I have a red maple seedling in a pot and I was thinking of trying bonsai. I got the tree from the arbor day society and didn't really have a spot for it so it has been in a pot for about a year.

The top of the tree was broken off by a careless neigbor one day and I have pruned some branches off of the thing, but I have no idea what to do or if this is even a suitable tree to do bonsai.

Some of the leaves look large for the size of the tree while others are small. Not sure what to do so I am leaving it in the pot, The flower pot is about a 2 gallon size.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

SOUTH CAROLINA - Seabrook Island (outside Charleston)
Coastal Carolina Bonsai Club. Meets at Property Owners Community Room, Seabrook Island, second Monday every other month beginning January, 7:30 PM. Jeanne P. Thompson, 2384 High Hammock Rd., Johns Island, SC 29455, (803)768-2192. We have a security gate. One must be invited or ask for entrance from the contact person.

SOUTH CAROLINA - Summerville
Summerville Bonsai Study Group. Meets at 2:00 pm on the third Sunday of each month at the Cuthbert Community Center in Azalea Park on West 5th South Street. Meetings involve programs on various subjects of interest to members and working on member's individual trees. Contact person for more information is Ron Martin - rmartin41@sc.rr.com

These are from Google - I have no idea whether the 1st two are still 'in business', or only starting up this year in Sept/Oct. but I know the last one (Ron Martin) is, and he's a terrific teacher, so nice - definitely a great place to start learning even if not in your immediate area. I can comment on whether or not a red maple is a good start (not the best, not the worst), but the time of year is more important now - it is the worst, as everything's geared to go dormant and hates being messed with (root or pruning-wise), and early spring's the best, and by then you'll be so much more knowledgable having gone through Ron (or others). There are terrific bks out there but it's best to know where to start. Don't depend on internet tips to learn bonsai... you'll be cheating yourself terribly and your trees. There's a lot of good info. out there, but til you know more, you won't have a clue what's good and what isn't, plus you'll definitely end up going one step forward and 2 back for lack of proper explanations and understanding of so much. Let me know how it goes.

John

-Audric

Two books raved over by folks for years are Bonsai Techniques I and II from John Naka. They are more advanced, but I found them less than helpful in many areas.

Acer Rubrum is a difficult species to work with because the leaves don't reduce as well as other maple species, and there is some reluctance to ramify. That said, I have seen a few nice looking specimens. There are easier trees to work with, but if you have it, use it.

These are the books I recomend. In my 15 years as a student of Bonsai, these books have been my best teachers. I will also list them in what I would consider the best order to buy them.

1. Readers Digest Handbook, Bonsai buy Harry Tomlinson
*ISBN 0-89577-647-2
*This is a great beginners book covering everything from
the meaning of 'bonsai' to horitcultural techniques to
proper styling and maintenance. It also has a good
list of suitable species and a decent care guide for
some of the most common genera.
*Cover price is $16 USD.

2. The Bonsai Handbook buy David Prescott and Colin Lewis
*ISBN 1-85974-708-6 (hardback)
*ISBN 1-85974-709-4 (paperback)
*Another excellent beginners book with some good
information on basic plant biology and physiology.
*Cover price for hardback is $24.95 USD.

3. The Living Art of Bonsai by Professor Amy Liang
*ISBN 0-8069-8781-2
*Professor Amy Liang's book is a good introduction to
Chinese style Bonsai or 'pen-tsai'. I really like this
book because of the beginning section entitled 'Bonsai
Appreciation'. This section consists of many pictures
of excellent Bonsai and will help you 'get your eye in'.
This expression basically means getting your brain
around how a good bonsai specimen should look and
understanding the small nuances of composition and
style.
*Cover price is $24.95 USD

These next three books are considered to be 'THE' books to have when in comes to Bonsai and the Author or two of them is one of my personal heros.

1. The Art of Bonsai by Yuji Yoshimura-san and Giovanna M. Halford.
*ISBN 0-8048-2091-0
*This is a good book for 'getting your eye in' and is
also an excellent introduction to more advanced
techniques such as making your own soils and such.
The appenices at the end are awesome and by themselves
make this book worth buying.
*Cover price is $19.95 USD

2&3. Bonsai Techniques I and II by John Yoshio Naka-san
*ISBN 0-930-422-31-7 (Vol. I)
*ISBN 0-930-422-33-3 (Vol. II)
*These books are in my opinion THE best books on Bonsai
written to date. Naka-san was a true master and
visionary genius. Some of his creations bring a tear
to my eye, that is how beautiful they are. Comparable
to a Van Gogh or Dali painting. His sense of style and
his horticultural knowledge and experience are
unparalleled in American Bonsai.
*There are no cover prices on these books. I opted for
the signed copies and they weren't cheap. I would
suggest waiting to buy these books until you are
comfortable with the first 4.

I hope this helps.

Pinus aristata