This Maple was collected in early spring about half a year ago. It was found in a swampy area of North Florida, and has the best character of about 10 other maples that were collected. The 3 main branches you see were already present, and judging from the size of the roots and the evidence of damage along the trunk, it is older than the others that were collected, most of which had just sprouted that spring.
As with all of the collected Maples, the tree has grown vigorously and done very well; each branch has more than doubled in size at this point from when it was first potted. I clipped the new growth about 2 weeks ago on the tallest branch (the leader) to promote further branching and whatnot. There does not appear to be much of any branching down the length of the tree yet, however the leader now has two new small growths where it was cut and appears as though it is wanting to continue growing upwards.
I have a few questions... Was clipping the new growth at this point a mistake, and if so, how long should I let it grow wild until I begin working on it (Sorry the Leader's new growth is blurry)? Also, a surface root has appeared- what should I do to promote it's growth and utilize it as a part of a future nebari (cover it with soil, let it do it's thing, etc)? Also, any suggestions of any kind as to things I could do for the better of the plant, or thoughts on the direction one should take in styling it in the future are much appreciated. I am very excited about this tree, there seems to be a lot of potential.
This is my first post on Bonsai Empire, and I hope to post more in the future, pertaining to this project, and others!