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Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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Posted by lehua13 9 (My Page) on Sun, Nov 20, 11 at 19:39
| I have purchase a 3-yr old Japanese Maple specimen "Fireglow. I plan on keeping it in a container. The reason I purchased this red Japanese maple was that it was advertised as being able to take a hot and humid climate like here in Zone 9(New Orleans). I wanted to know would this be a difficult plant to create as a bonsai? Has anyone tried this type of JM? Aloha |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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Hi i have this acer im my garden and i can confirm that its a good acer for taking a lot of heat and sun. My tree has been placed in full sun and did not suffer any leaf scorch.I Think the tree was selected originaly for its heat tolerance, its from Italy i think. As for Bonsai its possible. My seems to be quite a fast grower about 9-12 inches this year and also if you wanted to turn it into a true bonsai then you would need to clip the leaves of to try and make them smaller, there quite large for an acer. If you just want to keep it smaller in a container then go for it, my tree held a nice red all year and didn't green out at all. Think it ends up as a 12-15 foot tree when planted in the ground.
Hope this has helped your decision. |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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| bg, Thanks for response. I have similar notions about this maple. I will keep in a pot and keep reducing its size and root ball and see what I can do. I may make a larger bonsai out of it. I am just starting to get involved with this variety and a yet may plant it in the ground eventually. When I get the plant I will post a pic and see what suggestions other make. Aloha |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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| Will look forward to seeing what your tree looks like. |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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- Posted by tapla z5b-6a mid-MI (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 27, 11 at 13:00
| As an A. palmatum, it's certainly a suitable species to be used as bonsai material. Ultimately, and unless this tree happens to be on its own roots, the 3 things that determine the individual plant's suitability and the likely outcome are the location of the graft, the quality of the graft, and your skills. A quality graft very near the roots is very desirable. Al 
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RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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| Thanks Al. I believe I am getting them from a reputable grower that understands what you have stated(I certainly hope so). I am now looking forward to working with my Bonsai club and creating a beautiful Bonsai specimen. What do you think of putting two maple trees in one pot. I would be able to place a "Bloodgood" and a "Fireglow" in the same pot. Your picture above gave me the idea. Any comments or concerns. Aloha |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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- Posted by tapla z5b-6a mid-MI (My Page) on
Sun, Dec 4, 11 at 16:13
| It's not unheard of, but it is a little unusual to have two distinctly different trees in the same bonsai container. Since yours are both red Acer p's, it shouldn't be too distracting. You can always separate again later if it doesn't prove eye appealing. Best luck! Al |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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| That is a very neat idea. Both Bonsai and model railroad roading have been tugging me towards them for a few years.....kids.....ug. MOBOT even puts on a train show during the winter. Wonder what kind of miniature landscape you could create given a few trees and some background. |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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| Here are the photos of my plants. The Fireglow maple is three years old and the Bloodgood maple is two years and the Amethyst Falls Wisteria is one year. 
The next photos are of graft closeups. I can't tell if these are good or not for bonsai. 
This is a Crete Myrtle with falls color: 
Aloha from NOLA |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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Y'all,
It appears that my both my maple grafts are not close to the roots. Would it be better if I buried the trunks close to the graft locations? Aloha |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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- Posted by tapla z5b-6a mid-MI (My Page) on
Sun, Jan 1, 12 at 11:03
| Better still would be to layer the top off above the graft, something I do as a matter of course. Here is a picture of a Zelcova I'm 'shortening' (on right). 
Pay no attention to the planting on the left. The photo was taken as part of a series to illustrate before/after pruning of the Radermachia. The Zelcova was actually incidental to the picture; I just remembered it was in the shot. You can remove all the bark & cambial tissues in a ring equal to 1.5X the diameter of the branch you're layering; or, you can leave the bark intact and simply wrap a couple of zip ties (locate them as close together as you can get them - touching is best) tightly around the trunk & wait. How I do it:
A) determine where I want the root base to develop
B) wrap the zip ties below that point in late summer before I'm going to do the layering
C) (important) Wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the area where you eventually want roots to grow & secure it so the area just below the zip ties to just above is in total darkness. This increases the plant's response to the polar movement of auxin and promotes the preformation of root primordia, so when the layer is completed in spring, you have a considerable jump on the process. BTW - the zip ties block the polar flow of photosynthate/carbohydrates and auxin. A very noticeable bulge will form immediately above the constriction point where the carbohydrates collect in the auxin-rich tissues. Fortunately, the prominent bulge adds a considerable amount of (visual) strength to your composition after the layer is separated from the tree.
D) Start the layering process in spring. In most cases, after the separation if not before, buds will break below the layer site, providing you with another tree you can plant out, layer again later, or use as a source of grafting material. Al |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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| Al, What if I cover (Aluminum Foil) the entire trunk below the graft to promote root growth there and then bury the entire trunk below the graft would that be okay? Otherwise when do you place the foil, in the Fall Or Spring? How tight do the ties have to be? Is it done only on a branch or on the trunk proper? Appreciate the help tremendously. Aloha |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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- Posted by tapla z5b-6a mid-MI (My Page) on
Thu, Jan 26, 12 at 17:25
| If you're going to do that, I would just ring (remove) the bark for 1-1/2 - 2X the diameter of the trunk (a 2" trunk would get 3" of bark removed) all the way down to sapwood. The upper limit of the ringing should be where you want roots to emerge. Treat the uppermost part of the bark with IBA talc and bury the whole thing deep enough that you can ensure moisture to the new roots. Wait. There is no harm in wrapping a few zip ties around the bare trunk immediately below the top of the wound, very tightly, to ensure the wound won't close. Sorry for the delay - I don't look in on this forum too often. If you are using the zip ties or wire as a constrictor, you want them very tight. You want the polar flow of carbohydrates and auxin to be shut off and accumulate immediately above the constriction point, & that wont happen until the zip ties or wire are biting deeply into the bark. You can air layer branches or trunks this way. Another VERY good way to layer maples for bonsai (or other): with a very sharp saw, cut 4/5 of the way through a branch or trunk. Slip a piece of rigid plastic into the saw kerf. It should be a little larger than the trunk diameter. Use the IBA talc & prepare your layer as you normally would. The wound can't close, and the small amount of living bark will keep the top of the layer from dying. Do this before leaf-out in spring. You'll need to tie a brace to the branch to strengthen it against wind. Al |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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| Al, Thanks. I will keep posting on the progress. I won't start the surgery until just before leafing in late winter. aloha |
RE: Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' as Bonsai
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| Y'all, Update. New pictures showing air layering attempt. My first. I did the cut just below the graft as people suggested at my bonsai club. Hope it works out. The JM is starting to show leaves and coming out of winter dormancy. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Aloha 
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