Hello my bonsai friends,

I just received 5 Trident Maple seedlings (10 months old) that I plan to grow
in the ground in South Florida. Issue 23, 1993 - 1 of 'Bonsai Today', pgs. 13
- 20 has a fantastic article on how to develop them with massive trunks,
taper and radial roots in about 7 years (pre-bonsai). I figure that with luck
in South Florida with our longer growing season it can be done faster.
BTW: This is one of the back issues that my thoughtful wife got me for my
birthday.

Now my question. I assume that with our intense heat and sun in summer that
these field grown trees should be put in dappled sun (not full sun)? This
species is new to me; any and all suggestion would be appreciated.



Thanks in advance,
Luis Fontanills
Miami, Florida USA

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Hello my bonsai friends,

I just received 5 Trident Maple seedlings (10 months old) that
I plan to grow
in the ground in South Florida. Issue 23, 1993 - 1 of 'Bonsai
Today', pgs. 13
- 20 has a fantastic article on how to develop them with
massive trunks,
taper and radial roots in about 7 years (pre-bonsai). I figure
that with luck
in South Florida with our longer growing season it can be done
faster.
BTW: This is one of the back issues that my thoughtful wife got
me for my
birthday.

Now my question. I assume that with our intense heat and sun in
summer that
these field grown trees should be put in dappled sun (not full
sun)? This
species is new to me; any and all suggestion would be
appreciated.

Up in this part of Florida, I do not let them SEE the sun after
10 a.m., Luis.

I exaggerate only a little. My setup pours sun onto my trees
until about 10:30 a.m. in the summer; from then on, they're in
shade that can only be described as "heavy" -- under a couple of
oaks, a large persimmon, a big American holly, and (until I had
them cut down) four 90-year-old loblolly pines. Removal of the
pines increased the light for a couple of years, but the
resulting denser canopies in the other trees have brought me back
to shade again.

With all this, my trident leaves look like the dickens by mid to
late summer. I don't even _think_ of trying Japanese maples in
pots any more, and my single in-the-ground Acer palmatum, also in
deep shade, also has rough looking leaves by the end of the
season.

Only a 4-inch mame trident tends to have leaves that don't look
like every leaf miner in the Western Hemisphere has been at them,
and that's probably because I defoliate it up to 4 times a year
to get leaf size down.

(This time of year, with the oaks and the persimmon bare, they
get quite a bit of light throughout the day, but that's OK as
they're making new leaves now.)

You have sea breezes which may ameliorate the sun situation a
bit, but you've also got salt air.

I think I'd go back to the old standard advice and suggest you
ask someone around you who grows them; I don't recall seeing
_any_ tridents at Miami Tropical Bonsai (however, I would not
have been looking for them, either, so I could have walked right
past and not let them register).

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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Jim:
I know you are familiar with the product Pro-Tekt: since you wrote about
it having silicon etc. I just wrote to Luis and told him to check it
out. I did not use it last year and my Maples looked terrible, in
comparison to the year before when I did use the product. For what it
is worth, I am convinced that it does help, since two years ago I had a
beautiful fall with all the colors I could wish for. Last year I had
Crispy leaves! :-( Never again with out Pro-tekt!

This is definitely an unpaid solicitation! :-)

Carl

Jim Lewis wrote:

Hello my bonsai friends,

I just received 5 Trident Maple seedlings (10 months old) that


I plan to grow


in the ground in South Florida. Issue 23, 1993 - 1 of 'Bonsai


Today', pgs. 13


- 20 has a fantastic article on how to develop them with


massive trunks,


taper and radial roots in about 7 years (pre-bonsai). I figure


that with luck


in South Florida with our longer growing season it can be done


faster.


BTW: This is one of the back issues that my thoughtful wife got


me for my


birthday.

Now my question. I assume that with our intense heat and sun in


summer that


these field grown trees should be put in dappled sun (not full


sun)? This


species is new to me; any and all suggestion would be


appreciated.

Up in this part of Florida, I do not let them SEE the sun after
10 a.m., Luis.

I exaggerate only a little. My setup pours sun onto my trees
until about 10:30 a.m. in the summer; from then on, they're in
shade that can only be described as "heavy" -- under a couple of
oaks, a large persimmon, a big American holly, and (until I had
them cut down) four 90-year-old loblolly pines. Removal of the
pines increased the light for a couple of years, but the
resulting denser canopies in the other trees have brought me back
to shade again.

With all this, my trident leaves look like the dickens by mid to
late summer. I don't even _think_ of trying Japanese maples in
pots any more, and my single in-the-ground Acer palmatum, also in
deep shade, also has rough looking leaves by the end of the
season.

