Acer palmatum crispum - "shishigashira" (WARNING EMBEDDED PHOTOS)

Victrinia_Ensor

Hello friends...

Well... I havn't shown any new trees in a little while, but I wanted to share this beauty with you all. Ang3lFir3 and I bought it yesterday from Bonsai Northwest. It's his first major bonsai, and my first big maple. The caliper on the trunk is a little better than 3 inches. The pot it is in is about 16 inches. The nebari (which is one of the biggest reasons we bought it) is simply fabulous.

There are a couple areas where a large branch died back, and while it will confound quite a few people, we have no intentions of completely removing those branches at this point. They have good movement, and will be turned into some very refined jins. Nicest thing about jins is that you can always remove/reduce them later....

We are toying with the idea of putting a serious hollow in the trunk. But havn't made any firm decisions on that. We have time to sort that out once we get down the road of dealing with the jins, and developing a ramified crown.

One really nice aspect of the tree, aside from it's proportion and structure, is that there are no chop marks on the tree. There are no marks on the tree bigger than 1/2 in. and those that are there, are well healed.

The tree was an investment, but one which will more than justify it's costs in very short order. Most of the work on the tree will be done by Ang3l, and is reflective of my conviction that a newer bonsai student should work on a tree which will feed the fire of his love for the art.

We'd love to see virts of people's ideas for the tree... So far... our favorite front, because it has the best view of the nebari, is the first photo you see.


Kindest regards to all,

Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

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Victrinia_Ensor

Oh.... one interesting thing Daniel suggested when we showed it to him today... was that the nebari needed more soil packed around it. So that only the top half of the roots broke the surface of the dirt. It made perfect sense of course, but it's not something I had put much thought to. He also suggested that moss to achieve the same effect.

It was more than a little fun to have one's teacher nod and say that the tree was "worthy".

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Ms. Vic

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Ashbarns9999

Hello Vic it may be prudent to slip this tree into a larger container in the spring or re-pot at that time into a larger oval. My thoughts are that the tree may be rootbound hence the loss of branches. Of course the branches may have been jinned deliberately but that is highly unlikely as that type of work would be unusual on a deciduous tree. Like you I love the nebari on this tree, quite superb and I agree with Dan on allowing the nebari just to peep through the surface of the soil. Looks like a good formal upright or even broom styles you have there.


Ash

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Bonsai Barry

Of course, I don't need to mention the interesting nebari since that was a main reason you bought it. I'm wondering if you reduced the size of the tree if that would increase the drama of the nebari?

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Bonsai Barry

"Our talent lies in our choices."

MichaelMiller

Hello Victrinia,
This is my first reply on this thread, so bear with any mistakes. My suggestions are limitted to the health and vigor of this tree. I would keep it relatively(not totally) dry and protected this winter, and plan a major repot into a slightly shallower(1 inch) and wider(2-3 inches) pot or grow-box in early Spring. I'd also plant it slightly deeper, covering 1/3-1/2 of the exposed nebari. This would be a protective measure and encourage surface rooting. Some of the nebari could be selectively re-exposed later, after the tree has regained its vigor. Use a fast-draining, light mix. It's always a good idea to repot a new aquisition, so YOU know both the conditions of the roots AND what they're growing in. This tree in particular, I'm fairly certain I know the previous owner from who's collection it recently came. He... well... though he did add some lava & grit, much of his medium consisted of topsoil and thus didn't drain/aerate as well as I would like. This could account for some of the die-back. I helped him repot some of his trees, though not this one. This particular cultivar(Shishigashira) I've found to be tougher, and withstand drier conditions than most any other Acer Palm of the palmate group. So I think it would benefit from a fast draining mix, particularly in the western WA area. Enjoy this tree. I'm a maple lover... and am sorry you beat me to it. mike

Dav4

Hey Vic, nice tree! I like the nebari alot from your front, as well. I don't think I can make any suggestions on styling until the leaves are off. I'd love to see some pics then. By the way, I think Mikes suggestions on repotting are good ones, particularly if there might be some mucky soil down there below the surface. Good luck,

Dave

Victrinia_Ensor

Gentlemen...

Thank you for the responses.

Ash...

Sharon didn't encourage the die back. She didn't seem sure as to what provoked it either. I too wondered if being root bound may not have had something to do with it, when I first saw the die back. But not knowing the species, does anyone know if they have any kind of tendency towards random die back?

