Japanese Maple – Expressions of Grace Bonsai

Japanese Maple Bonsai

Xavier Martinez — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:45:39 +0000

Find out my KEY dates and Bonsai Care Tips for Japanese Maple. A short and simple guide that is ideal for beginners. Pruning dates, Wiring, Potting, Disease, Fertilising and a bit of history too…

God Bless & Happy Bonsaiing
Xavier

Bonsai in Bloom – Spring Catwalk Display

Xavier Martinez — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 11:43:49 +0000

"Baby Ficus Bonsai is banned from all future competitions after admitting the use of performance enhancing wire."

Despite this shocking revelation there are still some exceptional bonsai gracing today’s catwalk displays. Allow yourself 9 minutes to relax and enjoy the spring show. The fashion is dazzling and opens with three Dwarf Azalea sisters at the peak of their abilities. They are followed by twin Fuji Cherry models – each survivors of near catastrophic separations at birth!

A couple of aging elite bonsai models then take the applause by showing off their curves – well done Lucinda Larch. With the crowds in raptures, sudden and unexpected complaints are received from the Forsythia camp, when she notices that the youngest entrant – a baby Ficus – is clearly using performance enhancing 1mm wire. An instant lifetime ban follows with further threats that fertiliser will be tested…

Thankfully, the bonsai display is saved by the late entry of Zita the Chinese Elm and her cousin, Twin-Trunk Maple – surely stars of the future?

Several other complaints have been lodged after enquiries suggest some ‘insider trading’ has unfairly advantaged many of the bonsai dress choices. The designer of the costumes – Dawn Isaac ( of deiCeramics), has been unavailable for comment. More information on this uncertain situation may be found on her website: deiceramics.co.uk

It is also worth noting that this is the first competition allowing both disability and LGBTQ+ bonsai to compete on an equal rooting. Definitely a step forward for diversity :()

I hope you enjoyed this light hearted approach to showing my bonsai in bloom. Regular informative videos are being uploaded to YouTube so please subscribe and keep on watching…

Happy Bonsaiing

Xav

I’ve finally started a YouTube Channel

Xavier Martinez — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 09:25:20 +0000

I know…it has been ages since my last post and I am well aware of the work to be done on our bonsai right now. In truth, I have been diverted by my new project – You Tube content creation. I have been undecided on taking this route for many years simply because I believe there is enough great channels already. However, I was aware that without an external video platform I would never be able to include my own material on this site.

So, with great nervousness, I loaded up three videos this past week. The first two take you through my ‘opening up’ processes. In these, I provide a detailed look at what I have in the nursery and what work priorities I have to juggle to be ready to open. The second video features a repot of one of my mame Japanese maples and shows exactly what you are required to do – NOW.

I would encourage any of my customers to subscribe and actively comment on anything you see…or do not see. My approach is fairly casual and I do intend to discuss personal issues as well. Bonsai was central to keeping me ‘on track’ during many stressful and emotional situations. I want to use these videos as a means to help others understand how I used bonsai to manage or overcome these difficulties.

Some of the issues I intend to discuss will include:

Dealing with cancer
Dealing with Alzheimer’s
Becoming a carer
Dealing with addiction (predominantly internet / social media related)
Grieving
Setting up and managing a small business

This will be done in a sensitive but honest manner and will relate entirely to my own experiences. I do not pretend to be an expert or to suggest that my approach should be anybody elses.

I hope that the addition of this platform will allow me to pass on my bonsai knowledge in a better manner. My aim is to have the video run alongside my ‘usual’ descriptive blog content. We all recognise that seeing a tutorial is so much more effective than reading one.

Most of the work done to date has related to repots and bud pruning. I have also carried out some wiring on many of my trees over the winter. This wire will need to be checked regularly over the next 4 – 6 weeks as shoots swell. Now is definitely the time to be working on your Dawn Redwood. This is an ideal moment to select and clean up unwanted buds and decide where your new growth is heading…

Check out my latest video below.

