So many baby Maples, what to try?

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MsGreth
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So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by MsGreth »

Okies so I just inherited a Community Nursery to be volunteer main grower. And amongst the plants are a huge bunch of baby maples, only labelled maple but look Japanese to me, still in tubes and mini sleeves, mostly a few inches high. While I 'could' pot all up into bigger pots and let them grow, I don't have the space. Even that isn't totally the end of that idea, I have space at home, and if I paid an amount nominated by the volunteer main grower I could prob take a lot home. So, if any SA people want a baby maple for $2, profit to charity, I am happy for some to just go. I want to try grafting some to be twin trunk or clumps, and also to set them up to grow as root over rock. I have some ironstone rocks with lovely pitting and colour which could pass as a miniature Japanese volcanic cliff with a bit of a nod and a wink, so will try setting some up that way. Others I would like to let grow taller for eventual group/grove planting. Any other ideas, suggestions? I think I have about 150 plants to play with. Yep I will note in autumn which ones have particularly good colour.
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by shibui »

Hi again Greth.
At just a few inches high I would not even be bothering to make plans for those maples. They will grow quite happily in tubes provided water and nutrient needs are met and could be a reasonable size by next winter when you can start to do things. The ones in tubes should have good long roots that may be useful for ROR if you want to try that. Personally I do very few ROR with JM as the roots are very slow to thicken and grab onto a rock compared to tridents but it can be done.
As they grow a bit this summer you could try to wire and bend some of the trunks to get initial trunk bends (beware maples can be brittle and snap easily but breakages usually just shoot lower down which also results in changes in direction)
Usually I just allow the trees to grow freely for the first year and use pruning to get initial changes in direction because pruning also adds taper to a trunk.

Group plantings are a great way to use up excess seedlings and can produce a good bonsai in just a few years.

Happy to help with more tips and techniques if you ask.
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by Phil Rabl »

I agree with Neil. Last week I too inherited some baby Japanese maples, dug from a friends garden. I planted some in small pots and quite a few in a shallow tray.
9C52350A-36A6-44D9-A410-2C13C70D5EAD_1_105_c.jpeg
The ones in the tray could become a group design in the coming years. Their roots will bind in the tray and can be removed several at a time when it comes to designing the grove.

This photo is of the base of a J maple grove started in 2003 as tiny seedlings. It didn't take may years for it to start looking quite nice.
E6D7DAF3-8378-4932-89D6-A9E4BB7A2D16_1_105_c.jpeg
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MsGreth
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by MsGreth »

Yep, was thinking groves were a way to go that doesn't involve seriously aged plants, and maples look lovely in such a setting. Got loads of container options to mass plant the babies, they need to get out of their tubes now methinks.
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TimS
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by TimS »

Personally I wouldn’t worry about good autumn colour too much as for the straight species I’ve found it entirely different each year depending on how the weather has been. Sometimes excellent, sometimes terrible.

Presuming they are seed grown not all cuttings from one plant, I would look for any that are exhibiting good genetics such as naturally smaller leaf size or shorter internodes before I worried about autumnal colour. These ones could be separated for growing as individual trees.

Luckily lots there to play with, JM are pretty bullet proof and really have only struggled in my experience when temps go over 35 and watering/ light intensity exposure aren’t managed (ie put under shade cloth)
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by melbrackstone »

Potted up into tiny groups in small pots they make a cute little accent plant for a year or two also.
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by MsGreth »

Good thought there Mel, although restarting with nothing that I could call bonsai, I don't really have anything to accent, lol. 50 of these are in solid tubes, and I am fine with that for another year, will pick out the biggest for potting on. But 100 or so are in those godawful terrible plastic sack things with not enough drainage and you might tell by now I am not happy with that. They are under auto water, and the sack ones are looking very very soggy. So might lift them to trays or something for their well being. Seem good, seem not? Let me know. They did survive winter, so that is something. The growing area is great, auto water very reliable, three community organizations using it so it is checked often . But not a lot of space for 150 plants for several years. I can bring some home, and will, but I would like to get the rest to saleable starters. Contemplating holding a bonsai interest meeting while I am there, which would move quite a lot to loving homes.
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by melbrackstone »

This might be of interest too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsaMNDT ... i-enBonsai

I've found that japanese maples here in Qld don't much like being kept wet, so yeah, you might find those trees in the sacks could start to suffer. Trays could be a help.
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by MsGreth »

Have potted up some of the bigger, played around with a few with rocks for root over rock or combined for twin trunk. Cleared one box of fifty sacks into trays or individual. Will get the other sacks sorted over time. But nothing substantial is going to happen over the next year. Will try to give them some foliar feeds to get them growing strongly. Lucky to have space in light shade with reliable water to bring them on.
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by MsGreth »

So the ones potted on grew substantially in year one, I am not working there any longer, but brought 50 or so little guys home. Some are in a tray planter, others are sharing deep pots and settled into my shadehouse to sit out winter. One little bunch of five are looking pretty as a tiny grove, but of course this isn't ideal growing for them so will reshuffle things in spring when they get going again. Big range of colours from them, so that will be interesting to watch over the years. Watching them all for signs of promise, a few of my favourites get a pat and some kind words every morning! There are a few baby oaks as well, one of which has quite lovely early structure so hoping to have some good play next year. I lost all my bonsai in a water crisis some years ago, which was heartbreaking, but had a few things planted in the garden to grow on. One is a nice dwarf myrtle, now with maybe 8 years growth? It would be nice to lift that one and start it on the path of styling, goodly trunk to it now! Must not forget to take cuttings when I do.
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Re: So many baby Maples, what to try?

Post by MsGreth »

The little guys are starting to show signs of life, so will be getting them all out and having a looksee soon to see what can be done with them all. Mostly growing on, of course, but maybe some early shaping for a few as experiment. Is it worth pinching the top buds of some for side shoots, or just leave for maximum growth this season? Nice to have enough to experiment with!
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