Maple Grove that needs a game plan

[jimmyle]

i am new to this thread and i am from the US. ive been reading around here and found some great information so i decided that this was a good community where i can ask for some advice on my bonsai. i have a Japanese Maple grove with 11 trees that i bought about a month ago. it has been doing pretty well and the shape of it is pretty nice but i think it has potential to be much nicer.

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i have just started this bonsai hobby a just a few months ago and already i am just crazy about them and ive been reading everything there is about the art of bonsai. this is the biggest bonsai i have right now and by far the nicest one i have so i dont want to start pruning without seeing my end product first. it is a little overwhelming to me to look at this bonsai becuase i just have no clue on how to style it. can anyone help me out here? i need to figure out a shape and figure out how to train this bonsai. so any help at all will be appreciated.


thanks jimmy

[Shannon]

H'i Jimmy and welcome , Your maples definitely have the potential of becoming a nice group setting. May I suggest getting two books must have books, Bonsai techniques 1 and 2 both witten by John Naka famous american bonsai master (you have probably heard of him) . I think vol 2 has all about group planting / forests, I would explain the fundamentals but my fingers might ware out typing.
If it were mine I would stick it in a large box an grow it on for a few years , gaining more trunk thickness , keep the right trimmed more let the left grow lower branches keeping the triangle shaped canopy. Plant it in a sky blue shallow oval more to the right of the pot instead of the left (The trees seem to flow to the left).

[jimmyle]

thanks alot Shannon very helpful advice. i will go check out those books also.

[kcpoole]

Hi jimmy and Welcome

Looks like they all need a trim as they are getting long and lanky.

If you want to grow them on then leave them for a year or so then cut them back, but if you are happy with the trunks and the size of each tree you need to start trimming them back to keep it all under control.

On each branch and shoot, let them extend to about 2- 3 leaf nodes, then cut them back to just longer than the first or second node. Leaving only 2 - 4 leaves as desired, They wil then sprout 2 new shoots, which you let extend to 3 leaves then cut again.
rinse and repeat this through the Growing season and your forest will start o generate some Ramification ( fine twigs) on the branching and Smaller leaves as well.

Pick the tallest and largest tree and the apex of the setting, and shorten every other tree so as to achieve a Triangular sort of outline to the setting

Most of all, enjoy youself as it is very relaxing looking at and working with trees

Kne