My Trident Maple

[Ashleypaine90]

Hey guys, little update, I've got some trimming sciccors arriving today from Kaneshin pretty excited to get them. Question about the Maple, it's showing lots of new growth on the end of nearly every shoot, at the top and bottom and all over the tree so this is good news, however the tips of some of the leaves that have dried out when I got the tree haven't come good, the tree has had plenty of food, sun and water so I'm pretty sure I've done my bit. I'm not sure they can once they've dried out like this but I think the best thing for the tree is to prune them off, any suggestions?


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[benbonsai]

It may be leaf burn?
You may need to slowly transition the tree from half sun to full sun. Just depends on what position it was in before you bought it.

Also did I mention... Nice tree

[Ashleypaine90]

Hey Ben thank you, it gets pretty much direct sunlight up to around 2-3pm everyday, and then light shade. I'm not sure what it was in when I got it as my fiancée picked it up for me however the nursery did tell her that it needed a good prune and the leaves were like this when i got the tree, looking at the photos I took when I got the tree the leaves haven't worsened, if anything the tree looks healthier, maybe a bit more green and vibrant, and like I said I've got new growth, when leaves dry out like this is it irreversible? It may be the case that the trees health but can't reverse the leaves drying out, when I got the tree the base was covered in moss, it could be a slight lack of water previous to me getting the tree? Thanks


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[Ryceman3]

The damaged leaves won't revert back to their original condition, no matter what you do. They are however still pretty green and as such will still be beneficial for your tree, whether you remove them or not is up to you - I guess aesthetically it might look better without them. I'd leave them if they don't bother you as they are good for growth even if a bit ugly.

Congrats on the Kaneshin purchase - I spose the leaves might be in trouble as you'll be keen to give those tools a run!!

As for the new growth, it should adapt fine to a position in full sun and not affect leaf condition.

Enjoy the tools!

[Ashleypaine90]

Thank you ryceman, can always count on you for good advice I think I'll leave the leaves for now, the tree seems pretty happy but yes like you said I'm pretty eager to give the scissors a run I want the tree to grow a little bit first to see how it wants to grow so I can decide what to prune and how I'm going to shape the tree, I'll post a photo of my new kaneshin's later today thanks again!


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[Ashleypaine90]

Hey guys, my kaneshin scissors arrived today, and l love them, as with all things Japanese, they're well made, well packaged and even come with a thank you note, I recently came back from Japan and to me it was my favourite place I've ever travelled too, everyone is so courteous, friendly and respectful. I choose to buy a lot of things from Japan and have it shipped because I love how proud and loyal they are to their history and traditions (something I feel a lot of our western countries lack nowadays) anyways I can't wait to use them! Bonsai beware!


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[benbonsai]

Nice and shiny

[Jarad]

Hi jarad, thank you for your help, I got my bonsai soil from a nursery, it's the searles bonsai mix is that ok?

It should be fine, just check the soil frequently to make sure it isn't holding too much water or drying out too much.

Congrats on the scissors! Do a search for "Kaneshin" and "crean mate" and you'll find a wealth of information about both.

[Ashleypaine90]

Hey guys, just a little update, the Maple is growing really nicely all over the tree, new shoots and leaves, however some of the older leaves are browning a bit more now, I'm guessing to allow the energy to go to the new leaves and shoots? Is this normal? Should I be pruning then off? Most of the tree has this, some only on the tip of the leaf, some is around half the leaf.
Thanks


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[Pearcy001]

Hi Ashley,

It looks like you keep your trees in full sun all day? So do I! The problem is if it was sheltered at the nursery, the old leaves won't be used to the strength of the Sun.

Maybe ask your partner where the tree was positioned at the nursery when he purchased it. If it was under shade where no strong wind gets to it then it could be due to the tree not being used to its new microclimate at your place.

As the new leaves extend, they are already used to the full sun and won't burn like the old ones. Don't remove the burnt leaves as some green is better than no Green, removal of that much foliage will only stunt growth or make the upper branches over thicken which is not desirable due to energy being directed to the foliage at the top.

Aesthetically the burnt leaves are not ideal. If only 1 or 2 I'd say remove but not that many. When the drop in autumn they will be replaced be more Sun strong leaves.

Alas, I am still quite new to Bonsai. If I am wrong then the more knowledgeable will be able to correct or concur with the advice I have given.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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[melbrackstone]

I think in Qld you're pretty much always going to have to deal with leaves that have burnt edges... I believe you're better off training the tree to be an Autumn show off, and or a Winter - no leaves at all tree. This is something that will take many years to achieve, and to that end I can't stress enough that you'll do well to join a bonsai club, where you'll get information on how to care for the tree in your climate! This is probably THE most important thing you're going to have to learn, how to sift through all the information out there, and apply it to your own circumstances.

Good luck!

[Ashleypaine90]

Thank you guys so much for your help and advice. I think the tree was in sunlight but not full all day sun like it is now, I will leave the tree as it is, I suppose I'm just a little paranoid as I want to look after this tree as best I can. I will look around for a local bonsai club to join as I think this will be very beneficial. Thank you again for your help.


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[Ashleypaine90]

Hey guys, would you say it's worth letting this grow out and then decide on a shape for this bonsai? It's quite tall but I find it hard to find inspiration for my bonsai as it's quite tall but has thinner trunk than most of the pictures i see online, I like the look of the maples with a nice large well kept canopy, and gives a better show in autumn, would my tree be suited to this? Thanks


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[kcpoole]

Realistic looking bonsai, take time to develop that larger trunk and aged look.
it is always beneficial to plant out a tree to grow on, but that also depends on you skill and stage of development.

If you are ready to plant out and leve for a few years then do so but that means getting other trees to work on at the same time
You can work this tree to learn how to wire trim and shape it, and either acquire other trees to plant out or take cuttings and propagate your own. Either way you will get more trees

Ken

[Ashleypaine90]

Thanks ken,
Yes this happened early after getting the juniper I got this Maple shortly after, we have a lot of animals in and around the house so I can't plant out ( I can gaurantee they'll get knocked over) or destroyed. By leaving it in the pot and just training it will it still get this effect after years? I'm not in a hurry

Ash


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