Maple Bonsai Blog

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The Japanese Maple Bonsai play an important part in the structure and design of Japanese gardens. Not just the aesthetic appearance and texture but also on a spiritual level. The art of bonsai goes beyond horticulture and is part of the Zen Buddhist philosophy. Zen and Shinto traditions both play a large part in the design and lay out of gardens. The idea of Zen Buddhism is to be in harmony with nature and not obtrusive to it. Buddhism sees nature as having a soul, so this personifies it, and means it should be respected. The traditional bonsai artists believe that the purpose of this arts miniature approach is to promote the shrinking of human foibles such as greed and self-centred thinking. These bad traits of man promote the unthinking destruction of all of nature according to the belief.

All of the different parts of the bonsai have particular meanings of their own in the Zen Buddhist belief system. For instance the branches stretch towards the sky seeking a richer thought process or enlightenment. The stout trunk carries the responsibility of promoting the spread of the philosophy. The sturdy roots stand for a concrete grounding in the philosophy, which is ultimately bound for heaven.

Maple Bonsai fit into this as they are one of the species that take well to the formal upright style and go well with the skyward stretch towards enlightenment. They are also good candidates for the informal upright style. In this style the trunks is supposed to bend to one side or the other, but not in the direction of the admirer. This mimics the natural bending of trees away from the shading of other trees or objects, or the effects of the wind over time. As stated these trees have a strong upright tendency this makes them particularly suited to these two styles. The Maple Bonsai can also work well with the slanting bonsai style, however it isn’t a good candidate for the cascading or the semi-cascading style.

Although the philosophy of Zen Buddhism and its part in bonsai is interesting, it isn’t a necessary requirement for the cultivating and the enjoyment of these little trees. Today all over the world bonsai fans enjoy a wonderful hobby, that certainly can help you to be peaceful and in tune with nature, but you don’t have to adhere to a Buddhist belief. It can just be used as a tool for decorating the inside or outside of the home.

The bonsai tree can sometimes live for hundreds of years if cared for correctly. They are a lovely, peaceful piece of art that can be given to your children, and this can be repeated for generations to come. These trees are a personal expression of the artist, and therefore no two trees are the same, as in nature. It takes patience to learn how to create a bonsai and failure is common at first, but as mentioned patience is the key. If you want to become a bonsai master it takes time and effort, but you don’t have to be a master to create and enjoy your own bonsai. Just learn some basics, get a tree, and keep it healthy. Enjoy your Maple Bonsai in whatever way suites you, as a piece of art, decoration, or a spiritual representation of nature.

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Just getting started in bonsai? This video with tips for beginners will help you learn how to grow bonsai trees.

Duration : 0:3:35

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Hello, I hope this article informs you about the main areas that require attention during the life of your Maple Bonsai. The subject matter can get quite intense and some of the topics can be contentious even amongst experts. But these short paragraphs contain a lot of very useful information and I hope provide any necessary pointers you are looking for.

Origins and description.

Japan and China are its native countries of origin. The leaf looks slightly like a person’s hand. When the branches and trunks are young the bark’s color is usually green, but can be red on certain types; they all become pale gray or brown when older. Of the numerous varieties the red leaved one is the most sought after for bonsai.

Light and watering.

Sit the tree in a spot out of direct sunlight during the hottest part of summer, preferably where it can have sun in the morning or evening. The foliage is dainty; it is likely to burn sitting in direct sunlight. For this reason watering in direct sunlight can be harmful. Watering should be done very early or late in the day and the plant needs to be watered well. Do this every day and give the plant adequate drainage so its roots won’t rot by sitting in excess water

Fertilizer feeding.

The bonsai needs to be fed every two weeks, use a slow-acting pellet fertilizer. This procedure should be done from spring through autumn, during the other periods it should not be fed but should be left to rest. If a tree is debilitated or re-potted don’t feed it; stop feeding for approximately two months. When the hottest summer months come also quit feeding it for a month, perhaps even two. If you would rather use chemical fertilizers then feeding should be done bi-weekly with a balanced mixture and make the compound half-strength.

Pruning.

Never stress the root system by pruning it without pruning the branches because they will be over taxed in an effort to feed too large a branch system. To prevent losing too much sap prune the branches during the fall or winter. Seal the wounds with wound dressing to aid recovery. New growth should be removed by pinching so the tree grows good branches; this also stops long internodes, which are the spaces between sets of paired leaves on the branches. To get the utmost internode reduction, use tweezers and a magnifying glass when the shoot first opens. If long internodes have been grown, repair this by cutting the branch down to the first internode. Let it grow again and pinch correctly to get the appropriate spacing. The aim is to have a short spacing.

