Medium sized - Clump style - Triple Trunk Japanese maple. before and after

I bought this tree from someone in our club and he had removed two trunks; 1 from the middle (wound has completely healed up) and 1 from the side/rear. I let it grow wild last year and I plan to let it grow strong again this year with more focus on thickening up the middle and the main trunks. There was massive vertical damage on the middle trunk going on about 3 or 4 inches upward. I didn't reopen the callous tissue last year and I think if I had done that, it may have healed already. I opened it this year and put cut paste and covered it with aluminum foil. I've heard this works well in healing wounds, I'd love to hear your personal experience with it. I also reopened some horrible cuts and covered them with cut paste and aluminum foil as well. I need some lower branches and if they don't come by next year, I'll have to graft 1 or 2. There is hope for a low branch on the smallest trunk (got some buds there and a tiny branch) and hopefully these will flourish this year. I lost some time last year by not protecting this tree from the full sun I get in my backyard. I burned most of the leaves off and it started recovering after I started protecting it but after an incredible spring growth, it limped the rest of the year. I plan to tilt after repotting so that the main trunk is bolt upright. That will tilt the smallest tree further to the left. I've got the chopsticks pushing the trunks away from each other but I thought the small trunk was too straight so I'm pulling the top towards the big trunk with a guy wire.

Well, enjoy and as always comments and virtuals are welcome.

front

side

rear

side

front

side

rear

side

Hello Sam,
Seeing the bigger one i was thinking maybe you could......
make a new start with this one?????
Sunip

Hey Sunip,

I had flat out never thought of what you saw. It's so interesting how I got caught up in the design and never even thought of doing that. I like the trunks the way they are but I do wish there was a little more variation and some lower branches.

Your virtual is certainly one way to go.

Thank you for taking the time to comment and to create that virtual. I appreciate it.

Have a great weekend!!!!
Sam

I love this tree. I have just gotten a japanese maple itch but I'm trying to hold back. I have a great idea (more natural) in mind, ill do a virt tomorrow.

Jake16 wrote:I love this tree. I have just gotten a japanese maple itch but I'm trying to hold back. I have a great idea (more natural) in mind, ill do a virt tomorrow.

Thanks Jake,

Please share. Thanks for taking the time.

Sam

Hi Sam,

This is a nice triple trunk maple. In most of the pictures the trunks are lacking movement, however in the last picture the movement is more apparent in all the trunks, so I would personally use that as my front.

Also, I want to point out that there is another good tree inside this tree; looking at the last picture the main trunk and the left trunk will make a very graceful twin trunk maple. Both their movements are very well hormanized (but I value the triple trunk as well which also looks very nice... so it's your choice).

Finally got to doing the virt sorry it took so long. Hope you like it .

Thanks for posting Jake. I think you did a great job with the virtual bro. Especially with the leaves.

I'd still like to use the original front though but tilted more so the main tree is more upright. I know it has less movement that way but I think the base looks the best from this view. There is also some more nebari still buried underneath the soil line that will further enhance the age factor.

I'll try to work something up though I'm not good at Photoshop at all. Maybe I can ask a friend to work something up for me.

I hope that winter weather is kind to you, bro.

Have a great weekend!!!!
Sam

I agree with Sunip. If this were mine, I'd definitely whack it back, though I'd leave the stumps at varying heights: 1 each at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd internode from the base. Current trunks lack taper AND movement, and since there aren't any mitigating factors(old stripey maple bark, impressive ramification, branches in appropriate places...) I'd start fresh. Straight, taperless growth=young tree. But that's me. I enjoy the long haul!
Ryan
Http://JapaneseBonsaiPots.net

Thanks Ryan. It's definitely something to think about. I hadn't even thought of that possibility until Sunip brought it up. How'd you make out with the snow?

Although this is not a very good photoshop virtual (my first serious try), this is kind of what I had in mind in the beginning.



Have a great weekend!!!!
Sam

Snow. Lol. It was on the ground for
All of 2 hours! High of 68 today! Half My trees got confused in mid December already, and started leafing. Moving them in and out of protection whenever it threatens to dip under 35 is an ever loving pain!
On to the tree: consider, you're already going to be spending time healing up those bad wounds on the trunks as is, that wound at the base, why not eliminate time fixing flaws on flawed trunks? You'll save yourself a long time in the long run by not settling early on. Those trunks are still green, nothing can't rebuild in a couple years: with full control over movement, internode length and branch placement, and wound management. You've got three well placed trunk starts and a good base, use the positives and eliminate the negatives. Also, I think the height is too high as is anyway, dwarfs the good base. That base could be real powerful as a chuhin, and sumo fat as a shohin.
Ryan
Http://JapaneseBonsaiPots.net

How about this?

How about it, Twisted Trees? It's worth noting that Bill whacked this Koto Hime back in 1983. Bill layered the three trunks, grown to 36" for propagation, and whacked the tree back, in exactly the same manner I would if this were mine. Separately, it's also worth noting that all 3 layers are great bonsai, 30 years later. I've seen em all in person, and they're an outstanding example of what patience and stock propagation together can create!
Ryan
Http://JapaneseBonsaiPots.net