Mid-to-late winter pruning of my "Acer negundo" forest

   It's mid to late winter. The days before were soooo cold (-14°C) and now weather seemed to warm a little bit. 
  Recently I spotted the local gardeners trimming the trees outside, so I decided it's the right time for it. Furthermore, the forest will stay dormant for next month and a half, but now I can rest a bit knowing the chosen branches will develop in the desired direction, but respecting the Negundo's integrity. 
    Fig.1.During pruning
    Fig.2.Final and remnants of the pruning 
 
  The pruning didn't take long. It was only few branches that grew up in a way that scratched my eyes and it was too late to correct it last year. I appreciate a lot Acer Negundo as a tree, even though it isn't suitable for bonsai at all - especially the specific procedure to keep trees as little as possible which mainly fascinated me long time ago. 
  What was left after pruning were just few long branches and buds I collected from my other Negundos. The way I was introduced into this specific tree happened very randomly in a sunny day of March 2019. My mom asked me to join her at a walk outside and take my Rollerblades. Obviously, I had had the same uneasy feelings like now and that period was right away after my very first exam session in college. I felt very tired and that day I rode Rollerblades only because my mum asked me so. On our way back home, in certain cracks near stairs, I spotted some tiny maples I deemed as "Acer platanoides". I attempted to bring them out and got three ones. My mood enhanced for a bit. With literally no roots, I took them home and planted in training pots. No pictures were ever taken sadly with my then "new acquisitions" as my attention was onto some weeping willow "Salix babylonica" I used to have at that time (they died all in March 2020, and the collected Acer Negundos replaced them subsequently). 
    Fig.3.Negundos as of February 2023

    Fig.4.Acer Negundos as of February 2023

    Fig.5.Acer Negundos as of February 2023

I succeeded to have diverse sized of these maples, especially the three ones I collected in 2019 at the same time. 
     Fig.6.Acer Negundos in 2022

  They all had had an acceptable growth last year. Attempted once to do multiple prunings in a short period of time and deemed futile.As of 2021 I attempted to prune Negundos by the late winter and let them grow as much as they could during vegetative months. It's 50/50, my desire of making a good looking bonsai and respecting as much as I can grow the natural growth of Manitobas. 
  Usually these trees doesn't regularly have a specific overall shape in early years, they develop more of a shrub.
  
    Fig.7.Acer Negundos in 2021.


Things dramatically changed since 2019...
  
    Nowadays I live some things I couldn't imagine at the time when I collected my Negundos. Ok, partially I knew about 2020 long before, some "conspiracies" that became true ultimately. 
   As a kid I got ideas of planting such a forest, but a lot of things obstructed me...bonsai knowledge, age, school priorities, unavailable materials etc. I remember I had a walk then at the area where I collected the Negundos years later, but I barely recognized any leafless trees. A first bonsai attempt existed in late October 2013, a truly unsuccessful one - some "Hibiscus syriacus" in a white polystyrene dish. The green Dacia 1300 model was incorporated as well and witnessed my sad attempt. No other attempts were ever done, until March 2022 when I successfully planted the actual "Acer Negundo forest". 
  
    Fig.8.Demo/finished

  The main tree was collected in 2019 too, it was only a stick with three buds on top. When I took that picture it solo, I already conceived some sort of idea for the forest. I encountered many times this tree species as a kid, the most remembered feature is its bitter sap I accidentally tasted when I took Neguno leaves and I always knew that fact. 
   There aren't perfect trees...
   In all possible ways there aren't perfect trees (judging their growth for bonsai standards). Nowadays trees are living on the verge. Acer Negundo seems a shifty tree and is able to grow literally everywhere... they grow even beside railways and knowing our trains still powered by 40s Malaxa locomotives and the areas are dirty.
   We'll live and see...that thing I always say when I reminisce about certain plans, but later wake up from the daydream and realise all those are at the mercy of the incoming handmade hazards. I found the maples in 2019, revitalized them ever since and thank God I brought them where they are now (fig.9). Deciduous bonsai trees need a very similar biome to their real-life environment to develop and my Acer Negundos responded well to most of my care attempts done since early potting. Probably I'll write another blog particularly for the day when I collected these maples. At the moment I'm still studying Acer Negundo and develop a method that'll ease the process and someday get a fully miniaturised Manitoba maple. Cheers! 💡🌳
    Fig.9.My collection of Acer Negundos

  

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