Japanese Maple nursery stock

[beatts]

Hellooo all! I would just like to ask your advice about cutting back these trees..... or should i just let them grow a while longer as they are? Maple c will probably end up being a twin trunk, but im not sure what 2 trunks to keep? thanks

[shibui]

Before reducing 'c' to twin trunk study some old Japanese maple trees and look at really good Japanese maple bonsai. Japanese maple look really great styled in the natural growth habit of multi trunks. Other trees depends on the ultimate size/ style you want. Can be pruned back now for small trees or allowed to grow for larger, more impressive trunks.

[Mitchell]

I'll second Shibui, though came to the same conclusion prior to seeing their post. I'd be making a nice little maple with multi trunklines out of it.

Here some quick chop lines. Though this is only what I would do for a tree I wanted in a few years time. Your twin trunk's seem to have issues with no lower buds, I have shown my chop marks on it other limbs, but your going to need to force some back budding on the twins as chopping them back now will probably leave you with two sticks in the middle. You could chop them and hope for the best, I'd keep them and chop them back gradually, only when lower buds break.

Even if they don't back bud you could still integrate them into the canopy I have illustrated.




Shibui- "allowed to grow for larger, more impressive trunks." Thats a bit subjective isn't it? Some of the most impressive trunks I have ever seen have been mere pinky thick. Far more grand/imposing/striking than other master bonsai with arm thickness trunks.
Though I know what you mean, just gave me a chuckle. Sorry