每日吃瓜

Hello all! I hope everybody is keeping safe!

I have a starter bonsai for a straight Acer Palmatum that I have let grow wild since the spring in an attempt to make it bigger and stronger, but I now face a challenge in terms of styling. Do I start the process of forming ramification now, or do I continue to let the tree grow wild for a few more years to make it bigger and stronger? I am inclined to begin shaping it now, but I don't know if I am then going to be keeping the bonsai the same size or if it will still grow?

Additionally, do I get some branches to point out to the front of the tree or is that a no-no? I have heard in some places that it is a no-no but have seen some examples where there are clearly branches growing out of the tree at all angles. I'm stuck and confused.

Thank you!!

This is how I do:

First I adress trunk thickness. When I am close to where I want it, I start on nebari. When I am happy with the two, I transplant to bonsai pot and work on ramification from there.

The tree should have a central idea, which would usually start with the shape of the trunk and the way the first several branches come off of the trunk. Following that, where foliage is thick and where it is thin. And, which side of the tree is the front. Nebari (roots) enter into this very importantly. Spend some time looking at the 每日吃瓜 Gallery here and see what other people do.

So, answering the question, let the tree grow and look at if pretty often. Look for the shape of the trunk and the shape of the roots that tells where the front should be. Look at the branches and decide which ones add to the idea of the tree and which ones detract and should be cut off. Decide which branches would add to the idea if they would move and bend some. Don't do anything until you have figured at least some of this out.

You may read somewhere that the trunk should bend and have motion. Don't just bend the trunk to be bending. Decide if bending the trunk would add to your idea or subtract from your idea.

Don't be surprised if ten years from now you look at the tree and think that branch should have been cut off long ago. In ten years you should have a better idea than you do today. That is fine.

I am doing both.

Friends of mine have maples they started from pencil sized 10 years ago and always kept as a bonsai, just allowing occasional extension growth. THey managed to get a 5cm trunk in that time, which I thin is decent.

Most important thing to do first is work the nebari. As long as you are growing the trunk the roots can develop. Once you have the main trunk, getting realistic roots is dificult.

In general , rule of thumb for the order of developing bonsai:

Nebari
Trunk
Primary branches
Ramification

@Ivan - Thanks! This was very useful! I definitely have a vision in mind for the tree and what I would like it to be (and I think I have already identified that branch for 10 years down the line!). I will keep checking some inspiration and watch how the tree grows. Thanks again, very helpful!

@leatherback - I think you have nailed my question! I want to keep the tree in the bonsai pot that I bought it in (obviously until repotting), and don't want to put it in the ground or something. It will also be travelling around the world with me every 4 years so maintaining a bonsai pot-bound tree is important. In your comment about your friends I think you hit what I was asking... so, if I keep the shape and allow it to grow slowly (prune extensions), then I should be able to grow the tree in size while maintaining the desired shape and ramification (taking note of your suggested order, though)?

On the nebari... stupid question, but how do I build that up first? What contributes to the best nebari in term of growth strategies?

Note the disclaimer that it involves keepig the tree in a larger bonsai pot than you would normally: Up to a certain point the level of growth you can get is proportional to the pot size. And it is a MUCH slower process than ground growing.

Working the nebari mean that you when you repot look for any and all roots that are not in an ideal horizontal plane when the tree is in its perfect position. Remove those. Then individual roots outgrow the size fitting to the scale of the tree, prune them back. Over 2-4 repottings you will start to get a very nice evenly distributed rootbase. Challenge here is that on the one hand you need the rootflare to develop, which means, growing out roots. On the other hand, you want more than just 3 or 4 big roots, In the end you want a load of fine roots in the pot.

Once you have a 5cm trunk and never worked the roots, you typically have 2-6 large roots and not much else which is when people revert to grafting roots onto the trunk. That is fine. But if you grow from a young plant, you try to avoid it. (I do some ground growing too, and I make a point of every 2-3 years lifting the trees and pruning back the main roots, slowing the growthrate but improving the nebari.)

@leatherback
Thanks! Ok, so forgive my complete ignorance, this is only my first bonsai ever that is actually growing and thriving! So... while I am developing the nebari (which will take many years), what do I do with the branches of the tree? Do I let them grow wild or how exactly do I focus/control growth here while growing out the nebari.

For the time for growing in a traditional bonsai pot, that's not an issue, I am patient and will enjoy seeing the tree grow that way. The point on pot size is taken, the next re-pot I will get a larger than normal pot to facilitate growth.

I grow al my bonsai direct in a container or pot, if you want work on nebari it's important to have a bigger pot but not to high, so you forge your roots to grow horizontaly.
Success

leatherback wrote: I am doing both.

Most important thing to do first is work the nebari.

How do you work the nebari in seedlings? I have ten or so that sprouted this year. The long term goal is one or two for each son, not necessarily very large, and maybe a forest for myself with the left overs. These all came off of a tree that the oldest son planted on Mother's Day 35 years ago, so there is some sentimental value to them.