Extreme Slant Update (Trident Maple Pre Bonsai)

[@baldyeti]

Daggum, that’s some impressive work, bother. I would be hacking that crossing root with the ugly knob. You’ve got the main root to the left, a healthy one to the right, and a weaker one in the middle. But then again, I am no Master of Tridents like you are, brother. I appreciate what you’re puttin out there!!!

[@smalltrees]

I don't know about all that but I appreciate the kindness. I think that it's going to go in the spring. I'm probably going to graft a root somewhere in there and remove it then. I think that leaving it won't really serve much purpose.

[@mattbrennan647]

Can’t get enough of those Tridents. Thanks, keep growing

[@smalltrees]

Thank you! There's a ton more coming, especially if I can figure out my camera battery situation so that I can film more in a day.

[@acer_p_bonsai]

Great video and nice work. Would love to see the progress over the last year! 🙏🪴🍁

[@cactsai]

You must be in zone 7 somewhere. Bulldogs shirt and short sleeves in December. I recognize that climate well. I'm in the Woodstock GA area. This is the first video of yours I've seen so far. If you're close, I may need to stop by in the spring and pick up one of your tridents if you have any to sell. Take care.

[@smalltrees]

You're absolutely right! I'm a couple of hours away from you, but you can email me and we can try to coordinate if you'd like. [e-mail]

[@cactsai]

@@smalltrees awesome, man. I'll hit you up in the spring. Enjoy your holiday.

[@smalltrees]

Sounds good. You too man!

[@rodschroeder1048]

That little branch sure did grow! Very impressive. Definitely do the graft, I’d like to see how it goes to get a root and a branch at the same time , with your impressive root work I’m sure you’ll get it done. Looking forward to seeing it again!!

[@smalltrees]

Thank you! I will stew on it for a bit and I'm sure I can come up with a way to make it work.

[@shanewatson8581]

Ive got tridents in the ground you are giving me so many ideas Cheers from down under mate

[@smalltrees]

Feel free to try them all! If nothing else, they're fun to do, but you'll get some good results too. Thanks man

[@watsup6084]

I'd root graft and the thread graft for the first branch just to guarantee identical foliage across the plant- Great work and really relaxing :)

[@smalltrees]

Thank you! I am leaning towards not thread grafting the branch that low right now, because I'm not sure what the rest of the branch structure is going to look like (with the nodes located where they are, the next branch may have to be a lot higher and I don't know how well that will go together). Thank you, I appreciate the kind words! I will have to let some branches grow long this year if I want to use them for grafts.

[@AlexBraunton]

Thank you for sharing this update! What an incredible little tree. It's grown so well. Great work as always mate

[@smalltrees]

You're welcome, and thank you very much! It definitely has improved a lot this year.

[@Dirtguerilla]

Good video with a lot of insights! I would cut the root with the ugly knob at the first small root going outwards. I have hesitated on a hornbeam and had to make even larger cuts on the next repot :( cheers

[@smalltrees]

Thank you very much! I was thinking that if I do a root graft in a month or two, I can remove it once I see what the graft will look like. I could even try to graft a root at the beginning of that root and then remove the rest when the graft has taken.

[@Dirtguerilla]

@@smalltrees no risk no reward, you have the chance to graft the s**** out of it at this point. I had always regrets when I was too cautious with a healthy tree.

[@smalltrees]

I agree! Might as well go all out while I can. I think it will turn out well, better than expected anyway.

[@Dirtguerilla]

@@smalltrees how does it look? Any improvement? Cheers!

[@avocado-toast7617]

Nice to see you back. Keep up the good work. That immense growth makes me wanna build some growing beds as well. Greetings from Germany

[@smalltrees]

Thank you! You absolutely should, in my opinion. If you combine good soil and water with fertilizer, it can a difference of 100 percent or more in my experience. I have a wedding out of state this weekend, and then the next weekend is Christmas, but I plan on starting my work in earnest after that. There should be a lot more videos in the near future.

