[SOLVED] A sapling/potential bonsai ... help please?

[legoman_iac]

Hi all ... very new to the world of bonsai, purchased my first bonsai in June last year, a Picea (?) about 8 years old, and loving it! However I'm developing the bonsai itch and noticed a sapling growing out of one my cactus pots, I assume it's from the nearby Maple tree we have and has sprung up from some left over soil we had when it was moved from pot into the ground which was added to the cacti we have. So I thought I'd try my luck at turning the sapling into a bonsai.

Found some repotting videos and notes online and carefully loosened up the soil and transplanted the sapling from the cactus pot to a small bonsai pot I had spare, using the extra bonsai soil I have from the Picea. Also trimmed the roots by about a third.

Providing it survives ... wondering if anyone can confirm the species of Maple? Little confused as the sapling has jaggered leaves as expected but then also has two small, smooth edged, oval leaves with obtuse tips slightly olive drab in colour as opposed to the other leaves which are bright green?



Can take more pictures, of either the Maple I beleive it's come from or closer shots of the sapling if it helps. Any feedback muchly appreciated, along with helpful hints to keep it going?!

- Daniel

Solved
By kcpoole - Trident Maple Acer buergerianum

[kcpoole]

this is a trident Maple, (Acer palmatum)

'tis only a new one recently sprouted

Will do in this pot till late winter then pot up to a bigger one to grow on
If you keep it in large pots, then you might have a tree to style in 5 years

Ken

[bodhidharma]

100% confirmation by Ken

[Ron]

this is a trident Maple, (Acer palmatum)...Ken

Acer buergerianum.

[shibui]

Daniel, The 2 oval 'leaves' at the bottom are cotyledons (seed leaves). Many germinating seedlings have these in various shapes, sizes and colour according to species - they are part of the seed and help sustain the seedling until real leaves emerge and start to feed the tree. While it looks like trident maple, some maples have juvenile leaves that look different from adult foliage. A leaf from the parent tree would confirm the species.

Your tree will take many, many years to develop into a good bonsai if it stays in the little bonsai pot. Most growers plant seedlings into larger pots and let them grow a bit to get good trunk development before styling a bonsai.

[legoman_iac]

Hey Guys, thanks for the speedy responses and for confirming the species. Thanks also to Shibui for explaining about the seed leaves, only just starting to appreciate / get into bonsai, and gardening in general, so really appreciate all the feedback and info, even the basics of it all. Photos below of the parent tree, which is about 1.5m away from the cactus pot which sprouted the sapling. We inherited the tree when we moved in and only recently had a gardener move it from its massive root bound pot into the ground.

Parent leaves:


Trunk/bark (pardon the blur, camera phone had trouble focusing):


If these aren't helpful I'll shoot some better pics on my camera, just a bit rainy when I took these.

Also found a sapling outside on the street growing out of the kerb, much bigger than this one but afraid the neighbours will think I'm coo-coo if I try and move/keep it.

- Daniel

[Damian Bee]

If you want it, go and dig it up. It will get mowed or sprayed otherwise. I do that sort of thing from time to time as I am sure many on this forum do. In fact there is one out the front that I spotted recently, just have to find a spot for it. My backyard is a little like Christmas Island for potensai these days , (the first smiley is my reaction, the other is my wifes)

[Pat093]

(the first smiley is my reaction, the other is my wifes)

loving it haha

[legoman_iac]

Hahaha ... well, I spose I could dig it up while my wife also has her head buried in her hands ... just run out of pots though. Would an ice cream container work with holes punched in it? Though wouldn't look as cool. Read somewhere that the Tridents are difficult to get in the UK, shame I can't rescue some and ship them out, start up some sort of 'Save the Trident/Rellocation Scheme', haha!!! So do these pictures confirm the species? Anything else I need to do in particular to help it survive?

[kcpoole]

this is a trident Maple, (Acer palmatum)...Ken

Acer buergerianum.

Whoops Sorry, Brain Fade there and you are totally correct must have my brain for the moment

Ken

[shibui]

As far as I can see it is Trident maple though the parent tree looks a bit sad. Do not like the look of those mottled yellow spots on the leaves at all. Maybe the result of transplanting or maybe from starving in its previous pot?
Don't worry about what the neighbours think, you are a bonsai grower now - you have to get used to people thinking you're crazy. Quite large tridents will survive with very few roots if moved when dormant in winter.

[bodhidharma]

this is a trident Maple, (Acer palmatum)...Ken

Acer buergerianum.

Whoops Sorry, Brain Fade there and you are totally correct must have my brain for the moment

Ken

Take him away to the dungeons for that mistake And me to for supporting his error and not picking it up

[legoman_iac]

As far as I can see it is Trident maple though the parent tree looks a bit sad. Do not like the look of those mottled yellow spots on the leaves at all. Maybe the result of transplanting or maybe from starving in its previous pot?
Don't worry about what the neighbours think, you are a bonsai grower now - you have to get used to people thinking you're crazy. Quite large tridents will survive with very few roots if moved when dormant in winter.

"Parent tree looks a bit sad" ... I KNOW !!! Arrghhh ... I was reluctant to post the pcitures of the parent tree for fear of retribution from the moderators, haha. Am trying my best now to bring it back from the brink, it was looking MUCH, MUCH worse few months back. Gardener said it was massively root bound and moving it from pot to ground would help. Also not sure what else to do ... some say fertiliser? But not sure where to begin.

"... bonsai grower now?" Me? Woohoo! Although I think I'm more of a "Not-bonsai killer". So far my Picea is a champion tree!

Thanks again ... and not to worry guys about the brain freeze ... happens around this time of year!

- dSc