japanese maple advice please

yauntis · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:15 am Post subject: japanese maple advice please

this is a japanese maple which my friend bought at the only local bonsai "nursery" and also recently gone out of business shop. Q #1 can i take cuttings from the leggy growth and if so when? it appears to me that these are two grafted branches forming the twin trunk with somewhat manufactured nebari (air layer?). Q #3 if the answer to Q one = false, then, how do (if at all) go about pruning this beast? on an unrelated note (not trying to pour gas on the fire merely stir the coals a bit), moss or no mas? she bought it without the moss but it didnt look too attractive to me with the aerial roots so i filled in the voids with moss. bought in spring 07 not repotted this year and comments bring em. moss has done well for a year and this doesnt seem like the ideal conditions for the tree but can i get away with it with the mape? do not give a ____ about the moss just lookin for a little advice. thanks.

josh

imholte · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:52 am Post subject: Re: japanese maple advice please

Josh I had a hard time finding the green links so I changed them to red.

I usually take cuttings on maples once the growth has hardened some, maybe around june/july. Check out this article that I found on Brent Walston's site, it has some good information on cuttings.

imholte · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:54 am Post subject: Re: japanese maple advice please

From the picture it looks like it is on its own roots (no graft)

yauntis · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:55 pm Post subject: Re: japanese maple advice please

thank you for responding Ed. i thought i needed to let the leaves harden a bit but wanted to hear it from one of u guys. as for changing the color to my links, we'll thats just plain showin off my friend. naw just playin but i will take a few pics from other angles. r u sayin the trunks are not grafted together or that the tree was not a former air layer? thanks again

josh

Stymie · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:40 pm Post subject: Re: japanese maple advice please

A short two pennyworth from me. It is usual to keep the internodal distances short and to increase density by stopping all new growths above the first or second pair of leaves. This causes subsequent growth to diverge into two and the same procedure can be carried out again on the new shoots. These prunings should be shortened to just below a leaf pair, the bottom leaves removed and then used for your cuttings. Two results for the effort of one.

Crazeegang · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:41 pm Post subject: Re: japanese maple advice please

I can't give much advice here but the roots don't look that ugly. I am thinking a new pot maybe deeper and in darkish earth tones would enhance it somewhat.

Regards

Toni

yauntis · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:49 pm Post subject: Re: japanese maple advice please

hi all. OK trying my first air-layer. with a little styling inspiration and encouragement from Don, i started with this and now have this. here are some cuttings and here is a close-up of the air-layer. any more advice or critiques are desired.

josh

Stymie · Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:27 am Post subject: Re: japanese maple advice please

I see that you've moved along the lines that we discussed by PM. I would have made the air-layer larger to accomodate more roots but you should be okay with that. The thing to do now is to wrap it with a dark layer to exclude light. You will be able to remove the outer wrapping from time to time to inspect for roots showing without disturbing the medium. Light causes roots to either stop or turn back in their growth.
Make a clear plastic 'tent' to go over the cuttings which will keep the moisture in or else mist them frequently for the same effect. If they are covered, they may need one watering with a copper based fungicide to prevent damping off. I know that 'damping off' is the term used in connection with seedlings but the concern is similar. Botritis is a 'baddy' and the cupric compound will control it. All power to your elbow, this is going to be a very worthy tree with a nice nebari.