Cutting techniques
Fire maples prove to be easy to cut, because they sprout reliably within the next two to three weeks after more intensive operations. Pruning is common between January and February, when the tree has no sap and is still leafless. If necessary, you can prune the wood several times in a year up to the beginning of August. As a result, the bonsai develops fine branches.
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Cut back
The position of the branches is in the foreground during the cutting operations. Fresh shoots must not overlap. If thicker trunks are desired, shorten them to two to three pairs of leaves from a length of at least 20 centimeters. If you want to encourage the branch to branch, you should cut it back from ten centimeters to one or two pairs of leaves. Remove thick specimens after the leaves have emerged.
Root cut
If you repot the bonsai in the spring, as soon as the buds swell, the root ball is cut. In doing so, you reduce the root shoots by a third. Such interventions encourage fire maples to form new roots. In this way, a root canal can be formed.
Wires
You should start with this design method as early as possible and ideally immediately after budding. The more the branches lignify, the greater the risk of breakage. If you proceed carefully, one to two year old specimens can also be bent. Copper wires with a diameter of one millimeter or 1.5 millimeter thick aluminum wires are suitable.
Check regularly
Over the next four to six weeks, the wood will harden, so you can remove the wire. By the end of summer at the latest, all stabilizing wires should be unwound, because this is when an intensive increase in thickness sets in. Traces of indented bonsai wires are often seen, as the fire maple has a smooth bark. These structures grow out over time.
Notes on care
The combination of nitrogen-rich fertilization and excessive watering ensures vegetative growth at an increased rate. As a result, the bonsai develops shoots with long distances between the individual nodes. This phenomenon is not a problem in the cultivation phase. At a later age, you will need to keep the tree compact by pruning regularly.
Tips
The nutrients are supplied every two weeks from the leaf shoots to the autumn color. Use liquid fertilizer or fertilizer cones. In spring you should water as little as possible.
Location
Fire maples are adapted to outdoor conditions, so that a bonsai is not suitable for indoor cultivation. The wood prefers a place in the sun. On extremely hot days, it is grateful for shading during lunchtime. Airy places with windy conditions are ideal.
