Maple and trident maple
Work in the growing season to
preserve and maintain
ramification
There is a definite sense of age in the way
the roots wrap around the rock, with a
sense of mochikomi character from years
of pot cultivation. Now we must preserve
and improve the ramification of the
branches. The biggest issue now is a lack
of light and air penetration into the inside
of the tree, causing loss of internal twigs.
If nothing is done the outer leaves will
dominate and the inner leaves and twigs
will die back.
We will use this tree as an example for
summer work on deciduous trees to
improve ramification and maintain inner
growth.
Improving ramification of the branches
Text and photography: Kinbon magazine, Japan
Katsumi Komiya (Shofu-en) explains how to work on deciduous trees during the growing season and shows us how
to revive a piece of material
Inner growth
Katsumi Komiya Trident maple. Front before work. Height: 12 cm
Width 20 cmThe condition of the branches as seen from below. It is an incredibly dense situation, but each of the branch tips
is refined and delicate, as deciduous trees characteristically are. As the leaves develop, however, light cannot
penetrate into the tree and the inner branches die40 SHOHIN Bonsai Focus