Japanese Maple First Styling - The Bonsai Supply

Jerome is styling a pre-bonsai from a local nursery for its very first time. He explains what to look for when working on Maples in the Fall.
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Mari & Jerome

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Great to see the first steps to a beautiful bonsai Jerome, I did miss Mari defoliating the tree!

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Nigel, thank you, I think it turned out pretty good. I missed Mari too; she was out of town. I had to improvise

[@bonsaiartwork3378]

amazing maple....i nlike your artwork.........

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Thank you so much 😀

[@janemckenzie8229]

Thanks for the tip on removing the leaves now. I live in Alabama & will start to defoliate my Japaneese maples today. Love your videos.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Jane, I'm happy to hear this video was helpful, and thank you for loving our videos😊

[@francescot3684]

Hi Mari and Jerome! I discovered your channel today and already watched some of your videos! Really grate information! I learned a lot from you already, despite I’m “growing” bonsai since many years! Fantastic bonsais you have!!!

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hi Francesco, thank you very much for your kind words and welcome to our channel.

[@glassblowned]

Like your initial styling, I tend to over bend most my designs (like most newbies do). That taper is gonna look real nice. Love your videos, always learn good tips, thank you!

[@csasiong]

Hi, Jerome. I got inspired by watching your tutorials, I'm hooked on learning more about Bonsai. At 70, I find it very relaxing just like my Yoga practice. God bless you and Mari, stay safe. 👏🙏

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Connie, that is awesome! Welcome to this beautiful art form.

[@davidjennings9556]

Great tree! I like the Japanese maples too. This one reminds me of Peter Chan's "Split Trunk" maple.

[@edmilkovitz297]

Looks good, can’t wait to see it progress. Being relatively new to bonsai, it seems a little drastic to see you cut that much off the top of the trunk, but I know it will get new branches and be a strong tree. I enjoy watching and learning.

[@carlosnavas5050]

good morning amigo. This is the time to work on Japanese maple. what a trying to say is this month you can work and do what you just done

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

You need to read the leaves amigo. I did this mid November

[@BONSAIenCORTO]

It is an interesting plant to make a bonsai and, of curse, it has a main cut at the trunk line and anothers that show bonsai previos works to develop estructural trunk movement. Thanks for sharing. Great internodes lenth. Nude it shows lot of pruning.

[@charlesmckemie7274]

I was not aware you had moved to Ga from S Fl. When i saw this i was like wow! What us he doing working on J maples in S Fl.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hahahah! Hey Charles, we moved but the store is still there and we go back and forth all the time

[@charlesmckemie7274]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply I see. Lol. I am originally from Ga and started my bonsai journey there. Different set of trees there than in S Fl for sure. I am fortunate in that I live in upper zone 9a now in the Fl panhandle so I can still keep some of my Ga trees and still also play with tropicals. I thought you had lost your mind there for a minute with Japanese maple bonsai in S Fl. Good to hear that you have two locations going now.

[@donfenton7473]

I have been looking for a hobby. I’m 60 years old do you honestly think this would be a good one for me?

[@robertvega8854]

It is never too late for bonsai! You will find rewarding watching your tree grow and enjoy the tranquility that comes with this art...Mily

[@michaelhoward487]

Hey Don, I'm 72 and started 3 yrs ago. I am thrilled by the satisfaction of learning something new and enjoying the results of my efforts. BTW I got my first trees from Jerome!

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

100 percent Don! It is never too late to start; you got this!

[@jeffhurst4744]

You will thoroughly enjoy it. It’s a great hobby to bring out “your” artistic ideas. Be patient, and you will have enjoyment for a “long time” I restarted late in age also. HAVE FUN !!

[@srshufelt]

So you mentioned Georgia. Are you guy located in Georgia? I love Japanese maple but I live in coastal central FL. Zone 9b which I believe is right on the edge of where you can have JM. I have had one JM for about 4 years now. I've managed to keep it alive but it does seem to struggle a little. I would love to purchase a few more but really don't know which varieties would do well here. Any suggestions? When I look on line many say to zone 9. But zone 9b is just a little different it's sub tropical. Again .... I love their look and just would like varieties that will survive here. I am totally enjoying the one I have. And I have managed to keep it alive for 4 years now.

[@colingrimshaw6513]

Good job Jerome, with little fear. You said the rootstock is a different species, but surely it is most likely ti be a species Acer Palmatum, and tgus vigorous, and possibly grown from seed. The graft from an established variety then makrs the tree a particular cultivar? Thanks for your videos.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Colin, I am sure it is some sort of maple that is prone to less diseases and has stronger roots. Thank you!

[@passportcs]

Jerome, I'm in the Orlando, FL area. It is 13 Jan 21 and two Trident maples still have lots of green leaves on them. Should I defoliate them in order to force Winter dormancy? Gene O'Neill

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Gene, They are already asleep. It just didn't get cold enough. You can go ahead and remove all the leaves.

