Sango Kaku 01

[theta]

Well this is my first JM I've bought, other than just the standard green. I stopped by a nursery specializing in JM somewhere in South Carolina
I believe coming back from Thanksgiving vacation.

This one was the only Sango Kaku I saw that had a really low graft.

This spring I'll post an update once I get to dig in there and really see the graft union.

Right now I'm just reading as much as I can about them and forming a game plan on where to take it.

 

[jmw_bonsai]

Man that really is a low graft cant even see it. And holding really nice bark color, some Sango Kaku don't hold the color quite as long as others. Of course as the bark matures it turns gray but yours seems to be holding at least a few years.

 

[cbroad]

Awesome tree, I love the Coral Barks!!!

Be careful with it in full sun in your area, I'd suggest morning sun and afternoon shade, or all day filtered light to keep the leaves from scorching in the summer. Also, keep up with the fungicides during the growing season, the Coral Bark varieties are susceptible to something called Pseudomonas that I don't think is curable, all you can do is cut out the affected growth. You'll see black stems, that may be soft and could be oozing sap. Good luck though, awesome tree!

 

[bwaynef]

Where is "a nursery specializing in JM somewhere in South Carolina"??

 

[Vin]

Nice find. If that's the graft it's one of the best I've seen. Other than the pronounced "V" it looks seamless. Usually, it's a hack job.

 

[theta]

Where is "a nursery specializing in JM somewhere in South Carolina"??

I had to go back and look it up, it was actually just over the border in NC, near Charlotte.
Cline's Nursery in Shelby, NC. They had 4 huge greenhouses filled with JM.

Usually, it's a hack job.

Yes, there were lots of hack jobs there as well, I was really shocked to see this one .

 

[ajm55555]

Other than the pronounced "V" it looks seamless

That V doesn't look like a graft to me but ageing bark. It has the same texture as other older bark up above.

 

[Guy Vitale]

That V doesn't look like a graft to me but ageing bark. It has the same texture as other older bark up above.

The V is the graft, very distinct/very clean, should be a nice transition as the red matures, hopefully ithe graft point does not swell and grow faster than the rest of the trunk which can be common in grafted nursery trees.

 

[ajm55555]

The V is the graft, very distinct/very clean

Your opinion. Mine is different. I will add that I've never seen a graft so low anyway.

 

[Guy Vitale]

Your opinion. Mine is different. I will add that I've never seen a graft so low anyway.

There could be a couple inches of trunk under the soil line thus not making it 'so low' but that is a very defined V.

 

[AlainK]

There could be a couple inches of trunk under the soil line thus not making it 'so low' but that is a very defined V.

That's what I wanted to say.

If the stock plant and the scion (the grafted part) are the same strength, after a few years maybe it won't show that much because the older the trunk, the more grey it will look.

That's another point that you must bear in mind: the red colour on the twigs and branches will only last a few years, so since a decent maple bonsai must be well ramified and it takes more than 5 years, only the smaller branches and twigs will retain that red colour. - which can be very spectacular, but never expect the whole tree to stay red.

One other good feature is that the leaves are small enough for bonsai.

And I agree with the advice given in a previous message about sun exposure.

Last but not least, I've never seen a picture of a 'Sango Kaku' treated as bonsai. Yet, this is an old cultivar, and the Japanese grow "unusual" maples like Arakawa and others: food for thought I think.

I've got a potted one (1m50, about 5 feet), but never tried one as a bonsai. It must be some 10 years old or so, and the part of the trunk above the graft has begun to lose its colour.

I've got a spontaneous seedling that I found this summer in the pot though, that displayed this red colour, and about 150 seeds to be sown next spring, so...

 

[Guy Vitale]

I've never seen a picture of a 'Sango Kaku' treated as bonsai

Boon uses one in his Japanese maple DVD where he turns a piece of landscape material into a developing pre bonsai.

 

[AlainK]

Boon uses one in his Japanese maple DVD where he turns a piece of landscape material into a developing pre bonsai.

Any still shot that would not infringe his rights and show me an example?...

I'd really love to see one.

 

[Guy Vitale]

Off hand, no, but I might be able to pop the DVD in and take a picture tomorrow. I'll have dig it up.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Well this is my first JM I've bought, other than just the standard green. I stopped by a nursery specializing in JM somewhere in South Carolina
I believe coming back from Thanksgiving vacation.

This one was the only Sango Kaku I saw that had a really low graft.

This spring I'll post an update once I get to dig in there and really see the graft union.

Right now I'm just reading as much as I can about them and forming a game plan on where to take it.
View attachment 170721 View attachment 170722

Hi @theta,
I would like to add a different opinion into the mix.
Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I think Sango Kaku and Senaki are one and the same. So, I don’t see an obvious graft union there, and after seeing 1st hand how this cultivar roots by cutting, I believe the “V” which is showing on the trunk maybe just where the trunk is ageing?
@jmw_bonsai , have you had much success doing “coral bark” cuttings?

Just my 2 cents and opinion to add,
Charles

 

[ajm55555]

I believe the “V” which is showing on the trunk maybe just where the trunk is ageing

As said, I agree with you. Might be wrong but still I've never seen a graft so smooth. Straight patterns do not always indicate a graft. You always have some kind of bulge. But anyway, congrats to @theta for the good find!

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

Any still shot that would not infringe his rights and show me an example?...

I'd really love to see one.

In the video, he gives you an update after 18 months from beginning to work on the tree. Here’s some screenshots.



I assume this was several years ago. Would love to see it now. A question for @Adair M - Does Boon have recent photos of any of the trees he worked on in his videos?

 

[Guy Vitale]

I assume this was several years ago. Would love to see it now. A question for @Adair M - Does Boon have recent photos of any of the trees he worked on in his videos?

I've had the DVDs for 6 years or so, I'd assume the videos are pushing 8-10 years ago now. I think the question of how the trees from the DVDs have progressed has come up a couple years ago and that Boon no longer has them, but confirmation would be great.

 

[Adair M]

In the video, he gives you an update after 18 months from beginning to work on the tree. Here’s some screenshots.

View attachment 171227 View attachment 171228 View attachment 171229 View attachment 171230

I assume this was several years ago. Would love to see it now. A question for @Adair M - Does Boon have recent photos of any of the trees he worked on in his videos?

If he still ownes them! Or if it was shown in the BIB show. He’s in Thailand right now, I’ll try to remember to ask him when he returns.

 

[ysrgrathe]

I'm pretty sure he no longer has it.