The latest on my Shop Page

And finally…

I am still struggling to sort out any sort of store. The work required to get the stock properly photographed and correctly (fairly) priced is overwhelming right now. There is no doubt that recent events have had an unforseen influence on bonsai prices. Not quite as bad as energy rises but certainly similiar. I have always attempted to keep things in the ‘budget’ range but recently found I could not replace my imported stock for anywhere close to last years prices.

As always, visitors are more than welcome to book a viewing and if they see a tree they like then prices can be discussed. This nursery remains, primarily, an outlet for my hobby and though I will sell my trees – this is not my main objective. I want people to learn to love bonsai – in whatever direction they take it.

Until next time,

Happy Bonsaiing

2nd Larch Pruning & Snakebark Maple Tidy Up

Xavier Martinez — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 16:15:16 +0000

Around this time of summer, many of our Japanese Larch will have produced a long enough second flush to allow for a follow-up prune. As with the first pruning, we are seeking sets of buds that have a small internodal gap. If the buds are still too far apart then we prune right back to ‘just above’ the needle swirl at the base and wait for a final smaller push in Mid-Autumn.

If your tree is in early development and you are still looking to thicken branches then I would recommend you only remove unwanted new growth that will not be of use in the design or may lead to unwanted branch thickening and inverse taper. If you are unsure, then it is much safer to leave the growth and review it when we carry out the Spring prune and bud selection in March 2022.

Please read the June blog post which provides detailed images of this pruning technique.

Japanese Larch ready for 2nd pruning

Lots of new growth

Most of this is too small to prune

My Yamadori Japanese Larch

The images I have selected show one Larch that needs over 3/4 of the new shoots to be pruned. The lower branches will be kept longer with at least 4 viable buds as I intend to wire some movement into them when they start to swell next Spring.

The second Larch pushed out lots of new growth but it is very juvenile so I will leave it till Autumn before pruning.

Most of our decidious bonsai will now have a good covering of leaves and be in need of a tidy up to ensure we are able to maintain decent airflow and light into the core of the tree. We will want to remove any unwanted juvenile growth that sprouted from junctions or crotches and we will look to prune shoots back to the desired shape.

This pruning is not intended to encourage another flush, though it does happen. This is the time when I am looking to remove surface weeds and inspect for bugs. I also use this time to wire in ‘minor’ movement on branches for my younger nursery stock. I often carry a notebook and write down any thoughts I may have for the future of the bonsai.

It is important to remember that your bonsai needs a good amount of leaves to enable it to produce strong vascular growth in the autumn. This will be the period when the tree expands trunk and branch girth. If you remove too much of the growth now, you can severely impair this aspect and put the tree back a year…or two!

The current tree front

The potential new front

Japanese Maple - Post prune

Post prune - Front option 2

Post prune - Front option 3

This Snakebark Maple has been in the wars and has lost several key primary branches over the past 7 years. I have slowly brought it back to full health and am now looking at maximising the ‘charm’ of the chaotic root growth whilst hiding the obvious ugly trunk flare resulting from extensive dieback.

Once I had pruned and tidied up the tree I decided on using front option No 2. It still allows the central trunk dieback to be a part of the design but reduces the amount of visible inverse taper. This angle also improves the view of the nebari and the branch structure. It still has a long way to go yet…

So what else have I been doing?

Italian Alder Spinney

First wiring of my Hornbeam

Ongoing Hornbeam work

Wiring and branch development

I purchased a variety of 2-year-old starter plants in 2016 that included: Hornbeam. Italian Alder, Japanese Larch, Silver Birch and Crab Apple. I try to work on them but find the demands of the more developed bonsai sap my energy and time.

This week I have managed to do some more wiring work to establish a primary structure for these potensai. The key is to avoid trying to prune to the ‘final shape. You need all of this leaf mass to help the tree grow but you can definitely apply some wire and get your branches moving in the right direction.

I appreciate this is only a snapshot of some of the ongoing tasks in the nursery so if you have any specific questions you want me to answer then just ask by leaving a comment. If you take the time to look back over the previous blog posts and also my facebook posts I am certain you will probably find the information you need.

