AusBonsai

I've recently purchased a young Japanese Maple and had a few questions.
I'm thinking of making it an informal upright/twin trunk depending on what happens as it grows.

I plan on putting it in the ground as soon as I move into my new place to help thicken up the trunk, I was wondering if there was anything else I could do to help it out.

Next I want to know if I should trim back any leaves or anything yet, from what I have read it's still much to early to start cutting off branches or anything drastic.

Welcome mat, your right too early in its life to start selecting branches. However it's not too early to put some wire on the trunks and get some movement and then let that thing grow and grow.

Hi ma7t , welcome to Ausbonsai. Well its a little plant so it need a little chop . I would remove the twin trunk on the right at the base and use the lower right hand base branch as the new secondary leader , using a hooked wire around the main trunk and new branch/leader to persuade it too go up .

Wiring Japanese Maples is risky as the bark marks easily and the wire marks remain for years .

Throw it in a big pot and let it grow all season before cutting it back to a lower shoot to create taper and movement . It is better to start with a seedling if you want to set movement quickly otherwise clip and grow is the next best thing with these Maples .

Cheers Alpineart

Thanks guys, just the kind of info I was after.

Ok, so here is where I'm at, I cut one of the trunks and have started turning the lower branch into a new trunk. Next question. Is the foilage getting to wild? Or is that ok since all I'm really trying to do is thicken the trunk?

I'm also pretty new to bonsai but in my limited experience I have learned they will thicken faster if you let them go a bit wild and then cut back. Mia

Thanks Mia

Anyone know why the leaves would be growing like this?

Potential for leaf hoppers?
Are there any bugs on our around this tree from time to time? In particular light yellow/white ones that jump away when you near? Search leaf hoppers and see some of my posts from last summer.

Can you tell us anything else about the care fire this particular tree?

P.s. confidor can help with the leaf hoppers.

Haven't seen any, but I'll keep an eye out.
It had a pot change around 3 weeks ago, watered mornings and afternoons, sun from morning till about2, and fed once a fortnight with seasol.

I'm having massive problems with small grasshoppers on my maple and my bougs that has made the leaves look exactly like that.

I'm having massive problems with small grasshoppers on my maple and my bougs that has made the leaves look exactly like that.

i had that on my maple too last year, though it was just one or two leaves, but it stopped without me having to do anything

Boics wrote:Potential for leaf hoppers?
Are there any bugs on our around this tree from time to time? In particular light yellow/white ones that jump away when you near? Search leaf hoppers and see some of my posts from last summer.

Can you tell us anything else about the care fire this particular tree?

P.s. confidor can help with the leaf hoppers.

Ok, so I've found what could potentially be what you're talking about. I'll try some confidor and see if it helps.
Thanks a lot.

Here is one of the threads i spoke of.
Not sure if I've seen any of them this year yet.
I sincerely hope they don't turn up!

The little buggers didn't kill anything but ruined many of my trees nonetheless.