Maple Madness...a not thread

[TimS]

And while i was out there, here's a sweet little Coral Bark that i'm really enjoying working with

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and a Shishigashira that's just about ready for a first rough styling cutback towards what i want to use, but they are so slow i'm hesitant to do it too early. I did air layer it, but it is still grafted to straight species rootstock, i just raised the root base level. This layer took me 18 months before i was happy to remove it.

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[TimS]

Updating some of the Mikawa Yatsubusa air layers i did this year, so far 2 of the 5 are definite successes as i checked for roots today and they have rooted. Still waiting on 3 others


Success #1 is one of 3 is set on a nursery stock tree i purchased with half an idea for the future of the base of the tree. Rather than waste the top i set layers on it.

Multi trunk clump that will be on it's own roots

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Success #2 is one of the Mikawa twins i picked up, 2 matching standard graft MY. They jumped out at me as being perfect specimens to remain grafted on straight species roots. Really happy for this one, the pot is like a 6" orchid pot and the tree is 30cm+ tall so its bigger than it appears in the photo.

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Still waiting to see roots on these 3; 2 more on the nursery stock tree, and the 2nd of the Mikawa twins. I also did a small layer on an Arakawa but it was started well after these so i'm not expecting anything for a little longer yet.

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[TimS]

With the above Mikawa Yatsubusa air layers now separated, growing well and for sale There's not much to report on right now as far as general maple stuff goes. So instead here is my Arakawa garden tree.

I got this probably 5-6 years ago as a young 1 year old graft from Yamina Rare Plants, it had no signs of rough bark at the time, and since going in the ground it has gone bonkers. It is still grafted, just the graft is below the mulch level which i should fix really. But yep, barking up beautifully. I might do layers off this tree as it grows just to not waste material pruning it off and putting it in the green waste bin, but not a cultivar well suited to bonsai so it's mostly just going to be a garden tree

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[TimS]

With the issue I've run into with my Japanese Maple Rebuild tree, I've brought forward a decision I've been umming and erring over for a few years now; I'm going to be stopping growing Japanese Maples going forward, though i'll still have them for quite a while as i slowly move them all on.

If the old tree does survive (looks unlikely as of now) i will continue with only that one JM tree mainly because no one will want to buy whatever is left of it by then, but all my others will be sold off without exception and I'll enjoy the ones planted in the garden instead.

I have a fair few from specimen trees down to air layers, so it will be a slow process to move them all on, but ultimately they aren't thriving so close to the bay where they have to deal with the salty sea breezes and its time to stop fighting it.

Potentially i can still do air layers from my garden trees (Arakawa/ Osakazuki/ Shideshojo and Seigen) if people are interested in them, but that will be the extent of it, i won't be growing them for myself.

I'd rather focus on species that do tolerate my microclimate than fight against ones that don't really want to be so close to the beach. I might have to learn to love pines or some kind of native that are ok with salt wind.

So the TLDR of that is Maple Madness is over, and logic will reign supreme not something i'm often known for.

[Promethius]

Vale, maple madness. For now!

I might bug you for a shindeshojo someday and kickstart the whole thread again

[AndreasM]

Vale maple madness, indeed.

Learnt a lot and still have no idea what to do with my maples. Except that I’ll aim to keep them alive and don’t have to worry about salty sea breezes. Just hot Canberra summer winds…

Thank you for maple madness and I for one will continue to be interested in what happens to the old maple.

And by the way, pines aren’t bad.


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