AusBonsai

Just for fun I grow a few Trident Maples in the ground because you never now when you might need one? In one growing season (August 2011 to June 2012) I have grown these tridents from between 200 mm and 300 mm high up to 2400 mm high just with some regular watering and fertilizer. That's over two metres in about a year.
In the next few weeks I will cut them all back to about the same height that they started from, that is if I don't dig them out. I think it just goes to show what can be achieved in a short period of time!!

have you noticed any difference in the girth?

they should thicken proportionally as fast too when in the ground

ken

Great growth watto,
I was also going to comment on the growth of some trident seedlings in our garden. These germinated in the garden beds last spring and some are now over head height. That is from 0 to 1.8m in a single year and from 0 cm trunk diameter to nearly 2cm thick at the base. Worth noting that these had no added water or fert though our soils are naturally rich and rainfall is pretty good too. I will dig most this winter and cut them back for future use as bonsai.
I probably won't sow trident seed this year, just use the self sown seedlings from the garden???

Not the worlds best photo Luke but you can see the base of a couple and these have been growing for three years now. I let them pretty much grow wild and then cut them back hard each year. So in the three years the bases are now about 5 to 6 cm wide, some a bit more, some a bit less.

neil
Like you i got over 7 feet of growth in my tridents this year, crabapples about the same, banskias 9 feet in 2 years, cherrys 7 feet and plums 8-10 feet . all with be cut back hard, the decidious trees will be cut back, rootpruned, assessed this weekend. ill do a thread when i start lifting