Japanese Maple am I doing the right thing ?

[Paulneill]

Hello,
I'm new to bonsai but have read alot about it. I got this Japanese maple from a nursery last week it has a 1.6 inch trunk at the base but also looks as if it was previously trunk chopped or maybe 2 trees grafted together. I liked this as i thought it would save me a year or 3 doing the first trunk chop to develop taper. You can see in the picture where this wound is and it is nearly healed fully over.
So here is my plan let me know what you think... I'm going to wait until spring to lift it from its pot as the first buds start to show. I'm going to apply a wire tourniquet 5 inches below the last cut trying not to disturb the roots too much, then I will re-pot and hard prune cutting it down as far as possible but still leaving some foliage. Then hopefully i will get an explosion of back-budding. Then i will choose a new leader and cut the rest of the tree back to it and choose the first 3 branches (near the first cut) to thicken (the bottom set) and let them grow untouched. I will prune every thing else to promote growth in these areas. and worry about the rest later.
The trunk is 1.6 in trying for a finished height of 15 to 16inches. so i already have the first cut and im going to develop a good root spread 5 inches below it and do the next chop 5 inches above it then i have another 5 or 6 inches to the finished height what do yous reckon .

[Bretts]

Hi Paul
Welcome to the site and bonsai in general
I think your plan will be doing to many things at once. Creating new roots will be speeded up by lots of growth so chopping the top at the same time may not be the best option.
But never say never Would be great if you could post a picture as it is a little hard to give styling advice by numbers

[kcpoole]

I would only layer or trunk chop / Heavy prune at once. not both

Ken

[schwinn]

Hi! Sorry to revive the thread, but I have been looking at Japanese Maples available from garden shops as well. The only ones I have found are the ones just like the OP, grafted at the base. Is this ever an issue, and what exactly is the reason for the graft?
Is the base/root a japanese maple as well, or should we expect some other sort of roots to grow out of it? Otherwise, how else can I jumpstart to a phat Japanese maple to work on?

[kcpoole]

Hi Scwinn
Usually they graft the Dissectum maples onto Trident or (normal) Japanese maple rootstock as they have much more vigorous roots than the Cultivars thus get better growth.

It graft is done really well, then it can be hard to pick, but usually they are done for the garden stock so usually are not neat and you either have to regraft or layer the top off.

Ken

[schwinn]

i was just doing some reading, bearing in mind I am a total noob and I am wondering if these grafted Japanese maples from garden nurseries can be 'air layered' down the track, just to get rid of the bottom host base and have a full plant to work with? Sorry to revive the thread, but I am trying to tread carefully without creating unnecessary threads.

[Scott Roxburgh]

...but usually they are done for the garden stock so usually are not neat and you either have to regraft or layer the top off.

Ken

You certainly can layer off the top but it was grafted for a reason so may be weak on its own roots?

[Paulneill]

Hi everyone i just re-potted my grafted Japanese maple and am pleasantly surprised with the roots and trunk base i was just starting to get into bonsai when i bought this from a garden center and it was not cheap. I had came to the conclusion it was not going to look good but now i think it has potential . what do yous reckon ?

[Paulneill]

the roots

[Paulneill]

I took some better pictures of the maple today i am thinking of reducing the height by chopping the top third and re building from there but am unsure if that is the way to go . it measures 19 inches tall at the moment with a 2 inch trunk . i am going to remove the root on the very right side that looks out of place and overlapping rotate the tree slightly anti clockwise.I have placed a stick in the gap were i plan to aproach graft a new root and to show how it could look.

I would appreciate some advice regarding height reduction and if you think its necessary and any other views. thanks

[kcpoole]

I would let it go and shoot out where it wants
do nothing but let it grow for the next 2 months and you can cut again later once you get some idea of what the tree wants to do now

ken

[Paulneill]

Hi

my grafted maple has been growing well after its chop and re pot only problem is the growth is very coarse and thick . huge leaves and long internodes.i this is because of the vigorous roots that have been grafted to it ? and wonder this always be a problem.? i had planed to remove the top 3 rd of the trunk and start a new leader but now im not so sure if it will ever produce fine growth has anyone experience with this problem?

[Craig]

Paul, most likely coarse growth and ugly semi deformed foliage due to severe rootpruning and trunk chop,they tend to do this,you'll get better leaves as spring goes on,, next spring the first new foliage should start looking better, have you been fertilising?

[Paulneill]

That's good to here Craig thanks. I have been giving it a balanced chemical fert . npk 7 7 7 weekly . I pinched all the strong to growth and have chosen a new leader two thirds way up the tree . I was thinking of trunk chopping it again at maybe mid summer its during semi dormant period. when is the semi dormant period in Sydney?

[Craig]

If you fertilise at the start of spring it only encourages long internodes Paul, so if you want short internodes little to no fertilisers at the start of spring,
i can't say if you should/shouldn't chop again this season, but your doing alright so far , i'm sure you'll make the right choice ,