Thanks to those who gave me information on where to buy online bonsai I now have this little hedge maple. The note I received with it said to put it in a bigger pot and let it grow.
In reading I see grow boxes are recommended for maples to help with root spread and development. So my question is which should I follow? Any other recommendations on what I should be doing to start this stick on the way to being a bonsai?
Thanks for helping this beginner out.
Hello, a deep pot will certainly thicken the trunk over time. Planting it in the ground would work faster. In either case we are talking on the orders of years. The cool thing about bonsai is that with a tree like this, you can get the look of a bigger trunk sooner with a smaller tree. If it were mine, I'd let it grow for a couple years in that tub and then significantly reduce the root mass starting from the bottom. I'd also take down the top to get to the true nebari. (See post from Aaron about his maple). Taking the trunk off the top (chop) to a main branch point next much lower down. The best way to get the illusion of strength and good nebari is to put in into a shallow container. Maples will develop great root / nebari spread in a shallow tray. Have you ever wondered why all the pics of the great maples you see are in very shallow long containers? Tridents especially spread like crazy.
Another angle would be to embrace the skinny trunk and stick to an elongated literati / bujin feel. Also perhaps more in keeping with the vine maple nature.
We could talk for an entire morning about different development strategies depending on what you are trying to achieve. Hope this is at least a couple morsels of food for thought!
Hey, dude. Can you post some pictures so we know what you're working with? Also, I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. A grow box is technically a bigger pot, so what you read doesn't seem to be in conflict with the note that came with your maple. In any case, I'm commenting must to follow this discussion since I have 4 young maple Yamadori I'm not sure what to do with either.