Orlando Bonsai Trident Maple

Trident Maple (Purchased from Rogers' Nursery Aug 2003) Orlando Bonsai Store

Waiting for it to go dormant before repotting. Jan 2004.

As you see in the pictures to the left there was some bad scarring, and cuts that needed to be smoothed out.

After the carving the tree was root pruned and placed into a training pot. This pot gets used so often, and I think It only cost $2. The tree now has great taper and the start of a first branch. Jan 2004.

This tree is starting to look great. Just need to get some branches to start on the mid left side to cover the scar, and it will be well on it's way. Can't wait for this one to be styled for the first time. May 04

This tree has come a long way in only one year. However the clip and grow method doesn't always make it look that way. Many of the new branches were growing either too straight or upward and were un usable. So I removed many and shortened the rest. Most importantly is that I was able to get it into this beautiful Japanese pot. Just look how much bigger the trunk looks in a smaller pot. January 2005

Here's the same tree just a few weeks later with the new growth. As you can see the tree is beginning to take shape. It's just a matter of filling in the branches and letting them thicken up now. July 2005

This tree is still developing braches in several areas. Also lower branches need to thicken up a great deal. So I will really control the growth on this tree this year. I don't want the top of the tree to be heavy with growth because I want the bulk of the load to come from the bottom branches to send more energy, more food, an din turn more growth for those branches. The top will be thinned out through out the year so that new branches will bud from the trunk.

I also want to try leaf reduction on this tree to see how it will look, and if there are any areas that I need to work on now. Over all I am happy with the progress of this tree. January 2007

A thin layer of the cambium was removed on both sides

After a quick root prune and a new pot (actually a very old pot) the tree has taken on an entirely new look. This little guy is ready to pop out so Spring must be on its way. Jan 2008

Leafed out April 2008

Finally the tree has gone dormant (with a little help).

This is the "after" picture that shows the carving done to give the trunk a much smoother look. A grinding tool with a chainsaw blade was used to do the carving.

Well it's always nice to know that you didn't kill a tree. With major pruning I'm sometimes a little nervous. However with all the new growth on this trident maple, I think I'm safe to assume it's going to make it. April 2004

Well I certainly need to get caught up on pulling weeds. The trident maple has grown so much this year. In a few weeks I will repot the tree and wire out the branches for the first time. The wounds are also healing very smooth, the extra time I took to carve them down is now paying off. (December 2004)

Defoliated in July and rewired. I still need more branches to work with, but this tree is filling in well. July 2005

The tree has filled in very quickly and actually needed to be pruned back. However I believe I will wait for winter before doing anything major to this tree. Aug 2005

A year later and just a little fuller. The branches are thickening up and will just need time now to develop. This winter I will be able to look at the branch structure to better define this tree. Aug 2006

On the back side of this tree I pull a branch up and to the side to fill in an empty spot. The branch itself has done very well mu the un-natural movement of that branch has always bother me. To take care of this issue I decided to use an approach graft technique.