I’ve had this little Japanese Maple for 14 years. It was originally set in a two tree setting and the smaller of the two. I separated the trees many years ago and have continued to work on this tree as a mame bonsai. I have always liked its tachiagari. It has a beautiful line just above the nebari and up the first third of the tree.
The main area I have struggled with is lower back branches. Mainly because there are none. So this year I took the step of thread grafting a lower back branch.
I have successfully thread grafted Chinese Elm in the past but this will be my first Japanese Maple thread graft.
The steps are pretty simple.
- Chose the spot you want the branch
- Drill a hole just large enough to accommodate the new branch
- Thread a branch either from another tree or the same tree
- Seal the hole around the thread graft with cut past
- Stabilize the trees so the graft cant move
- Wait for the two trees to grow together before separating the trees by removing the unwanted graft side with a flush cut
Some considerations:
- The two trees must be the same species
- This works best for deciduous trees during winter
- There will be scaring on the reverse side if the graft
- The joint at the graft site can result in swollen cambium tissue and a swollen scare tissue
- It may take a few years for the graft to take
- Be careful not to knock the buds off when threading the branch through the hole
This graft was in a low position on a small bonsai.
To get the thread through at the right height I had to reposition the donating tree at an angle.
The cork under the donating tree was to support it at the correct angle.
I taped the two pots together so the join is stable.
Now to wait for the result. I will post the development of this graft as things progress.
Matt
Matt's Bonsai Blog 