Trident maple before and after

[Jak]

Choose the oldest stock you can get your hands on and afford also. If you think how great you 1yr old cuttings/seedlings will look in 20+ years, think how good a 20year old tree (now) will look in 20+ years
Go out and spend $100 or more if you can afford it on the a nice, big fig. You'll kick yourself for not doing it sooner

Hey nathan i agree it would look awesome, but iv'e got limited room for now. Moneys not a problem i just don't see the point in buying a plant someone else put all the effort into, i know it'll continue growing and wont look the same but it doesnt seem worth spending the money on.. I will get a fig down the track and let you know how it goes cheers
Jak

[Jak]

What is the rock hanging there for?
not a good way of bending.

Pat

And whats wrong with hanging rocks in the tree!
do the bends with whatever early in its life and the better the flow.Thats what i say. Each to there own.
In nature i have seen many a rock divert the flow. Just head on down the river & see
for yourself.If it works, why not. [/quote]

haha thanks Petra i didn't it was that bad an idea, good to hear someone else has tried it, Iv got it on my juniper now :p
cheers

[Jak]

Jak, I would have to agree with Matt and Glenda when it comes to keeping trident maples or any other maple in tropical Qld. Liquid ambers are the better option. But you can try, keep them in dappled shade through the summer months, stop all ferts after March, If small enough, keep in vege crisper of fridge at night in June and July (take it out in the morning), or water with iced water (ice blocks in a watering can) once a week from the 15th June to end of July, defoiliate remaining leaves at the start of August.

chris

Chris your a legend i'll be sure to do this thanks! I found an LA this morning at bunnings but i'm going to keep looking, it was a twig... If not apparently theirs some on JCU which i live real close too

Cheers Jak

[Bretts]

Interesting thread Jak
There is a saying in bonsai that we should try to look with a beginner's mind. The mind of a beginner has some unique qualities that can easily be lost so there is no need to apologise for these qualities.
Another saying I like is whatever works. Pretty obvious really but you will be amazed at the notion of some people that there is only one way to skin a cat.
I will always remember George helping me do a root over rock and showing me how he uses glad wrap to hold the roots but was sure to state that Ray and himself always like to say whatever works.

I can't see any reason why the rock would not work. We have another member here that has shown how useful cloths pegs can be in weighing branches down and weights are used in other various way's well in bonsai.
The worries about the branch fusing and causing a taper issue may be warranted but as they have not tried it they can't say for sure it will happen. This is a very young tree and it is very possible that any bulge from the fusing would disappear in the not so distant future.

I don't see any great reason to change your tree again but just wanted to remind that a beginner's mind is not something to apologise for. I was a little disappointed you gave in.

I think KC was trying to give practical advice more than filling you in on competition rules Although in years to come you may find your response to him quite amusing

[Jak]

Interesting thread Jak
There is a saying in bonsai that we should try to look with a beginner's mind. The mind of a beginner has some unique qualities that can easily be lost so there is no need to apologise for these qualities.
Another saying I like is whatever works. Pretty obvious really but you will be amazed at the notion of some people that there is only one way to skin a cat.
I will always remember George helping me do a root over rock and showing me how he uses glad wrap to hold the roots but was sure to state that Ray and himself always like to say whatever works.

I can't see any reason why the rock would not work. We have another member here that has shown how useful cloths pegs can be in weighing branches down and weights are used in other various way's well in bonsai.
The worries about the branch fusing and causing a taper issue may be warranted but as they have not tried it they can't say for sure it will happen. This is a very young tree and it is very possible that any bulge from the fusing would disappear in the not so distant future.

I don't see any great reason to change your tree again but just wanted to remind that a beginner's mind is not something to apologise for. I was a little disappointed you gave in.

I think KC was trying to give practical advice more than filling you in on competition rules Although in years to come you may find your response to him quite amusing

Hey thanks Brett, you said it better than i could. I like a challenge, I dont mind if i fail, theres only one way to learn and my visions for the tree look great... I don't think i gave in, i just didnt quiet make sense of it all the first time reading it, so i was sorry for wasting his time with my reply haha.. I didnt mean for my reply to ken to come across rude its just that i wasnt sure what else to call it, informal upright haha? So much helpful information thanks heaps everyone for your replies.
Ill let you know how it goes
Cheers Jak

[NathanM]

Fair call about not having space.
Buying a bigger tree doesn't necessarily mean buying someone elses bonsai and modifying it to your own though. You could buy a decent sized fig for example that has had no bonsai training. Has been grown to get some size, but never wired or shaped. You can then chunk chop, or cut all the branches off, or work with what is there already. Either way it isn't a tree someone else has styled. It's just one that someone else has put time into for size and for the future.
In the end, we all have our own bonsai joureys, but I have learned on mine that it is worth buying the bigger trees if you want to have awesome bonsai in the future, not just ok bonsai.
Just my 2c

[Jak]

Cheers Nathan,
Feel free to give all the advice you want, I just cant see past whatever styling someone else has done as a beginner, so a trunk chop would be a good idea , I'm looking forward to developing a fat trunk on a fig. I got an older juniper the same day as the maple, Iv'e rewired it, but it still doesn't feel like mine if you know what i mean, Iv'e completely changed the style but i don't have the same connection with it yet as i do with my other Potensais haha.

I might be moving to Bris early next year if so we will have to trade some cuttings or something haha
cheers mate
Jak