Hi all!

I am new to Bonsai and got 2 bonsai's for Christmas, a Japanese Maple and a Metasequoia Forest. They are strong and healthy, but when trying to prune back the Maple a bit I noticed how some branches were just crossing the trunk too much, so I had to cut them off. The problem now being that the entire left side of the tree has no branches coming out of the trunk and so it is looking a bit sparse.

Is there a way that I can get some back-budding on the trunk of the tree so as to develop new branches? Or are my options limited only to chopping the tree down to the fork, creating a new node and leader and letting it grow back up again (which I would really rather not do)?

Thanks for your time!

Here are some images of the front, and the back of the tree.

Normally a healty maple backbuds easily.
So with a little patience a bud will pop out there somewhere.

SABonsai wrote: so I had to cut them off.

are you in spring? and did your maple just leaf out? i hope not. maples are prone to bleeding out alot if you prune to early in spring. its good practice to wait to do any pruning until the spring growth hardens of i usually wait till summer dormancy for pruning and autumn for hard pruning, that has worked out for me. you cant tell a bud where to grow, its simply just hoping for the best.

I was wondering also.. You are at the end of summer?

I think your plant is in need of some fertilizer and/or iron. The leaves look a little pale & spotted. By far the best way to get buds is to create healthy strong plants. Then, with proper pruning you should get buds everywhere.

THis is not an arakawa maple is it?

For these maples you only get buds on the nodes, marked in red as far as I can see them.

Patients I have in spades, so I am now quite happy to sit and wait for some budding! Thank you!

I am in Spring, yes. The leaves came about a month ago, it got warm quite early this year. I did prune now, I had read that this was a good time? Luckily there is no sign of bleeding on the tree, so hopefully, I should be safe! Thanks for the reply!

Hi leatherback, thanks for the reply and for taking the time to mark out some points on my image!!
I too think it needs some fertiliser! I had wanted to get some of the fertiliser bags but unfortunately, I am in Milan at the moment and we are under quarantine lockdown thanks to Covid-19. I do have some old liquid fertiliser around though, so I will actually be using that tomorrow morning (I have read that I should be using half-strength mixes, correct?).
The tag when I bought it just said a straight "Acer Palmatum", no additional varietal on it.
I would be thrilled to get some buds at the nodes you have marked! I hope they come out!
One other thing, I love the twin trunk look. Now, I know that in a maple the twin trunk should not start very high up... but I like the look, and I wouldn't be making this a show bonsai, more for just me. What are your thoughts on keeping it as a twin trunk?

SABonsai wrote: I too think it needs some fertiliser! I had wanted to get some of the fertiliser bags but unfortunately, I am in Milan at the moment and we are under quarantine lockdown thanks to Covid-19. I do have some old liquid fertiliser around though, so I will actually be using that tomorrow morning (I have read that I should be using half-strength mixes, correct?)

Hard to know without knowing what you have exactly, but in general follow what the bottle says.
If you have no specific bonsai fertilizer you can just use normal plants’ one, it doesn’t make too much of a difference.
I’m a bit puzzled by how ahead your foliage is tho; I’m just a couple hundreds km East from you, same latitude, and my maples’ leaves are opening only now.
Are you keeping these trees outside, yes?

(And stay safe, over there!)

BofhSkull wrote:

SABonsai wrote: I too think it needs some fertiliser! I had wanted to get some of the fertiliser bags but unfortunately, I am in Milan at the moment and we are under quarantine lockdown thanks to Covid-19. I do have some old liquid fertiliser around though, so I will actually be using that tomorrow morning (I have read that I should be using half-strength mixes, correct?)

Hard to know without knowing what you have exactly, but in general, follow what the bottle says.
If you have no specific bonsai fertilizer you can just use normal plants’ one, it doesn’t make too much of a difference.
I’m a bit puzzled by how ahead your foliage is tho; I’m just a couple of hundred km East from you, same latitude, and my maples’ leaves are opening only now.
Are you keeping these trees outside, yes?

(And stay safe, over there!)

It's BonSan liquid from Crespi Bonsai, should be good, I just don't want to burn the tree.
Whereabouts are you in Italy? Milan has had some really warm days. My tree has been outside on my balcony, first started budding mid-February together with my Metesequoia forest. In fact, all the plants on my balcony got leaves in Mid-Feb (Roses, Wisteria, Blueberries). Its been really warm! Winter ended in Milan in Jan for sure.

You also stay safe! Italy is crazy right now, and if you're a couple hundred km's away then you're also in the zone. Just a pity Milan is right at the epicentre. Life is surreal right now!