The way to get smaller leaves is to prune them off; take them off during the early summer one year and leave them on for the next year, thus rotating the procedure. Remove every leaf from the tree, but let the leaf stem remain. This creates what can be called a false autumn and causes smaller leaves to grow back. Don’t re-pot and leaf prune in the same year, as this is too stressful for the tree.

Wiring.

Normally, most people would shape maples with just pruning and pinching. When wiring is needed, do it during the summer months as the tree is fully leaved during this period. You will need to protect the bark and can use raffia for this. Remove the wire after six months at most, preferably before then, to avoid damaging or scaring the bonsai tree. An alternative method of shaping a younger tree can be achieved by tying it to a stake. This way it can either be pulled straight or bent to a wanted shape.

Re-potting.

The re-potting of younger maples is done bi-yearly and for older ones in two to three year intervals. This should routinely be a spring project; the roots need to be curtailed by half or a little less. If lifeless or damaged roots exist they need to be removed so they won’t rot and cause further damage. Ideally use 20-30% course sand in the potting mix which can be either a loam or peat mixture. This allows for adequate drainage and lets the roots breathe.

You can find a further article about potting on this site. Please leave a comment as blogging is supposed to be interactive. Thanks for viewing this and come back soon, there is also an RSS feed for this site.

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Bonsai tree video from the band stilltide. Check out more Stilltide at www.stilltide.co.uk or www.myspace.com/stilltide

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These are green maples and are sometimes called mountain maples or smooth maples. Their natural homes are South Korea, Japan, and China. They are stout, generally hardy and therefor healthy trees. Their leaves reduce nicely making good bonsai trees. They’re suited primarily for single bonsai, although they are good for forest plantings and clump style.

What is clump style? It is a style with numerous trunks, which grow around a centralized spot. The trunks connect to each other so this style differs from the forest presentation in this respect. This is a classic bonsai style and is otherwise called grove style. The several trees are put in one pot, which gives a forest illusion and you usually use an odd number of trees to conform to the Japanese art and show respect. The clump style is also different than the raft style in that in raft styling the trunks are placed along a shared spine. In the raft style the tree is made to look like one that the wind has blown over and the surface branches keep growing as new trunks, because the underside has rooted.

The tree produces tiny flowers whose sepals are colored purple or red with white petals. As with most maples, if not all, over sunning can scorch the leaves. The leaves have five to nine lobes and are yellow in the summer becoming purple or red during the fall. It is a very airy and dainty maple and likes part shade in the height of summer or curtainly not direct sun. In places with climates like that of England’s then it should take the full sun without any problems. In the winter if outside it should be placed on the northern side of the home as it thinks that spring has come if it gets a bit warm. The problem is that it could be killed by a frost if it doesn’t stay dormant until spring really comes. Being on the northern side of the house it doesn’t think spring has arrived until hopefully any spring freezes have finished. This way it won’t sprout new leaves too soon.

To propagate it, asexual ways have to be used like budding, grafting, air-layering or cuttings. A good way to propagate with a cutting is to put it in a small pot with moistened soil and place a plastic bag over it and seal the bag or use a zip-lock. Left in indirect light for nine months it will grow roots. No more water should be needed while in a sealed bag as it becomes a tiny greenhouse.

The fertilization should be done in late winter or early spring; the soil needs to be well-balanced. It can develop a disease called chlorosis if it doesn’t have sufficient iron, if this disease occurs the leaves become a sickly yellow color. It will remind you of the look of jaundice. Re-pot it during this time period too. It needs damp soil, but not really wet. If the soil gets too dry it can cause the leaf to burn when exposed to sunlight.

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I love my Maple Bonsai but here’s one young man who started as a lot of us do with the ritual sacrifice of our first bonsai, but then…

He seems to have got the hang of it now, with a collection of 120 bonsai, I should hope so. Talk about having your hands full, I have, shaping and loving my one maple bonsai.

On top of this he’s now going to Japan to study the noble art with a master in Osaka, we all know how it feels to turn a hobby into a passion but this takes the biscuit. No of course I’m not jealous but with a wife, a couple of kids and one demanding maple bonsai this tends to slow you down bit.

It seems we have a future master of the art, as even the most experienced might baulk at reducing a 5 foot tree.

Take a look at the full article.

For bonsai aficionados, pro…

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