Maples for Bonsai

with Specific Comments on Trident Maples
By Jim Robinson

Introduction

Many maple species and cultivars of these species are very useful for bonsai. Specifically, Trident Maple (Acer buerguerianum), Japanese Mountain Maple (Acer palmatum), and Amur or Ginalla Maple (Acer ginalla) are the most common maples used for bonsai by members of the Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society. The Greer catalog lists the Hedge Maples and Red Maple as additional bonsai type trees as well as many rare and expensive species. The Mountain Maples (Acer glabrum), native to Colorado and the Canyon Maple (Acer Grandidentatum), native to Utah, are additional species that could be used for bonsai.

The Trident and Japanese Maples need winter protection in cold frame, a cool greenhouse (temperature to 36-40 degrees minimum, 60 degrees maximum), window well, or other protected area. They are considered to be Zone 5 or 6. The other species above are usually listed as Zone 4 or 5.

Vertrees (1978), (1987), describes the many cultivars of Japanese Maples, including rare species that would make excellent bonsai.

Maples make excellent bonsai because of their relatively rapid growth especially if raised in the ground. They can be used for all the various styles of bonsai, have small leaves that can be reduced in size; have excellent fall color, usually in the reds, oranges, and yellows; and have many cultivars with a variety of leaf sizes and shapes. Most species can be grown easily from seed and from cuttings. Remember, if grown from seed the trees will vary in leaf color, size, and shape from the parent.

Rather than write about  Maples in general, I would like to focus on the Trident Maple as many of you have this species and it has many characteristics that make it a good first maple species for bonsai. I will only focus on  pruning and repotting, feeling that these are  most important for the best development of masterpiece bonsai.

Our long term goal with our trees is to develop bonsai masterpieces. Although we may not achieve this with many of our trees, the goal and desired end product must be in mind as we begin training each tree for this desired end. This is not to say that we cannot change our minds about the desired form of our trees. Forests can be reformed into individual bonsai, formal uprights can be restyled into alternative forms. The point is that the bonsaiist must have in mind a desired basic structure  for each tree in order to use the cultural techniques of pruning and repotting effectively

Bud Pinching] [Branch Pruning] [Leaf Pruning] [Repotting]