[@avocado-toast7617]

@@smalltrees Cool! Looking forward for that, especially for the results of some of your experiments. Happy Holidays

[@smalltrees]

Thanks,.you too!

[@bradleyc9538]

Your field work is really interesting, I'm pleased you've started to upload again. Thanks. If you can pull off that root & first branch graft in one seedling I'd be very impressed. Looking forward to your future uploads!

[@smalltrees]

Thank you very much! I am not sure if I want to do that yet.. I'm leaning towards no, but if I do decide to do it it'll definitely be a challenge!

[@sasha1813]

I think it has a lot of potential, just a few grafts here and there.

[@smalltrees]

I agree. I'm thinking of doing the graft I mentioned in a month or two, just before spring. If it goes well, it should improve a lot by the end of the next growing season.

[@GamerGanon]

Got a quick question for you. When you plant trees in growing beds that are too small to screw into the base, how would you recommend attaching them to the tile/board underneath them to keep them secure?

[@smalltrees]

For the smaller ones like that, I drill a hole through the board/metal and thread the tree through it in the spring. If you have roots you want to develop already, I usually just plant it on top of the board with no attachment, cover with an inch or so of soil, and place something heavy along the outer edge of the root ball to keep it from tipping over until it has grown enough to anchor itself.

[@GamerGanon]

@@smalltrees perfect, thank you! Got a bed setup to plant in this spring, looking forward to it!

[@smalltrees]

Awesome! Let me know if you end up with any more questions.

[@paulkendeffy8893]

Can you do the grafting now if you can protect it? Or should just wait?

[@smalltrees]

Yeah, it's doable, but my thought is that there is a lot higher chance of the graft unions drying out between now and bud break. I'd rather wait until just before everything buds out to reduce the chance of that happening.

[@dibiodepaint]

Keren 😎

[@miketabback2635]

A work in progress for sure but I know you will make it look good. I would love to see that root graft; I live in NJ and have yet to get one to take.

[@smalltrees]

I did one last year that took quickly and it's in a video titled 'root graft tutorial' i think. This one will be pretty tricky because I want to use one graft for a root and a branch if possible. We'll see though; I'm not sure if it needs a first branch that low or not.

[@gayefanner731]

Wow I can’t get over how that small branch has grown! Very encouraging as I’ve done something similar but with a Cornus. I never hear any bonsaiists( is that a word?) talk about bud grafting, very basic with fruit trees n roses and I’d have thought it’d be useful in your situation, you can have branch wherever you want! God bless your endeavours 🙏✝️ ✌️🇷🇺☮️🇺🇦✌️

[@smalltrees]

Yes, it's grown a whole lot! I'll admit, I'm not familiar at all with bud grafting but I'm definitely going to check it out now. I'm sure there is a reason why it isn't done in bonsai but I'll have to see if I can figure out why. Thank you very much!

[@gayefanner731]

You’re most welcome. I’d love to hear your findings on this. I’ve only just thought to question it! New to bonsai you see, but 50 years in horticulture. Thanx for your swift reply 👍

[@smalltrees]

Will do! I'll try to check it out tonight. Bonsai is what some might call an impractical application of horticulture. I find it to be a great hobby for the mind, a good way to clear your head of everything.

[@gayefanner731]

Check out ‘Bonsai Empire’ “scion grafting” 👌

[@smalltrees]

Will do! Thank you!

[@genesiodesouzaneto4496]

What is the composition of the soil you use inside the boards, to plant the acers

[@smalltrees]

Usually turface, lava rock, pumice, in equal parts. And then add some pine bark for water retention.

[@737ngJR]

Id definetly remove the crossing root and leave it as is. Root grafting could be done if the large root (left) gets reduced. Otherwise it will create a pancake earlier than desired. Excellent video as always 👍

[@smalltrees]

I agree with you. I think that is the best course of action and I'll do it in late January or early February. Thank you!!