[@gregoryh4601]

Sir Jerome. Should you have Air layer the Top half so you two Japanese Maple Trees?

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hi Gregory, I absolutely could have. Japanese Maples grow really well from cuttings, even larger cuttings. I planted both cuttings and they are starting to grow. For video purpose the air layer didn't make sense. 🙂

[@gregoryh4601]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply sir I think you are Wrong in trying to Grow this top without Air Layering. I have Try and I love to Pass this on to a Master Bonsai Designer on this. You just got in a Hurry to make a Video. Bye

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

@@gregoryh4601 You can absolutely take cuttings from Japanese maples and they grow fairly quickly too. spring is the best time to do cuttings. Once they start to grow you can always do a ground layer for better root spread.We do not hurry our videos as they take a lot of preparation and time to create.

[@christopherbareja996]

"This has never been worked or has never been touched in terms of turning it into a bonsai tree". This has definitely been grown and pruned for years with bonsai in mind. It is not normal Japanese maple stock from a regular "garden centre". The styling is the polish on this tree, the years of hard work making a canvas for bonsai has been done.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Yup, this tree was actually picked up at a local garden center. Sometimes you get lucky.

[@christopherbareja996]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply must be nice to have a local garden centre that specialises in advanced bonsai stock. At any rate, to say this tree has never been worked on as bonsai is still misleading. There's a minimum of a decade of bonsai work in that tree.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

@@christopherbareja996 0 bonsai time. Straight from the nursery paid about $60 for it. This is another tree with 0 prior bonsai training. You just need to know where to look 😉

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5DWhp-GZ9GHp80

[@christopherbareja996]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply that's a $1,000 tree in Australia.

[@rogerajl86]

Hi! How are you ? I’m from NJ and I’m thinking about moving to Florida and was wondering if Japanese maple would survive there since I have few of them in pots and also few bonsais I’m working on and I really don’t want to leave them behind!! 😩

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Roger, unless you move to the very northern part it is going to be pretty much impossible to grow quality Japanese maples

[@kylepurvis6231]

If your moving to Florida, or the Deep South look into a Taiwanese Maple (acre oliveranum sap. Formosanum). This tree can handle the heat and humidity, as well as give amazing fall color. So you can still have your maple in Florida.

[@rogerajl86]

Thank you guys for replying back!! Japanese maple are my favorite. I got different variety of maples and two shindeshojo that I purchased not so long ago!!! 😔

[@chriskennedy8514]

What kind of cut paste is that?

[@nicolasamaya3522]

I thought one suppose to wait till completely dormant to do anything to it? Doesn’t the tree goes trough too much stress just before dormancy? That’s why I was told to wait till dormant I’m just wondering since that’s the little knowledge I got told, I’m trying to improve and not kill my trees so please correct me if I’m doing wrong or is that way works too 😭

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Nicolas, you want to do it in that 3 week window. If you wait until it is completely gone to sleep fresh cuts can dry up too much and start to lose branches.

[@curatorofcardboard]

Any specific reason why you didn't attempt an airlayer of that top section?

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Daniel, I didn't think that top portion would make for an interesting bonsai, and didn't airliner it.

[@curatorofcardboard]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply understood, thanks for responding - keep coming with the great content

[@tobiaszdansky4544]

But...if you make hard cut just before full dormancy, the tree will still have a hard cut when it enters full dormancy. So whats the difference? Also, if you seal the wound, does it really matter bc it wont lose much water?

[@dion_art]

👍

[@VibeWaveTrends_]

I live in Dunwoody where is this nursery located ?Awesome work also !!

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

I found this specific one at A Site One location. Thank you!

[@zackau9807]

They usually change ther leaves way earlier, they're super late this year, in Georgia

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Zack, yes super late this and last year!

[@davidjennings9556]

The reality of global warming!

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

@@davidjennings9556 It sadly is. My Elm had leaves until late January.

[@kazochrymowicz3076]

Have you guys moved from south Florida?

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Yes, we live in Georgia now.

[@robertlefler6644]

Love the Japanese maple. The apex needs to be brought down over the trunk cut, in my opinion. Other than that, it’s all good! Love ur channel. Learned so much for my tropical trees.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Robert, The trunk chop is going to get adjusted in the Spring, and what you see as the apex today will be allowed to grow and thicken up the trunk. This is the very first styling and things like apex placements aren't important at this point. I have a 10-year goal with this tree.

[@problemoskipan6677]

Hi Jerome! My English is not very good. Maybe prune this tree over the first branch. It will then be much older and different than all of them. best regards

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

That's a good idea, but I wanted this one to look fairly traditional.

[@nexusrnah6418]

Can I severely root prune my Japanese maple just before the buds start to grow at the beginning of the spring? How well do these answer to severe root pruning?

