Healthy trident maples are among the most vigorous deciduous bonsai species. When they are growing well, they can be defoliated three – and sometimes four – times each year. Climate and tree health determine exactly how many times makes sense for any given tree. I partially defoliated a root-over-rock trident back in June. Two weeks later, […]
Trident Maple
Repotting a field grown trident maple
Some of my favorite bonsai work is repotting trees for the first time. I never take for granted that new trees in the garden have healthy roots and perfect root-bases. Sometimes they do, but other times they don’t. Until I repot a tree, I don’t have a great idea about what condition the soil or […]
Developing a trident maple – before and after
Emphasis is often placed on how much we can remove from our trees. Today, I’ll flip that around to emphasize the importance of generating new foliage. Here’s a trident maple after reducing the trunk. Trident maple – June 2017 The idea is to encourage new shoots that in time will form the upper part of […]
Repotting a trident maple bonsai
Several years ago, I published a series on how to repot bonsai. For those who missed it the first time, here is an edited version of the series in a single post. Enjoy! How to Remove a Bonsai Tree from the Pot Before a bonsai can be moved into a new pot, it must be removed from […]
Removing leaves from deciduous bonsai
As the end of the year approaches, deciduous bonsai don’t typically look their best. No matter – once the majority of leaves on these trees turn color or fall off, I pluck the remaining leaves. Removing old leaves exposes interior buds to sunlight and reduces hiding places for insects. It also forces me to look […]