japanese maple branch ramification

drewhart

i just choped an eight foot maple with a two inch stem down to a small low branch about eighteen inches up. i left the tree in its nursery container with the roots uncut. i also make the cut before the buds opened to keep maximum energy in the roots. i did this to rapidly grow the twig as the new leader to heal over the cut as quick as possible. the drawback is that the future branches which are just starting break out along the stem will also grow quickly. their internodes will be long, and given the nature of japanese maple to backbud strongly only at a node, the ramification along these branches will be spaced to far to be of any good for bonsai. my question is once the wound heals to sufficiently and i am ready to move the plant into a bonsai container (hopefully next spring), should i complety remove these new branches and start a freash? is there any way to get the branches to bud before the first node, if i cut into that area instead of completely removing these branches? i can post a picture if it would help.

Advertisement

Alasdair

A picture always helps. From the sound of it you are just trying to develop the trunk at the moment. I wouldn't go putting it into a bonsai pot as early as next year, leave it in nursery container or put it in a bigger one and just let it grow. Keep an eye on the trunk and wound, when you're happy with them you can cut off all the branches and start fresh on developing them.

Al

__________________
I can feel another "I wish that was my tree" moment coming on...
Currently studying BSc Plant Biology at the Universty of Wales, Aberystwyth

rockm

I would give the plant at least three years' untouched growth after this trunk chop. Drastically trunk chopped Japanese maples can die back severly, even two or three years after the chop. Reducing the roots soon after this operation could add to the problem.

Don't worry about branching at this point. You want the tree to recover and working on a leader. Don't get ahead of yourself. Branching can be developed down the road.

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. Wait til the tree recovers to do anything further.

drewhart

here are the pictures of the operation. also some fungus mold stuff started to grow under the wound sealer. so i scraped it off and let it dry in the sun. then i put more sealer on and let it dry in the sun.

i uploaded twice. id ont know where thery are