Help extra large japanese maple

[Ians1]

I have aquired a very large, over grow, root bound, JM 1400mm base to top. I need to reduce its size and Repot.
What is the best way, time
Thinking air layer all top to make another tree
The main trunk is about 50mm diamanter and very little taper
It does have twin trunk in the middle with not much movement.
Maybe do a second layer in there
I am brand new to this and I would rather like not kill it
Advice please


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[shibui]

Yes, there is a twin trunk in the middle of this tree but it looks pretty awkward from what I can see in the photos. The lower part of the trunk is very straight and has no visible taper. You can certainly layer the twin section and then you'll have a poor quality twin trunk Japanese maple and a poor quality single trunk Japanese maple. I ask, is it worth it?
I'm trying to find something good about this tree or some potential but really struggling to be positive.
It might be possible to cut the lower trunk in half and that you get plenty of new buds that you could grow something better from.
Rather than the twin trunk which I can't see much potential in there may be a place to layer below the first branches to give a trunk with a couple of bends and some potential for taper when one of those twins is removed.

Really sorry to be such a spoiler but some material just does not have much real bonsai potential.

[Ians1]

I'm trying to find something good about this tree or some potential but really struggling to be positive.

Thank you for your comments I think
It’s a tree that needs a lot of work and I don’t have any real bonsai’s
I have to practice on something on
Will the trunk bud back if I take all the top off?


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[Ians1]

How is this for a plan


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[Beano]

I’d try it. What is there to lose? Unless you keep it as a garden specimen but then you look at it like a potential bonsai forever.


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[shibui]

Thank you for your comments I think
It’s a tree that needs a lot of work and I don’t have any real bonsai’s
I have to practice on something on

Great attitude. I do think this tree has a lot of aspects that you can learn from and there is always a long shot that it could eventually produce one or more passable bonsai.

Ian's virt is just about what I was thinking of in terms of a better layer from this tree but all that will depend on the 3D movement that we can't see well in photos. There's one technique to try - layering.
Maples usually bud on older wood but JM are a little unpredictable. Sometimes part or all of a bare trunk will fail to bud and then die back leaving you with a half dead trunk when you expected something more full. It is probably better to go a bit slower with JM so reduce down to just a few branches which will help keep the trunk alive while the recovery response is activated and new buds get established. In other words, with older JM best to reduce trunks in stages, always leaving viable buds to stimulate growth. Trident maples are more robust and can better respond to large reductions.

Whatever you manage to get from this will be very valuable for learning about watering, root pruning and how they respond to various pruning and pinching techniques.

Did I mention that although JM are a traditional favorite for bonsai they are not easy. Really good JM bonsai are quite rare. Mediocre and poorer JM bonsai are much more common. There are far better species to start with

[treeman]

I would advise you to not bother with this tree and plant in in the garden instead. It is very course and I cannot see a worthwhile bonsai coming from it for at least a couple of life times.(50 years) I suggest you get something younger which you can manipulate more easily and give you far more pleasure and satisfaction. Meanwhile you could use this tree to play with layering a few slender branches each years to make up a forest planting. Bigger is NOT necessarily better! Very often it's bader-er....The most important and revered feature of Japanese maple is it's delicate branching not it's trunk diameter.

[Waltron]

Personally, I wouldn't be so eager to trunk chop or layer it because I don't think you will end up with anything much better. A tree like this can easily be made into a beautiful garden specimen with a bit of work and time.
I have a potted Japanese maple about the same height in my backyard and it is the one tree that everyone who visits comments on. Sure, it may not technically be a bonsai but it is very rewarding non-the-less and I maintain it exactly as I do my bonsai's. My advice to you would be to do the same.
Wait until it loses its leaves to get a really good look at it, choose a front, re-pot it in late winter and fix the easily fixable, obvious problems (multiple branches emanating from one point, shortening the long, leggy outer branches etc). Get it in good health over the next growing season and stare at it for a coulpe of hundred hours until you're certain you know what you want to do with it, all while maintaining its growth like you would a bonsai.