Sean’s Japanese Maples

[AlainK]

I think I missed this thread.
Bravo ! Great work.
Air-layerings, cuttings, seedlings, that's what I like.

Pity I missed it last year, I had tons of seedlings, some from cultivars (like a box of chocolate, you never know what you get!), this year very few. But if you're interested, PM me, though there's a 6-months difference between your and our seasons here, since seeds can be kept in the fridge, it shouldn't be a problem.

It's great there's a maple lover in Jo'burg !

PS : tried to explore more, but I don't have an instagram account - and don't want one... Pity, there are trees I would have liked to know more about.
No instagram for old men...

 

[SeanS]

I think I missed this thread.
Bravo ! Great work.
Air-layerings, cuttings, seedlings, that's what I like.

Pity I missed it last year, I had tons of seedlings, some from cultivars (like a box of chocolate, you never know what you get!), this year very few. But if you're interested, PM me, though there's a 6-months difference between your and our seasons here, since seeds can be kept in the fridge, it shouldn't be a problem.

It's great there's a maple lover in Jo'burg !

PS : tried to explore more, but I don't have an instagram account - and don't want one... Pity, there are trees I would have liked to know more about.
No instagram for old men...

Thanks for the interest and kind words! I’ll tag you in my future posts in some of my other threads to keep you updated! I’ve got loads to post this spring

 

[SeanS]

3 year old cutting, freshly repotted. Should be fun to keep alive in the heat of summer

 

[SeanS]

ROR out of the grow bed for some work. These seedlings didn’t grow all that well compared to some of my others from the same batch that shared the same grow bed. Some of my seedlings tripled in thickness while these 3 hardly doubled. Could be from being strapped to the rock.

I grafted 3 seedlings to the bottom existing trunks to add more roots to the composition, forgot to take a photo before I wrapped it all up again and stuck it back in the grow bed on top of a wooden board.

I don’t intend using the 3 straight trunks when I finally get to building the tree, they’re just there to thicken the roots for now. I’d like to graft it with deshojo eventually, maybe next spring

 

[SeanS]

One of my bigger JMs has woken up and is moving.

Almost 3 years to the day since I started it from nursery stock. It has a few issues but it’s taught me the most out of all of my Japanese maples.













August 2020

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Almost 3 years to the day since I started it from nursery stock. It has a few issues but it’s taught me the most out of all of my Japanese maples.

Every time I start reading one of your threads, I immediately think "wow - do you think this is the time of year to be doing this work?" And then I remember you're in South Africa

 

[SeanS]

Air layer from 2020. Will need to work on the wounds on the left trunk a bit next season, the callous is causing some swelling in the area where the branches originate.
There’s a bud right on the base of the main trunk that I hope pops next season so I can grow a 5th trunk low on the right hand side

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Some progress shots

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Spring is well underway for this low spreading JM!
Did a thread graft and an approach graft to add some branches in bare spots, both are pushing nicely!

The large scar on the left trunk needs some work, I’ll carve it down some later in spring

 

[BobbyLane]

Great work!

 

[SeanS]

Dug up 2 of my shohin ROR JMs this weekend. I wanted to start working on the trunks and branching so decided to move them to pots. The roots aren’t overly thick but I wanted to start enjoying them on my benches this season.

This one was started with an air layer that only had 2 roots 2 seasons ago. Last spring I grafted a seedling right down where the roots emerged from the trunk of the original plant. I wired the seedling at grafting time so the new little trunk has some movement



This one was started with a cutting 2 seasons ago as well. Last spring I grafted it with shishigashira with a scion grafted. During the season the graft almost got snapped right off during a hail storm. Nothing a little cut paste couldn’t fix!





Last spring when I grafted it

 

[SeanS]

Shishigashira stock tree spring flush. Hope to take a few layers this season.



Shishi grafted ROR flushing out nicely. Once it’s extended a bit more I’ll cut the stub on the trunk flush and try to get a bit of wire onto the future main branch. The rest of the tree I’ll probably develop with clip and grow, it’s a tiny little tree and shishi growth is super compact and tight.

 

[Dav4]

Love what you're doing here... the double trunk and clump palmatums a few posts up are gonna be NICE!

 

[SeanS]

Cutback and partial defoliation of this shohin neagari JM

 

[SeanS]

My big JM on the turntable. Removed a smaller sacrifice branch that was starting to cause some swelling and wired a few new shoots after the photo was taken.
I’m letting the main sacrifice at the top run for a little longer to thicken the upper portion of trunk. Planning to remove it sometime in the next 2 months.

 

[Dan W.]

I'm loving all of the progress shots. Great work!

 

[SeanS]

Separated a little air layer today, one of the fastest layers I’ve ever done and possibly one of the best radial set of roots!

I’ve been building this little shohin on the top of the parent tree for 2 seasons with the intention of layering it off eventually. The base of the parent tree will also become a short, chunky little shohin. I’m pretty chuffed






The parent tree cut down to the part I want to start working on.

 

[MGTT]

Outstanding!

 

[SeanS]

Another chunk layer ready to come off, might do it today. The base is about 2” wide where I applied the layer.

 

[SeanS]

Some detail shots of my bigger Japanese maple



August 2020

 

[SeanS]

Dug up 2 of my shohin ROR JMs this weekend. I wanted to start working on the trunks and branching so decided to move them to pots. The roots aren’t overly thick but I wanted to start enjoying them on my benches this season.

This one was started with an air layer that only had 2 roots 2 seasons ago. Last spring I grafted a seedling right down where the roots emerged from the trunk of the original plant. I wired the seedling at grafting time so the new little trunk has some movement

View attachment 506654View attachment 506655

This one was started with a cutting 2 seasons ago as well. Last spring I grafted it with shishigashira with a scion grafted. During the season the graft almost got snapped right off during a hail storm. Nothing a little cut paste couldn’t fix!

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Last spring when I grafted it

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Update on these 2 shohin ROR JMs. Both are doing well. Both were grafted in spring 2022, one with shishigashira, the other with a seedling which has turned out to be pretty wild with super long petioles



Approach graft to add a low first branch



Shishi is doing well too, the leader and first branch were wired earlier this season. I’ll give both a cut back this weekend. The stub from the original root stock will be cut flush next spring once the tree is a bit more stable in the pot.

 

[misfit11]

Absolutely fantastic work on these, Sean! Many bright futures for sure.