Trident maple from seed

[cottie]

This is a Trident grown from seed off a tree in my garden. It spent a couple of years in a small pot before I saw the light and planted it back in the garden with a board screwed underneath. The trunk is now just over 50mm measured above the roots and 420mm high.

[her0d]

how many years in total does this tree have?

[cottie]

Hi HerOd the tree is 7 years old

[Ryceman3]

Hi Cottie,
I think the board on the bottom has helped give you a nice spread on your nebari.
Just looking at your images I kind of liked the angle you had on the bare-rooted photo, for me it has a more dynamic feel than what you currently have it planted.
Nice job from seed, always satisfying to see something grow from scratch.

[Jdceng]

Hi Cottie

Love the maple but for me the scene stealer is the Bonsai Display Table

Would you like to share where you got it from?

[EdwardH]

Hi Cottie

I agree with Ryceman3 that the angle on the board is a better look. You may want to consider what you envisage for this tree. Its current taperless form is reminiscent of a young sapling. If you want a bonsai resembling a sapling then grow a few branches and you have grown your desired tree.

Should you desire a more mature looking tree then you need to get some taper in the trunk. There are essentially two options to achieve this.
Option 1. Cut at the first branch and grow a few lower branches and a new apex and you will have a much shorter but better proportioned tree.
Option 2. Cut at the first branch and allow a few lower branches to grow as sacrifice branches which will thicken up the trunk. Keep training the top part of the tree whilst the sacrifice branches are growing and you will have a more mature looking tree in a few years. When you are satisfied on the trunk diameter you cut off the sacrifice branches.

It all depends on what you want to achieve and then acting to achieve that result.

[Ray M]

Hi Cottie,
Do you think this could be a possible angle for the tree?

Trident-2.jpg

Regards Ray

[cottie]

Thanks for all the comments, I agree that a change of angle is needed. Thank you for the virt Ray M. I have a number of other tridents still in the ground to grow the trunks fatter. This the first one that I have potted in to a bonsai pot, it may well get another chop and be replanted in the ground but at the moment I'm enjoying working on it.
The display table is one that I made from some off cut spotted gum decking boards.

[Jdceng]

Hi Cottie

Excellent wood working skills on show there.