Acer palmatum Yamadori

[alpineart]

This was collected a couple of years ago from a local winery that had some issues with borers and elm beetles .I collected a tandem trailer load of trunks around 30 odd , elms and maples .This was actually a grafted Atropurpurum alas the graft was damaged and while it did grow purple the first years it died off and the base grew last year .

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Today in 5 minutes flat i whipped it into shape for a 5 trunk style trainer

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.The base is huge just fitting into these seed trays .

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i will carve the 80mm trunk and 180mm base at ground level during winter , it has quite a large amount of dead wood in the chosen front .I think i might just add a few thread grafts as branches to the larger trunks as the are i bit sparse of branches due to the lack of monitoring on my behalf . Not bad for nothing all the same .

Cheers Alpineart

[squizzy]

Hey Alpine

whats the theory behind the second upside down tray.

I know you like to try different things so I was wondering what this experiment was.

Squizz

[alpineart]

Hi Squizzy, mate it no experiment , just a quick and simple way to make a light weight training tray , the meat trays i have used weren't big enough .One seed tray wasn't deep enough so i cut the hole out and screwed the top tray to the bottom and left enough room to pour the bonsai mix into . It wont wash out with the hose when i water and it is preferated so it gets well watered and good air circulation .Wooden boxes are getting too heavy for me . Styrene foam is too bloody ugly and messy when they break , and i can still use these for other trainers They sit well in sand trays so i water less as well , all bonuses mate .. . Always looking to do better quicker and stronger than before

Cheers Alpine

[alpineart]

I decided to re-pot this Maple

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and hopefully have some good roots to trim back before re-styling the trunks .Well plenty of roots

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but a lot of rot in the center of the trunk . I have cut it down the middle

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to allow the removal of the rotted material and to check the growing area's . With a quick clean up and root prune i slipped it into a bonsai pot

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for another season . It will get a good carve and clean up at some stage but until then this will do

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.

Cheers Alpineart