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hi, I have heard of people that trim their deciduous in spring right before they wake up but you have to be careful not get too much water loss. A light trimming should be okay but no severe. When they are young, they are super though and respond quite well

[@nexusrnah6418]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply Thank you my friend.

[@bonsa1guy]

The second trunk section is a little long and straight. Were branches number 2 or 3 too thick to be used as the new trunk line, making a stockier tree with better taper and movement ? This is a long term strategy though and obviously not viable if you're looking to sell it in the near future. Edit: you had a nice raft too in the upper part of the tree if you had wanted to layer.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

If I would have air-layered the top the video would have been very short 🙂 at the new angle change and letting the branches thicken up some, they will pull the trunk and create a little more movement. Once the tree is on the rock and I let the sacrificial leader run to let the roots thicken up and attach to the rock the entire tree will thicken and create more character.You can of course air layer everything but for video purposes it didn’t make sense.

[@bonsa1guy]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply Fair enough. My thoughts were maybe more for the benefit of others and you were obviously constrained by the video. Have a good day.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

@@bonsa1guy I appreciate your thoughts and feedback. There are so many different approaches and they all are good

[@bonsa1guy]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply thank you for making the effort to produce content, it's appreciated.

[@kendallmallon1763]

Is there a way to guess what size bonsai pot a #5 nursery pot like this will reduce to?

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Kendall, I am just eyeballing it but I would put this tree in a 12-14” pot. I'm thinking of putting this specific one in a shallow container 16-18” root over rock.

[@kendallmallon1763]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply Thanks!

[@kosmozova]

I would still cut that stick in half. Otherwise a good start. Have you ever tried to root a japanese maple right above a graft point?

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Sauli, the long straight section you refer to as stick will thicken up more and create more movement to let the branches grow and pull the main trunk over time. I have done it successfully with air layering, but this graft is good ill just leave it as is.

[@kosmozova]

I see. Thank you Jerome.

[@dimitrylowie]

I still think that the referred 'stick' will still be a stick when everything has thickened up. You can't add more movement in that straight section, nor taper. I would also still cut it. Just my opinion ;)

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

@@dimitrylowie are you sure about that? When you have branches that are staggered on either side of the trunk, as they grow and thicken, they will pull that side of the trunk with them, you just need to let the branches grow long enough to pull the trunk with it. It’s a very common technique used to improve taper in the apex.

[@marekvagner5789]

how many cost this tree in a nursey? i cant belive that this almost Bonsai was in norsey stock.... Why you dont Airlair the top ?

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

I could have air layered the top but then I would have had to wait a while to start working on the tree. Also, the top wasn't that interesting to me so therefore I went ahead and just decapitated it, hahaha!

[@marekvagner5789]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply i understand it - you lose the chance to make another video with Airlair technique :D but understand your answer :D am also make some fast decision and after cut i can imagine that it will be new tree :D could you answer me about the prize? Just for compare price in diferent country (am from Czech republic/Europe) this tree at this condition and Years cost about 300-350 dolars. Thats why i ask you about airlaiering the top of the tree :D

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

@@marekvagner5789 ohh wow in that case I would have airlayer the top too 😅 this was only $80 here

[@marekvagner5789]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply Thank you for your answers and belive that next year you show us an Update of this amazing tree...

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

I think you're a big meanie that chopped off half the tree. 😛 What other temperate species will you be working with now that you're in GA? Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)? Paperbark maple (Acer griseus)? European Beech(Fagus sylvatic, which comes in a red leafed form)

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hey Michael, there are so many new species I want to work on and learn. I am looking at different maple varieties, beeches, Aspens, Oaks, cherry blossoms, Bradford pears, different elm species and so much more! 😀

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

Could have air layerd the top two for the price of one

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Hi, I absolutely could have, but I didn’t find the top pieces interesting enough to air layer. FYI,Japanese Maples grow really well from cuttings, even larger cuttings.🙂

[@aaronlambert6728]

Could you have air layered that top part you cut off. Or would it have been the wrong time of year to do it?

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

Air layers are best done in spring. I didn’t find the top part very interesting to spend time and try to air layer it

[@Tore1972Wisdom]

Jerome Japanese Maple´s is pretty hardy. I live in a very cold country and don´t protect my maples at all. Vi sometimes get - 10 celsius. and the Maples don´t care. Of course it when they are in plastic containers and not bonsai pots. In bonsai pots it´s another story.

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

It sure is. When you get snow you don’t have to love them as snow acts as a great insulator

[@mausherr01]

Hermoso árbol… pero se vería mejor si recortas un poco más y formas un nuevo ápice…

[@awdheshkumar4742]

One dislike from myside because you talks a lot

[@WeareTheBonsaiSupply]

I feel like I didn’t talk enough😂

[@h3ttam570]

@@WeareTheBonsaiSupply 😂