Maples - Newbie question!

[Laurie J]

Hi all,

I have recently fallen in love with maples, I love the colours, the changes they go through etc.

What I would like to know from those who are experienced with them, which type of maple would be best for a beginner? What time of year is best to start looking for stock at nurseries? Are there any special maintenance tips for someone new to Maples?

I currently have some Azalea's, a Juniper and some Bougie cuttings I hope have taken. I'm hoping to find something that can be worked on so I can start learning sooner rather than later. I don't have anything that I can really get some hands on experience with yet.

Thanks!

[lackhand]

If you want to jump right in, the known species are the best. I have a few varieties that are less popular that I love, but the price is that I am currently experimenting with techniques to see how they respond rather than jumping right in like I could with a trident.

Talk to locals and see how they grow there, but usually tridents are pretty bulletproof, and respond very well to bonsai technique. Plus, there is an absolute TON of information out there on them. Shibui has a recent post on root pruning, and an older one on branch pruning that is very good. Japanese maples are great too, but take a bit more patience than tridents.

For info, Peter Tea's blog is very good. Again, there are tons of sources, so keep reading and talking to the local club.

Good luck, and whatever you decide keep us posted!

[Rory]

Yeah, lackhand has it pretty covered. If you are going to buy starter stock and experiment, which you know you are going to do then just wait until the end of winter for maples.

Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple) is best for beginners.

Acer Ginnala (Amur Maple) is another great stock for beginners.

Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) is a lot harder because the most common mistake beginners make is they over water them, do not give enough sun, and the roots rot. If you have to go with one, stick to the green leafed Japanese Maple, not the Red leaf. The red leaf is much more susceptible to root rot. Once root rot sets into palmatum, there is a low chance of recovery.

[Laurie J]

Thanks, everything I've been reading on here has suggested that the Japanese Maple may not be the way to go early on.

Sounds like a Trident is the way to go then. I'm planning on going to see a lovely person from the Bonsai Club this weekend, so at least now I have a bit more of an idea of what I want

[Grant Bowie]

Your climate in summer is especially tough on maples; wind burn and such on both Trident and Japanese maple. 10 days in a row of over 40 degrees can knock anything(except figs).

However your very dry climate also negates some of the negatives re Japanese maple because it is so dry. Japanese maples suffer from rots where there is heat, humidity and no long winter spell.

Give both a go but be advised by your local club members; Phil, Andrew, Janette etc. There is another lady who grows some nice Japanese maples on the south side but I can't remember her name. The further north you live the harder it gets as I hear your temperatures increase by 1 degree every 10 klms you go north.

Grant

[Laurie J]

Great Info Grant! I'm South of Adelaide, so hoping they'll be ok here. Usually it's 2 - 3 degrees cooler than the Adelaide forecast. Probably the biggest advantage is that I'm not far from the beach, so we rarely get really dry heat or winds.

I was supposed to go to the club last night, but for some reason I thought I was next week. So the next time I'll see the guys is next month

[shibui]

I'd only recommend trident maple to start with. They tolerate a wider range of climate and are far more forgiving of less than perfect pruning. If it gets out of hand you can cut back and start again without too much bother. Japanese maples suffer more from extremes of climate and need really good pruning technique or you will end up with lumpy trunks and branches and thickened ends on the branches.
Start with tridents and hone your skills then advance to Japanese maples when your skills have developed.

[joshw]

Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) is a lot harder because the most common mistake beginners make is they over water them, do not give enough sun, and the roots rot. If you have to go with one, stick to the green leafed Japanese Maple, not the Red leaf. The red leaf is much more susceptible to root rot. Once root rot sets into palmatum, there is a low chance of recovery.

I wish I had known this 12 months ago

[Rory]

Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) is a lot harder because the most common mistake beginners make is they over water them, do not give enough sun, and the roots rot. If you have to go with one, stick to the green leafed Japanese Maple, not the Red leaf. The red leaf is much more susceptible to root rot. Once root rot sets into palmatum, there is a low chance of recovery.

I wish I had known this 12 months ago

Hi Josh,

Yes, Megumi at Terry Hills Bonsai Nursery is fantastic with telling you the hard truth about your purchases. Her husband and son are also wonderful with this, they give you the best advice about what NOT to buy and for whatever reason depending on your level of experience. If you are unsure of something or wonder why it keeps dying, my first recommendation is to talk to them, (but be fair, and purchase something from their nursery to help them (they have the best bonsai mix to use)), but they will have all the time in the world for you. They are best to talk to, rather than asking on a forum, where everybody has their own opinion based off of their circumstances and environment, whereas, going to their nursery and getting their advice, will give you vital information for our area and the problems persistent with that. Megumi was the first to finally point me in the right direction for helping understand and combat so many issues that my environment presented.

[Scott Roxburgh]

I got the bonsai bug from maple autumn colour too.

As Shibui said, start with a Trident, they are the best for beginners.

Now is a good time to buy some 3-5 year old stock and repot as a first step. Most nurseries should have them in the deciduous section.

http://bonsaitonight.com/?s=trident+maple

[Laurie J]

Thank you so much. That website is great too, thanks for sharing.

I'm so glad I posted, I've already learnt a lot, this place is great for new people!

[joshw]

Thanks bonsaibuddyman, I have been meaning to head out to Megumi at Terry Hills Bonsai Nursery for a while now.