Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
This trident didn’t exactly respond to spring pruning as I had hoped. Here is a mid-July photo: The new leader emerged as a fish hook, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting it to bud back quite as close to the trunk chop…leaving that second section longer than I wanted. All the movement went to the right, and I wasn’t sure what… Continue reading Fat Little Trident Maple part 2

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Sergio Cuan is a talented bonsai artist, who I got to know through BonsaiNut, where he is known as “Mach5”. I met Sergio at the 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, where he exhibited an impeccable Sharp’s Pygmy Japanese Maple that won Finest Deciduous Bonsai. (Photo credit: Jonas Dupich) It’s really a great bonsai, and just one among many great bonsai… Continue reading An interview with Bonsai Artist, Sergio Cuan

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Grafting is an absolutely necessary skill for bonsai. Practice makes perfect, but I’ll settle for good. This arakawa maple is a layer of a larger tree that is no longer in my collection. It’s been in the ground for the last 2 years, and while the nebari was arranged nicely and is developing well, the branches start very high up… Continue reading Thread-grafting arakawa maple

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
This maple has been in training for about 8 years now. When it went to the US National Bonsai Exhibition last summer, I knew it was still early…maybe too early with regard to the green trunk and developing nebari. I also decided that after the show, I’d evaluate the tree and try to spend a few years really correcting a… Continue reading Thread-grafting a Chishio Japanese Maple

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Repotting is different than typical bonsai styling because the amount of time one gets to see and work on roots is so short and infrequent; quite unlike the rest of the tree that we contemplate each day. However, root work will make or break a bonsai.   For that reason, and the fact that I have a horrible memory, I make… Continue reading Japanese Maple Nebari Development

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
I started this project in ’10, with a 2-year old cutting and a rock I picked up a long time ago. It’s one of 3 similar stones I found in the same area…just can’t remember where! They’re all smooth, hard and dark. This one is about 10″ tall. ’10, the cutting: Sloppily attached to the stone: It was then planted… Continue reading Root over rock trident maple project

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Here is a cutting from a trident maple that came from Gary Wood in ’02. It was rooted in early 2007 about pencil-thick, planted in the ground in mid-summer, and left to grow in place through present time. (The parent tree is right behind it). Here is a photo of the tree, circled in red and yellow taken in early… Continue reading Trident Maple in the ground

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
I chopped this trident down in March, and when the new leader was strong enough, I was able to carve the taper into it. This can be an elusive concept, but Brent’s article on trunk growing made an impact, with an added step, which made sense, particularly this excerpt: “How to Make the Cuts I’ve been doing trunk cuts for… Continue reading Trident maple in the ground, taper from the chop

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
Full defoliation of a maple will prompt another flush of growth in the current season. On a healthy, mostly developed tree, it’s a good way to improve ramification by adding a second course of twigs in one season. On a tree that is more developed, the goal changes from increasing density to allowing more light and circulation into the interior… Continue reading Partial defoliation of a Japanese Maple

Originally posted on Nebari Bonsai:
This tree has been developed over the last 12 or so years, so at this point, the goal is to refine the tree; improve the nebari, soften the rough edges, and develop the fine ramification of twiggy growth. Last year I thread-grafted seedlings into the base to improve the nebari. In a few weeks, I’ll eagerly repot and check on… Continue reading Light pruning on a Japanese Maple