HOT TIP:
If you have applied any wire during the last 3 months then be sure to have a reminder set on your phone for early autumn because this is when you may see some pinching. Early autumn is also the time to apply some more biogold fertiliser so make sure you have some ready

And now for a final few images showing one of my imported Dawn Redwood. This has been put through quite a radical branch removal and it’s potting angle changed. This year I finally applied the ‘once only’ pruning technique and all of the new fronds look fantastic.

Another long blog but hopefully someone is getting something from them?

Happy bonsaiing

Air Layering my Japanese Maple

Xavier Martinez — Sat, 18 May 2019 12:05:12 +0000

I have had this Japanese Maple for about 3 years and it has sat in a pot doing ‘not very much’ for most of that time. I always thought it would need an air-layer but because of a few failures with other maples I lost a little confidence. However, a recent tutorial with Bonsai Mirai reignited my desire to have another go. Those who are experienced with propagation and plant physiology will learn nothing new here – this is for the beginners!

An air layer can be taken from most trees in the UK once the first spring flush of growth has hardened off. This is usually around mid May and you should notice the leaves will have lost their delicate feel and will have a stronger color. At this time the leaf is in full ‘solar panel’ mode – it is converting energy back into the tree through photo synthesis. All of these sugars are sent back to the roots to rebuild the energy store needed for future seasonal growth.

The air layer process relies on the ability of the tree to produce new root growth from the exposed cambium at the point we have removed the bark from the trunk / branch. There is some ‘biology ‘ behind all of this so I will try to clarify exactly what is required to increase your chances of success. Have a look through the next few images to help you understand why and what you are ‘removing’ when we ring bark the tree for the air layer.

As you can see, there are a number of different layers made up within the trunk or branch of a tree. When we carry out an air layer we need to ensure we remove the following:

Bark
Phloem
Cambium

The aim is to remove a sufficient band of material that ensures the tree will not be able to bridge the gap between the upper and lower cuts. If we can do this then what should happen is the site of the upper cut will start to produce new root growth from the exposed cambium – in an attempt to repair the damage. Normally I will remove an amount equivalent to the thickness of the branch…and a little bit more.

Once that cut is made then there is no means for the growth above the site to transport energy/sugar back to the roots – it can however still obtain water via the sapwood. This means that if you do the air layer below the lowest branch you will have no means of keeping the roots alive. Hence a ‘limited’ period exists to get sufficient new roots to maintain the existing growth above your cut site. Clearly, if you are taking the air layer from a branch then their is no risk of compromising the health of the rest of the tree. It is not unusual to take numerous air-layers off the same tree. I have certainly done that with my cherry and maples.

There is a lot more detail on this subject; which includes the water transport system from the roots, but in essence, it is important to recognise why certain things are done and why there are time constraints. The aim is to take the air layer off in early autumn to give enough time for young roots to establish and harden before the winter.

I have selected a point above the ugly swelling and then cut away at an angle to try and establish a wider base for roots to propogate from. It is vital that this upper cut is done with a sharp knife and ‘cleanly’. You are trying to avoid any ripping or tearing to maximise the ability of this exposed cambium to produce new roots. You can dust the cut and above it with rooting hormone to assist some trees with this process.

I use pre soaked sphagnum moss as the growing medium that I pack around the cut site. You can use plastic as a wrap around the moss but I have had more success using an old plastic nursery pot with the centre cut out. I ensure that the top of the cut sits in the centre of the pot – this should be the best place for balance of water and oxygen. I use wire to secure the pot at top and bottom which allows an easy method to check for root growth later in the year. I pack the pot full of moss and then soil and water it. The rest is up to nature…

I will keep the soil moist and the tree in a shaded wind free spot until I am ready to separate the air layer. I am aiming for mid August so I will loosen off the wire and check progress sometime in late July.

If the layer has taken then I will cut the trunk beneath the container and try to ‘slip pot’ the seperated tree into a larger plant pot – without disturbing the root mass.

I have included an image of the maple (above left) showing the original lower half of the tree. Hopefully you can see the shape that the shorter bonsai will take once the air layer is removed. If things don’t go well then at least I will still have a better bonsai to work with next year…