[Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Create the best possible Shohin sized bonsai from raw, untrained stock over a period of 14 months between 1st August 2011 and 31st October 2012. Entry posts must be made by 31st August 2011.
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chipper5
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Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

[Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

• Species name: Taiwan Maple
• Original height of stock: 30cm before trunk chop- now about 15cm
• Where you obtained it from: A sales table at a bonsai show members of the club were selling their unwanted stock 1 year ago
• Cost of stock: Around $5 (I think)
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Last edited by Craig on August 31st, 2011, 11:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Prefix's
Chipper5 :-D
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chipper5
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: [Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

You can't see it very well in these photos but there were 2 main branches left on this little tree after its trunk chop. The new spring growth has obscured the one on the R) which I thought would be the first branch and the one on the L) would be the new leader. Well the 1st branch was growing way faster than the new leader so I've chopped it back hard to encourage the leader to grow and make the branch a better size. The branch was thickening up much faster than the leader so it would have looked pretty out of proportion by next year if it kept going the way it was. SO it had to go.

I have also cut off some of the bigger leaves so I could actually see what I was doing and now makes it easier to take a better photo.

Also someone mentioned to me that Taiwan Maples are much slower growing than say Japanese or Trident maples and perhaps wasn't the best choice for the Shohin comp... oh well, not to worry, you live and learn... Hopefully it'll still make a lovely little tree, even if it does take a little longer than a year! ;)

Chipper5 :D
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chipper5
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: [Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

And.... here are the pics!

Chipper5 :D
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chipper5
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: [Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

I had cut the maple back to a new leader you can see in the upper photo. Anyway it's had tonnes of new growth (so much for the slow growth I was expecting!)but the new leader has died back to the trunkline. So I've had to chop back hard to the big branch you can see on the left, which is now the new 'leader'. I actually think it looks better like this anyway. I'll take another pic of the chop.

Chipper5 :D
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chipper5
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: [Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

pdat eon my Taiwan maple...
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Chipper5 :-D
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chipper5
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: [Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

This little taiwan is coming along well, very healthy and is responding to pruning well though scars are slow to heal. (Not too many branch losses!) The leader i the photo above has been cut off and one of the side shoots has become the new leader and is growing well. I repotted it into a smaller pot so I could work on it a bit easier, however the soil settled and now it's at an odd angle- not what it will be like at the end.

Chipper5 :D
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Last edited by chipper5 on February 4th, 2012, 1:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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chipper5
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: [Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

Still going strong, some new shoots were a surprise after a light autumn prune, I just hope they harden off a little before winter so I don't lose them but I guess we'll see. The shape and structure is mostly as I'd planned but due to all the rain we've had in Sydney the internodes are way too long. I'm hoping other buds will shoot out so I can build some foliage pads a bit closer to the trunkline.

Chipper5 :D
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Chipper5 :-D
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chipper5
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: [Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

I'm pretty pleased with how this one's coming along. As you can see in the previous post i'd pruned it in Autumn and it shot out some new growth. Well over Winter the older leaves fell off but the new leaves stayed on for the whole season and they stayed relatively small which I'm happy about. I'm happy with the shape and it has lots of new buds in good places, so I've put it in the sunniest position in the garden to try and encourage these to sprout! :D
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Chipper5 :-D
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chipper5
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 146
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:46 pm
Favorite Species: Aus Natives, Trident Maple, Juniper
Bonsai Age: 10
Bonsai Club: The School of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

Re: [Chipper5] 'Taiwan Maple'

Post by chipper5 »

This little one almost made it but I haven't been able to build the ramification in the required timeframe. I'm not going to pot it up until next Winter but the basic structure I was after has developed.

It's currently around 15cm tall which is the height I'd like to keep it I think, but need to build the apex. I also have to develop the ramification in some of the branches- some of which became a bit leggy so will have to start again. The bud at the back shot out too so I now have a back branch which will help to make the tree a bit more 3D as currently most branches are out to the sides. Then I'll be able to reduce the leaves once it's finished.
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