[@danieldalton8125]

How did your cyclone fusion grow last year? Look forward to an update and the new growing season!

[@truongla5614]

i Like the way you make those trees. you should make loud make more videos good luck

[@johnrhain3948]

Where do you get trident maple seedlings from? I would like to purchase some.

[@smalltrees]

I usually buy mine from Matt at kaedebonsai-en.com . Best supplier in the US and he has great pots too. Makes trips to Japan to buy pottery and brings it back to the US.

[@camelianatbah]

I love your videos. Nobody does better root work. I'd be cutting that ugly root asap, as I'm not sure it will achieve anything positive. I'm not convinced you need a low branch when you're grafting.

[@smalltrees]

I agree with you totally. I've been thinking about it and I don't think a branch fits there. The only problem is that the first branch is going to be pretty high on a tree that I had envisioned as a shohin. I think that I will graft a root at the base of the trunk near the ugly root and then remove it altogether.

[@camelianatbah]

I can hardly wait to see what work you've done this spring. How's the camera battery situation coming along?

[@juniorgomestattoo6411]

Your trees grow so fast it’s amazing , sorry if was covered before but do you fertilize them ?

[@smalltrees]

Yes, I use holly-tone for tridents because of the humic acid content, and u also sprinkle some miracle gro pellets throughout the year. The climate goes a long way but the fertilizer, soil, and water are very important too.

[@juniorgomestattoo6411]

@@smalltrees nice to know that , incredible work , congratulations

[@smalltrees]

Thank you! I'm glad you like it!

[@gman107a]

Is it ok to work on these roots this time of year ?

[@smalltrees]

I mentioned a couple of times in the video that I wouldn't recommend doing it. I can control the climate for the trees, so it should be okay, but the only reason that I am doing this now is because I can only work trees on weekends, and I don't have enough time to work everything before spring. So I'm starting with the less impressive trees and working forward. That way, if there are ill effects, they won't be on any trees that I am attached to. With that being said, this tree had plenty of feeder roots and was healthy during the year, so as long as I don't let the roots freeze, it should be fine.

[@billster84]

Love the root work you do in your vids. Have to say I respectfully disagree with the person encouraging you to do the longer, more detailed vids. May be personal preference but I hate having to "manage" the vid. And I'd already found myself in your past vids having to fast forward and skip around a lot to move through sections where nothing is being shared and/or the camera work isn't showing anything useful. And FWIW, I like your idea of a thread root graft where you pointed it out around 17:30 - there are not enough thread root graft videos on YT. Just my $0.02. Thanks for your work and sharing!

[@smalltrees]

I get a lot of opinions both ways on video length. Sometimes I think that I should release a long version and a short version for each video. Regarding the thread graft, I'm not sure if I want to try to do the root and thread grafts with one seedling, but we'll see. I have a couple other videos showing how to do a root graft if you are interested. They're my favorite graft to perform because of their utility and how easy they are to perform.

[@billster84]

@@smalltrees I have watched them a few times. They inspired me to finally gather some seedlings and take care of my large Carpinus caroliniana that has some shortcoming in the root department. Great vids, and that's why I'd love to see more of the same 🙂- Thanks again!

[@smalltrees]

I'm really glad you've enjoyed them!

[@andrewt1176]

Thread graft and root graft from the one whip will be borderline impossible. Just do a root graft using one seedling and grow a long branch and use that to thread through for the 1st branch. Really liked the way you released these two videos one after anther to show the progression.👍

[@smalltrees]

You're probably right. It's probably more an exercise of "is it possible" rather than "is it practical", but I'm not sure if I want the branch there yet anyway. I'm glad you liked that format. There might be more of that in the future if I have footage leftover that I can save until the following year. Otherwise It's pretty hard to do, and I probably won't be able to do it with the trees I am already documenting, since I imagine a year with no updates would frustrate a lot of people.

[@spaz13b]

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