I’ve had this clump forest for a long time, and have studied it for a while now. However I have never been thrilled by the trunk placement, or variation in trunk sizes. I have considered other fronts for the trees, but each time I found some flaws. I knew I had to get a second opinion.
Mike Rogers has been my teacher from the beginning and his eye for good bonsai is second to none. I knew he would know just what to do with this tree. After 12 years of doing bonsai I still consider myself a student and will be for life.
The first thing we addressed was to add an additional trunk to fill in an empty spot of the composition. That’s not exaclty easy since the entire base of the tree is one root. We had to remove a pie shape piece in order to insert one more tree.
The new tree’s roots were pruned to match the space that was carved out. It would be a perfect fit.
To make sure that the tree held it’s position and was able to fuse with the other trunks, a 2 inch screw was driven through the tree into the root mass of the main tree. The tree was very secure after this and the screw will be left in the tree which will cover over in time.
Lastly the tree was repotted into a smaller pot and a new angle. The newly added trunk is the second from the left. Notice how much more of a focal point the main tree is. This will be an outstanding planting in a very short time.
I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that they purchased a tree, or collected one only to find that when they clear away some of the top soil that the tree continued to widen out. This not only will add height to the tree when planted at the proper soil level, but will add a stronger look for the tree as the nebari width increases.
A few years ago when I potted up my bouganvillea I had to plant it rather low because I had changed the angle of the tree dramatically. It showed no surface roots and had no flair. However this week I decided to repot the tree into a smaller pot to bring attention to the massive trunk. However when I cleared away the soil the trunk had some great surpises to show me.
The trunk had great flair and roots had developed. In addition I was now able to pot the tree up about 3″ higher.
You can see the old soil line and how much more strength the repot gave the tree.
Spring has finally arrived in Orlando, and the trees are coming to life! My Large Trident Maple has been pretty sluggish this year, but this weekend’s warm sun has it popping with new leaves all over.
I just love the new leaves that come in red. It will just be a few weeks before the turn a bright green, but these colors look so beautiful!
