Will it ramify?
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My experience is that all maples will ramify and reduce leaf size. However I have decided that Acer tegmentosum is not worth the effort since it is also very slow to thicken. I am not sure what type of maple you have but it could be Norway (Acer platanoides).
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What colour do the leaves go in autumn? It looks similar to a red maple or possibly a variety of snakebark maple.
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This is the first year I’ve paid attention, it’s growing near a crimson king norway maple and what I think is a sycamore maple I was hoping it was a crimson king but the leaves aren’t the same
I have a large Crimson Queen and most of its seedlings are green - only a few percent are red.
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Ahh ok that makes sense
I would personally treat it like I do Red Maple(Acer Rubrum), which I partially defoliate the biggest leaf every other couple of days, I never defoliate more than 10% of the total at any given time
Why partial defoliate the biggest leaf every couple day’s?
shorten node length and create smaller leaves, leave petioles. Works on Acer Rubrum, might work on your maple.
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Dont be afraid to partially defoitate or cut back long stems on younger domestic maple trees. They are crazy resiliant. Forces the growth down, with shorter internodes.
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I have a (very healthy) large 36"tall 5" diameter Norway maple bonsai (just for fun, to practice on, for 20 years …) Huge leaves in adult trees. Big as your hand.
I mostly defoilated it late this spring. Was pretty vicious…
Cut EVERY limb back to 2-3 nodes. Cut every SECOND leaf off and the OTHER leaf cut by 2/3. Lookes odd. Workes great. Reduced nodes from 8" to <2". Reduced leaves (mostly) by 2/3. Takes about 2-3 weeks to pop buds, and not all at the same time. After the new leaves started to open at each croch, I cut the other old leaf off. Dont give them too much growth… size of your thumb… It forces them to start producing sugers without getting bigger… (Keep them out of strong sun…)
Looks amazing today…
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Standard Mirai technique… Standard bonsai practice…
The tree HAS TO BE HEALTHY…
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Marquise, yours a little young for this.
I agree with OrangDream above. Cut off the top two leaves with the long terminal leaf stem on both trunks. This will force the buds at the croch of the next set of leaves (down) to sprout THIS year. You might also cut both of the large leaves, on this level, in half. Or cut one off.
BONUS…each bud will grow TWO new limbs next year and each will have four leaves with shorter internodes…
IF the buds dont sprout this summer, they WILL pop next spring…
I consistantly do this on my north Amercian maples every year… Otherwise they get WAY too big way too fast!
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Bonsai On!
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Prosess validation photos.
First photo is a 5yo Norway maple sapling. Note the traingle leaf upper left. 2/3 cut spring leaf left to feed the unopened lower bud… New leaves are smaller. Also, note the American quarter for size…
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Second photo is my large 25 yo Norway maple after full re-foliation and old leaves cut off. Note the adult leaf, upper left, and quarter for size. Not quite as small as I want; still need some limb terterery growth! Way TOO much energy available!
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Enjoy!
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Thank you guys for all the superb info on maples and I couldn’t have been more excited to go apply these techniques but I have some saddening news SPIDER MITES due to it being in the ground I’ve never used the systematic insecticide that I use on my other trees, what do I do?
You can apply the same insecticides to trees in the ground as in a pot.
Like Marty says…
Pick one. Mix acording to lable…Lightly spray every crouch and underside of every leaf. Then once around the dripline of the tree… In the ground, a good systemic should protect for a year. Small volume for small tree, buckets full for landscape tree. The treatment doesnt seem to hurt my trees. Keep the spray away from flowering plants!
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I had white spot mold start on these bright shiny NEW maple leaves. Happens every year. Had some NEEM oil handy, had never used it before. Killed the mold, washed off the next day, and has not returned; both trees… No fungacide I have tried before helped… it usually spreads to every leaf. Doesnt seem to hurt the tree, just looks ugly.
Label says good for mites… It will take time to work, might take a second spray in two weeks to kill the unhatched babies…
Safer than harsh chemicles? Im a firm believer in the nuc lear option. I save them for heavy invasions!
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@MartyWeiser is the large maple acceptable for the Club show? 
Bonsai On!
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