But I confess, there's so much vigor on this tree, I'm not concerned that there's a great danger to the tree. Most of the growth extension all over this tree is a foot long or better. Which surprised Daniel a bit, because he has one of similar size which doesn't push that strong all over as this one has done. Most times on larger specimens I have worked with, if there is a die back due to being root bound, there tends to be overall lower vigor exhibited on the tree.

Spring will tell us what is going on under those lovely roots, because I do plan on repotting it. It's in a mica pot at this moment, and doesn't do anything for it. Ang3l and I were playing with virting a dozen different Dale Cochoy pots under it, and there were a few which were flat amazing with it.

I agree shallower would be nice, or at least something which tricks the mind into thinking it's shallower, if the rootage will not allow for it. Oval might be just the trick for it though...


Barry....

Maybe my first question back should be how drastically you think it should be reduced? Most of the rest of this response is written with the idea of a significant crown reduction... in for a penny... in for a pound kind of thing...

I agree there is potentially something very special that could be achieved in reducing the overall height of the tree. But the flip side to that is that it introduces an element I am not certain I can live with... a chop mark. The fact that there aren't any holds great appeal to me. But if someone virtualed it... I'd love to see what that looks like. I may see if we can't toss that idea around in photoshop this evening as well. But I love seeing other people's perspectives.

If you had to chose between a potentially better image, and chop marks... how would you approach thinking that through?

There's certainly something to be honored in a tree which is achieved without that methodology (chopping it).

One other thing... It will seem a lot shorter when all the legginess of the growth extension is brought under control. It'll have a lot less visual mass. But I won't remove any of that until November when the tree finally drops it's leaves.

I love naked maples.... and of course, that's when you get to play with all that structure.



Micheal...

Welcome to the forum! And thank you so much for taking the time to write. I am very excited at the notion that you might be able to get me a little bit of the provenance of this tree. Do you think you might be able to show a photo of the tree to this person and confirm if it was his? I would really like to know when the tree was started, and by whom if possible. It's a very credible work that has been done thus far, and knowledge of who's hands have contributed to that, is something I would like to have.

Do you have any bonsai of this particular species yourself? I appreciate the suggestions and the heads up about the potential soil composition. I also appreciate the tidbit on it's habits... and would appreciate any others you may have. Even if it may seem obvious.


Kindest regards to you all,

Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

Le belle cose prendono tempo...

www.elandangardens.com

Victrinia_Ensor

Making decisions on a tree when all of the obfuscation created by the foliage is gone... is one of the reasons I adore deciduous trees. If only pines were so accommodating. lol

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Ms. Vic

Le belle cose prendono tempo...

www.elandangardens.com

MichaelMiller

Victrinia,

If this tree came from the collection I think it did(95% sure), I cannot give you more specifics at this time. The previous owner is quite ill, and it would be too presumtious of me to question him about trees right now, as he has other priorities. I do have 3 of this cultivar(2 in the ground, 1 in a pot). When healthy, they are vigorous vase-shaped growers. They tolerate(and may actually benefit from) more direct sun than other Acer Palm of the palmate group. Their light & soil requirements more closely parallel the dissectum group-(ie: slightly more sun, slightly drier soil...or better drainage...BUT NEVER PARCHED). As far as the deadwood, I wouldn't leave it, particularly with our wet weather. Deadwood and the inevitable resulting rot, on deciduous trees(especially maple), is like a cancer that will spread. I know('cause I used to feel the same way) you will feel like you are cutting away some of the structure of the tree, that even the dead wood has aesthetic value. You're better off to face the music, you have already lost that structure, and it won't come back. I'd remove the bulk of it now, waiting to cut into live tissue 'til Spring. Then cut to live tissue & treat to encourage healing. I realize you are proud of this tree(and should be), but IMHO it's not ready for a final pot. The desired lateral & surface root-growth will be easier to achieve with a wooden grow-box. You're right to eliminate the Mica pot... a wooden box will hold much less summer heat(from direct sun) than either the mica or a ceramic pot. Don't over-pot too much though, you only want to give your "trimmed root-mass" an additional 1-2 inches on the sides and 1/2 inch underneath. Then give the roots a year or two to colonize that. Postpone your final pot selection for several years 'till you've worked out your styling plans both above AND below the soil-line. You ultimately will be happier. These get their fall colors later than most, but not to worry. Get ready for a beautiful yellow-gold flushed with crimson fall coloration from the end of October to middle November.