Tridents

JLK

Hey Guys,
I recently got some great Trident maple saplings about 2' tall with 1/4" thick trunk. I reppoted them into gallon containers and was intending to just let them bulk up over a few years. Do I cut them back when the start to show some growth or just let them beef up over the next few years. They are basically just straight suckers with no branches, so I'm not sure if I should be pruning to encourage braching or again just going for trunk girth at this point.
Thanks!

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TreeBay

There was an interesting article in Bonsai Today awhile back about developing thick trunked bonsai by planting the seedlings through holes made in a piece of tile. *Trident maple is ideal for this.

You drill 3 to 7 oversize (3/8" - 1 cm or so) holes in a piece of soft ceramic tile an inch plus or so apart and plant seedlings through the holes. * Bring the soil level up a few inches above the top of the tile. *As the trunks grow they will encounter the limits of the hole rapidly, and the expanding trunk will begin to callus and issue its own roots above the tile. *Ultimately, the trunks will ground layer themselves and fuse together. *The callus that forms above the tile, and the constraint of the tile not allowing any roots to develop downward rapidly *forces the tree to form a near-perfect radial root system. *

Later, nip away the tile and redundant roots and you're on your way to a nice multi-trunk or clump style bonsai. *Wait a little longer and you can remove some of those trunks and wind up with a great *single trunk.

I used a drill press and bit designed for ceramics because it makes the drilling much, much easier.

Regards,

Matt

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Bonsainut

Jlk,
Your whips will bud out all along the trunk if it is healthy. You just got them so you dont know their history but tridents are very vigorous growers in general. Only if you don't get any low branches should you need to cut off the top.
One gallon nursery pots will thicken up a trunk, but not real fast. If you could get it in a bigger pot or the ground and let the lowest branches that bud out grow wild you will save years of waiting for that coveted thick trunk!!!!

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Keep growing,---'Nut



Lethal Use of Farce

JLK

Would I plant them in the ground in Spring & then unearth them in Fall? I'm zone 5 but could certainly give them SOME extra protection.
Or should I try & get bigger containers? Does anyone know where you would get a 5-gallon plastic container?