Japanese Maple choices - Beginer

[dansai]

This is where I see the tree.

JM Virt.jpg

Like Treeman said, cut the rest off and grow again. Not an instant tree but a better one for it.

If you find that to severe you could do the following,

JM Virt-2.jpg

but in 5 years time when you have learnt more and the quality of you trees has gotten better you will probably cut it back to a trunk and start again anyway, so you may as well do it now.

Good Luck

[two40]

This is where I see the tree.

JM Virt.jpg

I really like that. Get the chainsaw out Homer.

[treeman]

This is where I see the tree.

JM Virt.jpg

Yep that's where it is!

[Homer911]

This is where I see the tree.

JM Virt.jpg

Like Treeman said, cut the rest off and grow again. Not an instant tree but a better one for it.

If you find that to severe you could do the following,

JM Virt-2.jpg

but in 5 years time when you have learnt more and the quality of you trees has gotten better you will probably cut it back to a trunk and start again anyway, so you may as well do it now.

Good Luck

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Very drastic!! But looks like thats what it needs. So i would be vering away from the broom style???? And going with an informal upright?

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[Homer911]

OK.

The results

[Homer911]

Rotated

[Jarad]

What a chop mate!

I just hope it isn't too much of a shock for the tree (I have no experience with a chop this big).

[treeman]

Well done and you're almost there Homer. Now all you need to do is cut the leader down to below the first big wound from the top. I think I can see a node about 30mm up from the big wound (on the bend) If that's right, cut just above that.

[Homer911]

Well done and you're almost there Homer. Now all you need to do is cut the leader down to below the first big wound from the top. I think I can see a node about 30mm up from the big wound (on the bend) If that's right, cut just above that.

Really? I thought it had a nice taper up top now.

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[Homer911]

What a chop mate!

I just hope it isn't too much of a shock for the tree (I have no experience with a chop this big).

Tell me about it!! Im a little scared



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[kcpoole]

Well done and you're almost there Homer. Now all you need to do is cut the leader down to below the first big wound from the top. I think I can see a node about 30mm up from the big wound (on the bend) If that's right, cut just above that.

Really? I thought it had a nice taper up top now.

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Nope not enough taper in that section.
Cut as Treeman says and Repot to sort the roots and wire a new leader if the new shoots lignify in spring

Ken

[Homer911]

After the mass cutting last month i repoted this week. I wanted to carry out the tourniquet method to increase the nebari. Should I leave it alone this year? Im thinking its been through enough it might stress it out too much.

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[treeman]

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't tourniquet.
In the next few years (no rush) you can start thread grafting a few seedlings everytime you repot to improve the nebari.
Something like this:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=18223&hilit=refinin ... nese+maple
All you need to do is plan for it by acquiring the seedlings. What you need to do now is wait for it to shoot. Pick the best placed branches (buds) and remove all the rest. (If you do not have branches where you want them, leave a few extra so you can thread graft them next winter). Let them grow to about 2mm thickness and then lightly wire them so they leave the trunk at the correct angle (that's up to you but 45 to 60 degrees is good for this species I think). Remove the wire when they're set in place and then let them rocket away without touching them for the entire year.

[Homer911]

Thanks treeman. I thought so. I'll leave her alone for now.

[Truth]

I agree now, don't tourniquet. Not sure what I was thinking earlier, maybe it was the perspective or the trunk looked like it could have had more growing to do in perspective with the rest of the tree in the videos.

If you were unhappy with the scale of the large roots at the front, i'd actually think air-layering just above the ground would be a better idea, but I digress, you can work with what you've got currently.

I think you could possibly try the tooth-pick and rooting hormone method, for more roots, if grafting is going to be too much of an issue. It will necessitate bringing the soil line back up above the root-flare area though.