Ultimate Maple Smackdown!!!

[Cadillactaste]

Super cool!

Thanks. is the winter silhouette showing up for you? It's not on my end. So I'll share it just incase it isn't. It shows the characteristics of how whispy/airy it is. Mind you...just one styling for it.

 

[MMJNICE]

I'm going to have to put a case forward for Snake bark maple. Because it's underused, hard to find, but can give amazing color. I'm working on leaf size starting this year, they can be larger, but I bet they could be minimized with work. Internodes can be reduced with the same techniques, so I imagine leaf size can be too. The blue/green stripes on the trunk is all I need to know, it's amazing against spring fall leaves. (I also love deshojo, but I'm sure someone else can put that one up...)

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Holy moly and a bit of wow! I've always thought about snakebark maples but thought they couldn't be tamed. Why I thought that is because of the super long Internodes and never seeing I leaf under 3 inches on the nursery stock examples that are around. I really don't care about leaf size being that I grow catalpa trees with bonsai techniques of all things but internodes are more my concern. I love growing unconventional species and with your example you have definitely unlocked a new rabbit hole for me to climb into!! I can't wait to get some bare root sapling snakebark trees if I can find some. Do you have any information on where to get some smaller one's from?

 

[MMJNICE]

Thanks. is the winter silhouette showing up for you? It's not on my end. So I'll share it just incase it isn't. It shows the characteristics of how whispy/airy it is. Mind you...just one styling for it.
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I see it now! Really great tree pot combo.. I want a pot from Dan. I never heard of him until I started researching bonsai pots when i started making my own pots and found his page on YouTube. I bet you will never sale it

 

[Cadillactaste]

I see it now! Really great tree pot combo.. I want a pot from Dan. I never heard of him until I started researching bonsai pots when i started making my own pots and found his page on YouTube. I bet you will never sale it

No, never...look up his story. It's one I refuse to retell. I won't do it justice. Also note...he will only sell shohin size pots to ship to the USA.

Thank ya kindly. I just recently added work by his lovely wife Cecelia. An accent flying saucer. I chose the smaller of the two. But the sweet dear sent both and surprised me. So I've a married pair... of Dan and his missus work.

 

[Maiden69]

I find that maples seem to ramify better after slightly harder pruning than pinching very young shoots just opening I also get better shaped branches with natural bends when pruning harder. I pinch new shoots mainly to maintain already well ramified trees to stop the branches getting excessively thick. I guess there's some ramification from pinching very young shoots but it seems to be much slower. BTW, I also pinch shoots on tridents sometimes.

I think, while the end goal is slightly different, that Walter Pall uses the same procedure.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I think, while the end goal is slightly different, that Walter Pall uses the same procedure.

... you are possibly right. Though if not mistaken he stresses going back in and cleanup of the extra new growth. Which... @Shibui mentioned is a result of JM. Yes?

I assumed Mr Pall took his chosen method as his trees are of a large scale. so quicker method. I reckon there are two ways to skin a cat after all.

I enjoy pinching JM. Truth be told. Not all of mine are ready for that stage. I'm still building structure on many of them.

 

[Maiden69]

... you are possibly right. Though if not mistaken he stresses going back in and cleanup of the extra new growth. Which... @Shibui mentioned is a result of JM. Yes?

I assumed Mr Pall took his chosen method as his trees are of a large scale. so quicker method. I reckon there are two ways to skin a cat after all.

I enjoy pinching JM. Truth be told. Not all of mine are ready for that stage. I'm still building structure on many of them.

You are not mistaken. He entirely defoliate the tree, then prune hard to silhouette, and after that he prunes unnecessary branching. There are a few videos online, but I remember this from one of the Bonsai Empire Intermediate classes.

 

[Cadillactaste]

You are not mistaken. He entirely defoliate the tree, then prune hard to silhouette, and after that he prunes unnecessary branching. There are a few videos online, but I remember this from one of the Bonsai Empire Intermediate classes.

Head tilt... entirely defoliating. I didn't realize that step. It's been awhile since I read a post here. On ones misunderstanding the second step. Going in and cleaning up. If not done...then it won't be the same results. defoliating is time consuming. So definitely two ways to skin a cat. Thanks for additional clarity. I've taken some classes online there. Solid source of online education there with what Bonsai Empire offers.

 

[Maiden69]

Head tilt... entirely defoliating. I didn't realize that step.

He do leave some foliage depending on the tree.

Here is the "free" portion of the video I subscribed for at Empire. Unfortunately it ends right when he starts defoliating.

Link for a post where Walter explains it.

Post in thread 'The fastest way to develop deciduous bonsai: Walter Pall's hedge pruning method explained'

Jul 16, 2019

OK it seems we have to clarify a few things here:

The method is called hedging method. It carries that name because it works very similar to caring for a hedge with similar results.

The result is very dense ramification - MUCH denser than the same tree if you just let it grow and don't hedge over a longer period of time.
Key to the hedging method is not that the branches are cut, but that they were let grow much more than one does in orthodox bonsai. The branches can get very long and certainly thicken themselves, the trunk and the nebari while they grow and produce energy - much more...

• Walter Pall

• 
• 

 

[Cadillactaste]

He do leave some foliage depending on the tree.

Here is the "free" portion of the video I subscribed for at Empire. Unfortunately it ends right when he starts defoliating.

Link for a post where Walter explains it.

Post in thread 'The fastest way to develop deciduous bonsai: Walter Pall's hedge pruning method explained'

Jul 16, 2019

OK it seems we have to clarify a few things here:

The method is called hedging method. It carries that name because it works very similar to caring for a hedge with similar results.

The result is very dense ramification - MUCH denser than the same tree if you just let it grow and don't hedge over a longer period of time.
Key to the hedging method is not that the branches are cut, but that they were let grow much more than one does in orthodox bonsai. The branches can get very long and certainly thicken themselves, the trunk and the nebari while they grow and produce energy - much more...

• Walter Pall

• 
• 

That's the link I recall. Kudos for looking it up.

 

[JudyB]

Holy moly and a bit of wow! I've always thought about snakebark maples but thought they couldn't be tamed. Why I thought that is because of the super long Internodes and never seeing I leaf under 3 inches on the nursery stock examples that are around. I really don't care about leaf size being that I grow catalpa trees with bonsai techniques of all things but internodes are more my concern. I love growing unconventional species and with your example you have definitely unlocked a new rabbit hole for me to climb into!! I can't wait to get some bare root sapling snakebark trees if I can find some. Do you have any information on where to get some smaller one's from?

Thanks, and sorry I have not seen any others anywhere, I was extremely lucky to get this on auctions years ago. LMK how your experiments go if you find some. If you get nursery stock I'd suggest you do air layering to get what you want, I think they air layer well.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Thanks, and sorry I have not seen any others anywhere, I was extremely lucky to get this on auctions years ago. LMK how your experiments go if you find some. If you get nursery stock I'd suggest you do air layering to get what you want, I think they air layer well.

I've seen a few ... just a few over on the British group. I didn't realize you had one. Very cool bark.