Forest Planting or Not??

Elm237

I want to start a forest planting,a very small forest planting. My idea of my small forest planting is about 3 Sugar Maples on a rock slab. Can this work? Also are there any rules to rock plantings? The Sugar Maple are seedlings so do I put them on the slab now or after they develop a trunk? Thanks

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Elm237

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Vance Wood

In this day and age you can call anything on anything anything you want. However if you are interested in the traditional breakdown three trees are not a forrest they are a group. Usually the minimum for a forrest is anything over five trees because it is more difficult for the eye to number the individual elements in presentations over five. Usually a forrest is designed with trees of different sizes and ages, the older fatter trees placed at stratigic locations at the front of the planting and the smaller thiner ones at the back. Forrests can be planted on slabs of stone but generally marble will not be a good idea because of its chemical content. Long shallow pots are also used.

Candy_J_Shirey

Elm237-

Sugar maples are a difficult species to use as bonsai. The internodes are large and the leaves do not reduce well.

I have hundreds of these maples on my property and have played with them as bonsai a bit. Even though I was successful in partial leaf reduction, they make much better "life size" trees than bonsai.

How about some nice Chinese elm for a forest?

-Candy

Elm237

But sugar maples will work right? What about red maples? When do I put the trees on the rock-{what age}? Do I drill holes in the rock?Thanks

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Elm237

mike_p

A 3 tree forest sounds about like what the lumber companies are working toward.

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Candy_J_Shirey

Elm237 -

It is my opinion that sugar maples will not easily make believable bonsai.

You may get three sugar maple seedlings planted on a rock but it would be most difficult to get it to qualify as a specimen bonsai. As stated, the leaves are difficult to reduce. Ramification will be difficult because of the long internodes.

Now, is it worth trying even if it will never be a specimen bonsai? Perhaps the trees will still have a lesson for you (as far as the care, patience, soil. water etc.) and the lesson will be in the development of the bonsai caretaker and not the specimen bonsai.

My hope for you would be to spend your time on more worthy material and feel the excitement and satisfaction of success before attempting difficult/impossible material. In this sceniaro, both the development of the bonsai caretaker and the specimen bonsai may progress.

The best to your future and your future trees.

-Candy

RedPine

Hi Elm,

If you are working with little seedlings then it is always reccomended to grow them out some as individual trees before group planting.This can speed up the process for maturity in the set.I see you have listed the Red Maple on your list of hopefuls.I have worked with the Red,Silver,and the Sugar maples a couple of different times.I can only agree with Candys' statements regarding the satisfaction vs work ratio being poor using these trees.None will really say it isn't possible...but we haven't heard of anyone making a good show tree out of these yet.Feel free to test the waters and all but these N.American Maples are difficult subjects.

The elm is a very good tree for bonsai. In case you are set on Maples then many of the Japanese types are good and I kinda like the Amur Maple too.There are Tridents and a French Maple that are usable,I haven't got my mittens on the last two yet but they do work.

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Will_Heath

Having a few Sugar Maples and Silver Maples in the yard and many seedlings every year, I have tried working with them and have come to the same conclusion as Candy.

Unless you are trying for 36" bonsai, your efforts may be better spent on other species. You would have slightly better luck with the Red Maples you mentioned.

Keep in mind that this is the time of year to take cuttings. You may want to take some Japanese Maple cuttings and root them (easy) as these will give you much better results. Find a tree and ask the owner if you can take a few softwood cuttings or look for seedlings growing under them.

Good luck either way,

Will