nice swelling already and while the graft is good it wouldn't hurt to remove it
 
Any suggestions would be great

This is a landscape tree. I hope it was not sold to you as bonsai material. My advice is to plant this beautiful tree in your yard where it belongs. If it cannot endure your winter climate, keep it in a landscape pot so that you can move/protect it in winter.

You're lucky to live in the USA where there are many hard working pre-bonsai growers who are developing a wide range of maple material that is ideal for bonsai at all price ranges, and they could use your support!

The nebari of your landscape tree is going to be very problematic. 'Fixing it' will either be impossible, or will take more time than starting with much younger material. Starting with younger material (or any pre-bonsai material) has two other advantages: you will have full control of the trunk-line, and you won't have that any unsightly grafts to deal with. There are ways to overcome the troubles that come with using landscape material, but they are a misuse of anyone's time.

Yes, you might just want to practice and find satisfaction in playing around with a tree like this, but you might as well practice and find that same satisfaction with appropriate material that will be much more rewarding.
 
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It's roughly the same soil it was in without the big chunks of bark.
Big chunks of bark are good, IMHO. I grow trees like this (patio trees) in little more than medium landscape bark. Good moisture retention and great aeration. The only shortcoming is that a tree this size will have to be anchored to the pot like bonsai trees are. A little fert the first year, and it is good to go for something like 5 years.
 
This is a landscape tree. I hope it was not sold to you as bonsai material. My advice is to plant this beautiful tree in your yard where it belongs. If it cannot endure your winter climate, keep it in a landscape pot so that you can move/protect it in winter.

You're lucky to live in the USA where there are many hard working pre-bonsai growers who are developing a wide range of maple material that is ideal for bonsai at all price ranges, and they could use your support!

The nebari of your landscape tree is going to be very problematic. 'Fixing it' will either be impossible, or will take more time than starting with much younger material. Starting with younger material (or any pre-bonsai material) has two other advantages: you will have full control of the trunk-line, and you won't have that any unsightly grafts to deal with. There are ways to overcome the troubles that come with using landscape material, but they are a misuse of anyone's time.

Yes, you might just want to practice and find satisfaction in playing around with a tree like this, but you might as well practice and find that same satisfaction with appropriate material that will be much more rewarding.
It was not sold as bonsai, it was sold as a landscape tree, I am planning on keeping this as a mother plant to cuttings and air layers.
 
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