Hey all! I’m new to bonsai and Japanese Maples. I received the Shindeshojo and Full Moon maples below. They are thin trunked and have grafts. I’m okay with the graft, but the trunks need to be shorter. My question is what should I do trimming/pruning wise? If this helps, The Full Moon seems far more delicate with very long internodes. The Shindeshojo is robust but the branches are very small and cluttered. Thanks all!
Shindeshojo and Full Moon Maple
- Thread starter JefeW
- Start date
Nanuk
Shohin
Depends a lot on what you want the end results to be.
You say you are new at this. If they were mine I would concentrate my efforts at learning what
it takes to keep them healthy and happy. You can always cut, chop or prune at a later time.
There's a ton of great info here on this site. Do some serious studying in the maple section.
Good luck with them.
You say you are new at this. If they were mine I would concentrate my efforts at learning what
it takes to keep them healthy and happy. You can always cut, chop or prune at a later time.
There's a ton of great info here on this site. Do some serious studying in the maple section.
Good luck with them.
Thanks. The resource tab is wonderful. I’ve read a lot so far, very different than gardening.
As for what I want out of them? No clue. The pictures I’ve seen here of Japanese maples are nothing short of spectacular. The ones I have are lankier than I want. Proportionally it’s going to be way off if I leave the height.
As for what I want out of them? No clue. The pictures I’ve seen here of Japanese maples are nothing short of spectacular. The ones I have are lankier than I want. Proportionally it’s going to be way off if I leave the height.
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
There are lots of 'full moon' maples. What one is it that you supposedly have?
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
Neither looks to be an acer shirasawanum "Golden Full Moon" - leaf shape is not right. This is what GFM looks like. Leaves are somewhat large, but it is a magnificent small tree!
New leaves of a. p. "Shindeshojo" are always coral red and 'fade' to green. Mine is still strongly red, overall, but fading. It should flush again starting in the next few weeks. Yours should do something similar soon.
New leaves of a. p. "Shindeshojo" are always coral red and 'fade' to green. Mine is still strongly red, overall, but fading. It should flush again starting in the next few weeks. Yours should do something similar soon.
Last edited:
Nanuk
Shohin
Mislabeling seems to happen a lot.
A week or so later—the originally labeled shindeshojo is turning red in my full sun spot. This might be the right type. The labeled full moon however looks like a palmatum. The new growth is yellow this week in full sun, and it does have long internodes (maybe not suited for bonsai?), but the leaf shape seems all wrong. In any event, they are both in large pots now growing out. I need trunks in those plants first.
Im also starting crepe myrtle from cuttings. It will be a long way from a bonsai but I’m using my Lipan, the white bark and purple flowers will be great one day.
Im also starting crepe myrtle from cuttings. It will be a long way from a bonsai but I’m using my Lipan, the white bark and purple flowers will be great one day.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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Often young trees will not display "mature" foliage until they have aged some. I don't know if this is true with full moon maples, I've never had one. Usually full moon and Acer palmatum are listed for part shade. Especially full moon, perhaps full sun is not a good choice.
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
I got these from @Brent at Evergreen Garden Works last year.
http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/viewcat.htm
They are cutting grown plants, no grafts, and do exhibit typical Full Moon foliage. $18 for 2-3/4" pot size available June
shir. Autumn Moon ^ , and Autumn moon put out red to bronze new growth.
The Aureum moon maple puts out yellow new growth, so new growth colour varies by variety,
though I cannot ID your said "moon" maple. Indeed some shade will best suit your maples mid afternoon-early evening.
Now seems fine and dandy, but by mid July-August they will look pretty beat up in a full Sun exposure.
http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/viewcat.htm
They are cutting grown plants, no grafts, and do exhibit typical Full Moon foliage. $18 for 2-3/4" pot size available June
shir. Autumn Moon ^ , and Autumn moon put out red to bronze new growth.
The Aureum moon maple puts out yellow new growth, so new growth colour varies by variety,
though I cannot ID your said "moon" maple. Indeed some shade will best suit your maples mid afternoon-early evening.
Now seems fine and dandy, but by mid July-August they will look pretty beat up in a full Sun exposure.
I like your grow box. Are you letting them live in those for a few years? What kind of maintenance will you do on those?
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
You'd be surprised how much shade you can create like in this corner of my otherwise blistering deck. Top rail is a 2x6 but mitered corner...
Well the grow box has a silly plywood bottom that won't last. It's actually a drawer I had made from Aspen for the kitchen bar.
The maple is planted on a 6" round saucer for nebari, and yes will be allowed to grow out and chop back perhaps each year IDK.
I'm learning maple development as well. I did build one grow box this Spring that took ~12g of bonsai soil along with a mountain maple I lifted
that had been in the ground for 10 years. Here's best advice I can give on such. Dig up or lift or repot, and tend to the roots to condense the root zone.
Had I been doing this with the tree I lifted, I would've had feeder roots closer in, and probably used half the soil I had to.
Now, the nebari would look better with root grafts...in time. Years wasted...
I've ruined more than 1 project by simply letting them grow unchecked, both topside and below ground. Grow out cut back, repeat.
Peter Adams has a book on Maple bonsai that's helpful too, but nothing replaces experience.
Shirasawanum is never near as robust or hardy and responsive as Palmatum. Green forms typically hardier.
I have a grafted Autumn Moon in ground 10 years as well that I've began layering on the top. I would like to lift it
but will learn care better before I do, and get a couple successful layers taken hopefully.
You may not be concerned with the graft, and that's fine, especially if you grow it out and layer from it
However, most likely, the root stock will out compete the cultivar, more and more as time goes on.
I'd get hooked up with Brent in the previous link and get a few cutting grown cultivars. Learn/experience in a few numbers rather than one or two.
Get one in the ground a few years...keep it alive.
Interesting and helpful, thanks! I will contact this Brent. I hate grafts in my garden so I was surprised to see them on these “bonsai material” plants. They are ugly, but I can deal if the trunks grow. Let’s be honest, I may kill these just trying to learn. I’m okay with that.
The roots and nebari I find the most difficult to wrap my head around. Trunks and ramification I totally get, that feels more like regular gardening.
This pretend full moon I have, I don’t know if I will enjoy as a bonsai. The buds are not prevalent with extremely long internodes. The possible shindeshojo i have on the other hand is bushy and prolific with the budding. Even if I don’t do this nebari right or hate the graft, I can get a few inches on the trunk and have interesting ramification.
The roots and nebari I find the most difficult to wrap my head around. Trunks and ramification I totally get, that feels more like regular gardening.
This pretend full moon I have, I don’t know if I will enjoy as a bonsai. The buds are not prevalent with extremely long internodes. The possible shindeshojo i have on the other hand is bushy and prolific with the budding. Even if I don’t do this nebari right or hate the graft, I can get a few inches on the trunk and have interesting ramification.
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
Sounds like you’ll do fine, and quite possible have a better begin to the roots than the cultivar.
Come March when the buds are beginning to swell, unpot, rake the roots out
cut downwards growing roots, shorten the spread and repot. maples do fine bare rooting, and actually this is pleasantly
the best time to also trunk chop as well as prune branches back for taper development. Then allow it to grow tall
and gain girth in the trunk, chopping again at a later Springtime. It is common to allow a 4 to 6 foot growth
when developing the trunk.
Here is my Mountain maple I lifted this Spring https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/mt-maple-lift-today-or-rest-another-year.37500/
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
Probably the most inaccurate post today
