I am very happy to say the maple I purchased last summer has successfully made it to spring! I learned a cool node reduction technique from "The Bonsai Art Of Japan". As soon as the 2nd set of leaves appeared on the tree, I clipped off every new bud. Every day for the last few weeks I have been methodically pruning nodes I felt were too long. I was able to achieve very compact leaf growth and maintain the shape I had envisioned for this tree.

June 2012


February 2013


March 2013

It is a very nice looking tree indeed!

As for continuously pruning away the young growth.. This is one of the typical ways naple bonsai are trained. Jap. Maple stop increasing the nodal distance once you clip the young spout, resulting in potentially very fine ramnification.

I know at least one pro. who fully disagrees with this technique. He would let the maple grow until summer, then cut back to almost where it started, and use the next growing flush to seal & hide the wound.

The artist I refer to is of course Walter Pall: walterpallbonsaiarticles.blogspot.de/

And another intro to trimming maples for good ramnification: walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.de/2011/06/p...l-maple-pruning.html

yes the hedge technique, brilliant, mr paul knows what he is doing...
what most people do is to clip and pinch repeatedly season after season which in turn will ramify the branches and reduce the leaves,but doing this over and over weakens the tree and growth suffers.
these techniques of bud selection and leaf pinching sould be done after the branches have gained the wanted thickness.its basically the hack back method of trunk development but with branches

oh yeah great tree james love the sping pic

Great tree! I love maples, every season they're looking different!

Hello from my point of view, the plant has a lot of potential. But I think first you have to thicken the branching primary and only after reaching diameters just start applying defoliation. I hope my English is understandable.

I think the two lower branches should thicken properly.
You must define one branch to the apex, the larger branches of the branches below them should cut. This is just my opinion and I hope I have not offended anyone. it's just an exchange of ideas. I hope that my English better.
CiaoCiao

That drawing looks incredible.
I will start to let the bottom branches grow out to thicken them up a bit.

What a lovely inspiring drawing, Enrico! Definitely looks better that way.

Great scetch, I agree with you!
The tree has its basic shape and is starting to become a great bonsai. But it now needs refinement; a better ramification and thicker branches (they are too thin for the trunks diameter and the size of the tree).

It has potential to become a very good bonsai in the future! Oh and how I love maples, every season they are so different in appearance!