bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - japanese maples

If Japanese Black pine is the King of bonsai, the Japanese Maple is the Queen. Long live the Queen!

Watering - I water my maples more frequently than my pines. Japan tends to get monsoons in the summer that dump a lot of water and the driest seasons are my wettest, so there may be some cultural differences there.

On Pruning, if you prune heavily in spring, it may be a good idea to lightly prune the roots as well, even if the tree doesn't need it. This reduces the pressure in the sap as maples tend to bleed (weep sap) a lot.

Pinching - yes pinching is absolutely intended to stunt the growth of the branch and induce ramification and backbudding, that are all characteristics of dwarfish trees. Don't practice it unless you are trying to develop ramification, not thicken a branch. With your fingertips closed. Push them between the developing shoot and spread apart lightly, then further in. Now cut out the growing tip before it fully appears. You will get smaller leaves and shorter internodes.

Sunburn - the California summer sun can be too much for maples. Combined with fall winds it can crisp and burn them. Move them into partial shade during this period. Providing a wind break will also be helpful. Above all you need to be sure that they have adequate moisture during these hot spells.

Fertilizer - My preferred fertilizer is....organic rapeseed/cottonseed/bonemeal or Miracid, for me.

Books - Peter Adams' Japanese Maples is a very good book. For general species information, J. Vertrees' Book is the reference book. I think Dave DeGroot's handbook on bonsai design is very good for this topic, although not specific to maples.

Regards,

Matt

7-Nov-2001	#2
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,742	Re: japanese maples - summary info If Japanese Black pine is the King of bonsai, the Japanese Maple is the Queen. Long live the Queen! Watering - I water my maples more frequently than my pines. Japan tends to get monsoons in the summer that dump a lot of water and the driest seasons are my wettest, so there may be some cultural differences there. On Pruning, if you prune heavily in spring, it may be a good idea to lightly prune the roots as well, even if the tree doesn't need it. This reduces the pressure in the sap as maples tend to bleed (weep sap) a lot. Pinching - yes pinching is absolutely intended to stunt the growth of the branch and induce ramification and backbudding, that are all characteristics of dwarfish trees. Don't practice it unless you are trying to develop ramification, not thicken a branch. With your fingertips closed. Push them between the developing shoot and spread apart lightly, then further in. Now cut out the growing tip before it fully appears. You will get smaller leaves and shorter internodes. Sunburn - the California summer sun can be too much for maples. Combined with fall winds it can crisp and burn them. Move them into partial shade during this period. Providing a wind break will also be helpful. Above all you need to be sure that they have adequate moisture during these hot spells. Fertilizer - My preferred fertilizer is....organic rapeseed/cottonseed/bonemeal or Miracid, for me. Books - Peter Adams' Japanese Maples is a very good book. For general species information, J. Vertrees' Book is the reference book. I think Dave DeGroot's handbook on bonsai design is very good for this topic, although not specific to maples. Regards, Matt __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!