u/rhysSTOIC

Looking after the big girls at home this week. This 130L mikawa is doing very well in full sun 34C.

I water it every day, monitoring it with the moisture meter, I have 2 air layers on it and took 20 cuttings that are trucking along.

The thing I’m looking forward to most though is the seeds, it’s covered.

Earlier in the year is only seemed to have male flowers, but I guess the females popped out at the last second whilst I was at a wedding and I’d estimate 6-700 seeds this year.

I can’t wait to see how they turn out

It was 31days ago I set up the aquaponics aeroponics bath full of cuttings (I know because I posted about it on the day).

Now I’m back home I went down to have a check on them and things are looking pretty good!

I think about 1/4 of them have rooted so far which is insane - I’m certain it took longer last year.

I’ve also had about 10 casualties because I discovered I had misaligned the pump/sprayers.

The water level had also dropped a lot so I topped that up and rotated the trays so the rooted ones at on the outside.

Tomorrow I will start potting up the rooted ones, get them out of the way, and get rid of the dead cuttings.

Seeing as it is only June I might try and do another batch before autumn as well!

It was 31days ago I set up the aquaponics aeroponics bath full of cuttings (I know because I posted about it on the day).

Now I’m back home I went down to have a check on them and things are looking pretty good!

I think about 1/4 of them have rooted so far which is insane - I’m certain it took longer last year.

I’ve also had about 10 casualties because I discovered I had misaligned the pump/sprayers.

The water level had also dropped a lot so I topped that up and rotated the trays so the rooted ones at on the outside.

Tomorrow I will start potting up the rooted ones, get them out of the way, and get rid of the dead cuttings.

Seeing as it is only June I might try and do another batch before autumn as well!

Pictures aren’t great sorry guys but this is a selection of seedlings that have been kept at a friend’s the last year.

Before that I spent a few years collecting and sprouting them, this includes a good set of mikawa seedlings from last year (about 50) which weren’t given to Uncle Heron or my friends in the area (total 450+)

Some are hiding behind weeds, but most are still alive and kicking and even showing some interesting colours given that they are in full shade.

I think pic 6 is this years, age 0, which I potted up out of perlite in April.

I doubt I will ever get bored of seedlings, it’s good fun sprouting and seeing what you get from the lottery. Stay tuned for the bi hoo seedlings I have at my house …

I recently posted about some of the larger trees I left with family when I moved house - the potted ones at least - but I also had a large collection of nursery/bonsai sized trees.

Before I went home I visited my very responsible friend who took them on for me.

We had a couple of casualties, inevitably, but of the 45 or so trees hiding in this picture only 2 have been lost over winter and I to summer.

I spent the morning rearranging them to help provide a bit more light and space in the ‘Acer zone’ and we took ~60 cuttings.

It would have been good if I’d managed to get down sooner because we have some air layer plans which we’ve missed the boat on really but they’ll still be around next year.

Highlights are:
- Extravaganza
- Shiraz
- BiHoo
- Ukigumo(s)
- Pink Passion
- Wilson’s Pink Dwarf
- Katsura trunk chop
- 7 airlayers from my previous home (6m Acer unknown cultivar and gorgeous)

My friend is magic with plants so I am confident the cuttings will do pretty well

The other day I posted about trees that were struggling when left in the care of family members, well it isn’t all gloom…

Some of my other trees at my parents are quite happy.

This mikawa is in an 80L pot and has grown very well in the spring flush, hoping for another burst in the summer

The Beni Hagoromo is also thriving and has pushed out some nice growth as well.

The Koto No Ito is also doing pretty well, it’s the only one whose seeds have survived the weather swings and I’m hoping that they got some love from the mikawa and Beni hagoromo who both flowered but lost their seeds.

Not in the pictures are some others, a large higasayama and peaches and cream, both in the ground and looking very happy as well.

Whenever I see trees this time of year it’s hard to hold back on cuttings and airlayers because I inevitably see opportunities, but I would be pushing my luck this time of year.

Next year I am going to go crazy though, I might get a new bath/lighting rig for cuttings to house with my parents hahaha - yes I have a problem, but i don’t care I love it!

When I moved house last year I needed to leave some trees with family. I had a collection of large acers which I couldn’t take with me unfortunately.

The majority of the large trees found homes in family gardens but I had around 6 that couldn’t, so I arranged them in my parents’ garden.

The problem leaving trees to family to care for is two fold:

1 - They are a lot less OCD about caring for them, and they can’t be expected to be either.
2 - They don’t know how to care for them properly, and I can’t expect them to learn.

I’m not upset about this, of course, but it’s always a shame to see the girls suffering. With lots of weather swings in the UK a few have ended up drying out and there is a lot of dry and dead leaves on this Katsura and Deshojo in particular.

Luckily they are healthy trees and you can see them start of them bouncing back and pushing more growth for the summer flush which is great.

This is the way it has to be for now unfortunately as I haven’t been able to hop back and forth and take better care of them myself.

Next year I will do so, unless I can find somewhere better for them to go.

Anyone in South England selling a field? I have enough stock to set up a nursery 😅😅

Really impressed with this tree, it hasn’t stopped growing yet and the colour is fantastic.

It’s a shame that iPhone cameras mess with the colour balance so much because it person it is less free and more dusty pink in the transitional leaves

120 cuttings in the bath!

Last year I had loads of success with this aquaponics set up (after years on no luck with cuttings) so hopefully it continues.

This process was inspired by a video from acer p bonsai and it was a bit of an investment to get started but worth every penny.

We have 6 noticeable pairs of rows from single large trees and fillers from all the smaller ones with good growth:

- jerre schwatrz
- ukigumo
- mikawa yatsabusa
- peaches and cream
- higasayama
- deshojo
- butterfly
- beni hagoromo
- hosoba koshimino
- vercades
- miss piggy
- olsens frosted strawberry
- ryugu
- asahi nishiki
- nishiki gasane

The goal this year was a solid batch of ukigumo, because it didn’t flower, is too small to air layer but still a 50L pot with a nice bit of growth.

Well I took the ukigumo cuttings last because I’m an idiot, miscounted a few batches and blah blah blah I only had 6 slots left in the end 🤣

Last year I lost 2 out of 120 so fingers crossed for me guys!