Only a 4-inch mame trident tends to have leaves that don't look
like every leaf miner in the Western Hemisphere has been at them,
and that's probably because I defoliate it up to 4 times a year
to get leaf size down.

(This time of year, with the oaks and the persimmon bare, they
get quite a bit of light throughout the day, but that's OK as
they're making new leaves now.)

You have sea breezes which may ameliorate the sun situation a
bit, but you've also got salt air.

I think I'd go back to the old standard advice and suggest you
ask someone around you who grows them; I don't recall seeing
_any_ tridents at Miami Tropical Bonsai (however, I would not
have been looking for them, either, so I could have walked right
past and not let them register).





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In a message dated 3/6/2003 10:35:12 AM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:

Jim:
I know you are familiar with the product Pro-Tekt: since you wrote about
it having silicon etc. I just wrote to Luis and told him to check it
out. I did not use it last year and my Maples looked terrible, in
comparison to the year before when I did use the product. For what it
is worth, I am convinced that it does help, since two years ago I had a
beautiful fall with all the colors I could wish for. Last year I had
Crispy leaves! :-( Never again with out Pro-tekt!


Jim & Carl,
Thanks for the tips.
Carl, Randy Brooks from Miami also suggested Pro-Tekt. Luckily I have some
already; I use it on my orchids from time to time.

Dappled sun is the way to go then. I will begin a photo journal of the
techniques and their development over time in South Florida - pros and cons.

Thanks again!

Luis Fontanills
Miami, Florida USA

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In a message dated 3/6/2003 8:06:19 AM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:

Now my question. I assume that with our intense heat and sun in summer that
these field grown trees should be put in dappled sun (not full sun)? This
species is new to me; any and all suggestion would be appreciated.

I think you will need dappled shade and nematode free soil.
Billy on the Florida Space Coast

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In a message dated 3/6/2003 5:56:06 PM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:

In a message dated 3/6/2003 8:06:19 AM Eastern Standard Time,

writes:

Now my question. I assume that with our intense heat and sun in summer
that
these field grown trees should be put in dappled sun (not full sun)? This
species is new to me; any and all suggestion would be appreciated.

I think you will need dappled shade and nematode free soil.
Billy on the Florida Space Coast


Hi Billy,
I doubt that my ground soil is nematode free, is this essential? What are the
consequences for Trident Maples if there are nematodes, and wouldn't this
depend on their numbers and type?

Thanks,
Luis Fontanills
Miami, Florida USA

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Mine do fine in soil that hasn't been treated to free it of nematodes. I
planted out two cuttings that had been grown on in 1 gallon pots for a
year. They are such rapid growers once they have got going that I doubt
if an attack would do much other than slow them a little. A newly rooted
cutting might suffer more though.

They've been in for four years and are now as thick as my forearm at the
base of their trunks. Ready for a chop and airlayering off some of the
interesting bits of top growth.

I imagine that they will grow like crazy in your climate.

Wish I'd planted out more! This will be rectified later this year.

Good luck

Kev Bailey
Vale Of Clwyd, North Wales


I doubt that my ground soil is nematode free, is this essential? What
are the
consequences for Trident Maples if there are nematodes, and wouldn't
this
depend on their numbers and type?



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Hello all,

I finally got a chance to work on the 10 month old Trident Maple seedlings.
They are already coming out of dormancy due to the South Florida heat. Here
is what I did.

Upon my request they had been sent bare-root.
I took each of the 5 trees and cut lengths of trunk of about 8 inches. Each
tree provided about 3 such lengths and left a 4 inch base with roots. Each of
these lengths was cut at an angle at the bottom and placed in a seed tray
with potting medium at an angle of 45 degrees. They were pushed to the bottom
to develop good flat radial roots.

The base stubs were inspected and radically cut just below the first set of
roots. This was done to eliminate the tangle of roots growing down, crossing
and non-radial. Two of these stubs were placed in a very shallow but wide
terra-cotta pot and planted at an angle (these 2 had the best root
configuration - radial). The other 3 were placed in the seed tray and planted
at an angle.

None were placed in the ground at this time. I will let them acclimate and
generate better roots for a year and then trim again and place in the ground
for accelerated growth.

We shall see what success rate I get for rooting.
The above was based on your assistance (IBC) and Issue 23, 1993 - 1 of
'Bonsai Today', pgs. 13 - 20.


Breakdown:
14 - 8" cuttings
5 - 4" base stubs

Total of 19 possible future trees out of 5 original seedlings.

Luis Fontanills
Miami, Florida USA

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