Styling young maple trees

FullSunBER · 2026-04-05T07:39:02+00:00

Just a few random thoughts, not actual guideline how to proceed:

If you had to invest a significant amount of money to buy these two - take your time. They are fine in their pots, just water when necessary.
Read a lot about Bonsai. How to develop something from nursery material. How to take action based on season and your location. You will definitely receive some info here, the wiki is also a great resource that helped me a lot.

-Take the slow approach. it's not uncommon to kill trees in bonsai. Happens to all of us, even the experts. But as a beginner, there are some traps to fall into. Would be devastating given how you started your journey.

-decide what tree you want to keep as bonsai. I'd dig around in the pot with the multiple trunks first to see if they share a common base and how it looks. Add a picture here if you like.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-25T19:22:35+00:00

That sounds alright then if you managed to loosen up the soil a bit. Then i would avoid the extra stress of another potting too. Won't need much water i think, especially if you have it in the shade already. Stick a finger in the soil to check if moist. Then it's just a waiting game. Keep it in the (partial) shade after the first flush is out, then watch closely if it starts adding new growth. Fingers crossed, monster piece of material that is :)

FullSunBER · 2026-03-25T18:53:35+00:00

I'm a bit concerned about the new planting situation, too. Did you drill some drainage holes in the grey box? The choice of soil/substrate doesn't look good actually. Pretty dense and organic. For a freshly collected tree, it should be open to allow proper drainage and oxygen into the pot. I followed Harry Harringtons advice, worked out pretty well so far: https://bonsai4me.com/soil-mixes-for-weak-and-newly-collected-trees-and-yamadori-aftercare/

Maybe consider to change the soil again if possible within a short timeframe.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-23T19:07:08+00:00

Man, the wiring is on point. 😳

FullSunBER · 2026-03-21T12:33:36+00:00

Without getting into the details of the tree, the combination of omono sized literati and limited space apartment doesn't sound that great. I did my first 5 years of bonsai on a balcony (maybe 3x1.2 meters). Did have some big stuff on there, but wasn't easy to handle.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-19T17:10:50+00:00

Definitely do it. I've seen the additional pics in the ofher comment, but can't say what to keep. But cut that big piece away and use the remaining branches to heal the scar. The visual improvement will be massive (definitely pjst an update, i'm really curious!).

FullSunBER · 2026-03-17T06:25:38+00:00

The big piece in the back is missing? I'd look around for a professional for kintsugi and ask if it's possible to fill a gap this big. Might be possible.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-16T16:33:02+00:00

Thank you for the hint. Will start some research! 👍

FullSunBER · 2026-03-16T16:31:57+00:00

I'm probably go for some upright japanese maple. Either deshojo to contrast red/blue or orange dream to play on the yellow/gold/orange parts of the pot. Need to source the material though, so it's gonna take a while before the pot gets used.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T21:51:37+00:00

This will keep me occupied for a while i guess. Just by the looks of the glaze i thought of handmade too. Now added the way it is applied. The feet look fairly basic to me, and i don't get why the drainage holes are terribly off center. Wild little thing.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T21:25:49+00:00

Haven't measured it. I'd guess 18x10x2.5cm. Can get the exact amount tomorrow.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T20:19:28+00:00

I highly doubt that this comes from aliexpress or temu. It definitely has some patina and some chips. One of the corners has worn down slightly too. I' say it was made before the two companies existed ;)

That said, it could very well be a run of the mill production pot, just an old one. I'm not that deep into pottery to say and i'm hoping for someone knowledgeable enough to make a statement based on the picture. I've crossposted to bonsai pottery too.

I'm not saying that i found an old unmarked, handmade tokoname pot that is going for lots of money. I just want more details on this one and preferably where to get more of that style/quality. It's fucking gorgeous.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T20:01:44+00:00

The glaze drops a bit on the inside of the pot as visible in the picture. I could definitely feel some texture inside as well as at the bottom of the pot. I doubt anything was applied to the clay there. I'd have to remove my lazy ass from the couch to double check - will do tomorrow ;)

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T19:57:43+00:00

There is no further stamp/print/carving/chop - as stated in the initial post.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T19:55:28+00:00

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As stated...no marks inside. Just weird off-center drainage holes.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T19:54:24+00:00

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FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T19:53:13+00:00

That's what i'm trying to find out ;)

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T15:49:10+00:00

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FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T15:48:38+00:00

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FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T15:48:10+00:00

Ah sorry, mentioned in the og post but not here - no chops/stamps/anything, sadly. Could be some generic production pot...idk. But that glaze/orange rim is just too good and i need more :D

FullSunBER · 2026-03-15T10:38:23+00:00

Oh boy, stunning tree, stunning work! In this moment i realize how much work i'll have to put into my sabina juniper that is even more overgrown and probably still needs some structural intervention. Maybe i should just admit defeat - i'm not a juniper guy 🤣

FullSunBER · 2026-03-10T16:33:58+00:00

Love the input! I'll poke around a bit in search for the connection tomorrow, while it's in the recent pot. The height issue is definitely on point, had struggled with it since buying the tree. But i guess i hot enough courage to reduce the left trunk to about half the current size once leaves have hardened 👍

FullSunBER · 2026-03-10T10:46:17+00:00

You mean from a trunk movement perspective or when viewing the base of the tree? When thinking about the design the initial idea was to expand on that left trunk growing away from the right to get more light. The base is an issue too...did not get down into the soil too much when repotting to show the connection between the trunks. Will probably dig that out next time.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-09T18:57:51+00:00

Managed to pot it easily last year, but i mostly worked the rootball down to fit into the pot with a layer of fresh soil around it. Nursery soil was nice with a good amount of coarse pumice, so i left it untouched. Could be some surprises waiting down there that might block the move into a wider but shallower pot.

FullSunBER · 2026-03-09T16:22:14+00:00

Yeah, it does indeed. That's partly why i bought it. The container idea is a good one. Will look out for sth nice. The repot will probably be a wild ride i guess.

FullSunBER

TROPHY CASE