Potential Material?

[AboveBeyond]

I went to a garden nursery that specializes in Japanese Maple over the weekend and came across this tree. Does this tree have potential? It's was a huge tree with a trunk size of about 5 inches. I'm not sure of the cultivar or the price since there was no tag on it but it appears to be neglected tree without a container and just on it's own dirt/root mound. I would guess that it's probably $300-$500 which if it's worth buying, I could haggle it down.

 

[berobinson82]

Doesn't that graft bother you? For that much money, you could find some more than decent material more suited to bonsai.

 

[JudyB]

I agree, that for that kind of money, you can get a tree that has been grown for bonsai instead of nursery stock that you'll have to chop and do major reductions of roots to get it going. Although the 5" trunk is a nice size, the trunk itself is not great with that graft. I like the movement, but you'll probably hate the graft enough in a couple years, that you'll want to airlayer it off above the graft... and loose that nice curve low.

My advice is to shop around and see what there is available for what you have to spend. I bet you can do better.

 

[jk_lewis]

But whatever you do, don't chop off that small "trunk!" Chop the big one. It is shapeless above where the little trunk diverges.