Moochinka-- thank you for your speedy reply! I will prepare myself to soak up knowledge like a sponge!

It is already in bonsai soil, as it was given to me by a friend who is also into bonsai. The stones are not glued on. And I am fully prepared to keep bonsai outside. The same friend sold me a lovely juniper, and I've acquired another juniper and a mugo pine (non bonsai) that I am working on turning into bonsai (I don't plan on rushing them into tiny pots or anything, though. I have read that a common beginner mistake is to bite off more than one can chew, and as such am doing my best to focus on tree care first!)

I'm also currently working on finding a location outside where I can keep them all, and finding a nice bench where they can live. Though until I'm more certain this maple is not suffering from any pest or illness (my friend had a spider mite problem, as I recall) it won't be joining the others. Sorry for not giving more details!

I live in Pennsylvania in the US, I think I'm considered zone 7? Thank you again for your reply, I got the feeling this tree may have been above my skill level a few days after bringing it home... I just want to do whatever I can to get the tree thriving. As it is, the tips of many of the leaves are drying and crumbling off. The top half of the tree appears to have died, and I don't know much about the look of Japanese Maples, but the bark is so many different colors, is that how it's supposed to be?

Hi - well you're not a total newbie then compared to some - you at least do have an idea what it's all about :). Little tip re the mugo - work on it no earlier than late June, and into July... they're strange that way. As far as the maple goes, some have odd bark and unless yours is coming off anywhere, it may be normal for the variety (there are hundreds, so couldn't say more from here). Also, an overwatered tree - really a frequency rather than volume problem - can look dried out (classic juniper problem for newbies who then water even more) just as if they were. But your tree, in the pebbles may be dry - is there any other component (ie. wood chips or sandy soil) besides the pebbles in there? A little might be a good idea... especially as the pot seems to be pretty small for the tree, and maples like to spread laterally... you'd be better off to get it into the ground this year if possible, or at least into a wider pot. And of course you're going to want all the trees you can find - you wouldn't be normal otherwise!

Moochinka, thank you again for your reply!! And I did not know that about mugo pines! I shall make a note of it!!! Thank you! I have heard they're finicky so I won't be too sad if I kill it (though I'm gonna try really hard not to) especially because it was on sale at a nursery for a great deal.

I do think there is an organic component to the soil, though I can't be sure, and after her reaction to me saying I wanted to repot it, I'm not sure I want to ask her...

This is the second time I have been told to put it in a larger pot, but the friend who gave the tree to me insisted that if I slip potted it into something larger I would kill it and that I can't repot it for two years... Now I have to decide if it's worth going against her wishes. She says it's in great health but it doesn't appear that way to me. I love the tree and want to do what she tells me, but I'm worried that the tree will just slowly die if I don't repot it.

Also I was wondering if you know anything about the sun requirements for these trees? I'm unsure how much and what kind of sun to give it...

Thank you again so much for replying to me!! I need all the help I can get.

The tree looks fine, but will do better if it has less 'tree' to support in that pot if you chop the top. For newly repotted trees, a somewhat shadier (especially at midday) position is recommended for the first year, after that regular sun is ok, but for yours a slightly 'filtered' place would not be bad vs a wide open spot... and I would look into adding a little real soil, and bark (busted up really small) as pebbles alone might be ok for an indoor (tropical) tree, but will end up possibly burning the roots in the pot as it is now. Your friend may not be quite the expert she thinks :). Slip potting doesn't usually kill anything if done carefully btw - it's now your tree after all.

FIrstly I'm in no way an expert and probably only one level up from newbie but have a love of Maple bonsai. Personally (if it was mine) I'd remove it from the pot entirely & stick it into the garden to let it get a good strong root base as well as some growth while pruning at the same time to keep the leaves smaller & promote back budding.

Ultimately I think we all just have to try things out & see what happens with the understanding that you might lose the tree completely if you make the wrong choice. The trunk might benefit from some minor sculpting to taper the top of it better too. Figure out what shape you want it to end up as & work towards that. :)

KC - that was a very good note (tkr 99's) and I agree with everything he(?) said.

LOL - thanks - I'm female :) Disabled into the bargain which is why I'm now having to chop all my beautiful container trees/shrubs into bonsai as repotting my maple almost killed me physically with all of my autoimmune/rheumatic/chronic pain problems. But I'm very blessed to have access to a bonsai expert locally - in fact am off to him tomorrow morning to chop my beautiful maple down to size. This was it yesterday.

Just returning to show the huge difference in that maple since getting the chop & wiring/styling etc. Can't tell you how much it killed me to watch it all being chopped down (but got loads of cuttings to try & root for more :) ) - but I'm slowly falling in love with the end result. Bit different to your tree as your's is much older & you'll probably be aiming for a larger end result to me - I'm trying to keep mine no bigger than Shohin. But even for mine, the advice was to give it as much room as I could for another year (hence it's still in the same container) which would fatten the trunk up further. Ian also mentioned that Maples are 'basally' dominant i.e. the greatest growth is at the bottom unlike many others where growth is strongest at the top, so yours also now has a better chance of pushing out more growth with no apex 'leader'. Feed it up well & give it as much room to put out more root growth & keep us posted over the coming year on its progress - should be interesting :)

Oh... I'd like to see that one in 3-5 years! Small trees are so much easier to handle than big ones :), but can still be surprisingly heavy/

I'll try & remember to drop back even next year with an update on its progress, but if you were interested, you could follow it on my blog at Itsy-Bitsy Bonsai. :)

Took a fast look - and I so get it - it's an obsession you're going to be stuck with for a long time! I wish I understood it - the obsessive thing vs normal 'like' re hobbies, but maybe some astrology could explain it? Earth people? Well, whatever it is, it'll drive you nuts, but it's so worth it!

As much as it's currently an obsession, it's (for me) the only way I'll be able to garden into the future, as my hand arthritis is likely to continue worsening. God's awesome creation is just so glorious, and brightens up my wee town yard so wonderfully hence I'd rather have small plants/shrubs/trees etc than none which would be the only alternative. But we'll see what the next few years bring. :)

Just returning with an update as promised on this wee tree, And in case anyone new to bonsai might have thought we'd chopped it past any sensible hope of regrowth, here's what it looked like 6 mths later after fortnightly feeding and free growth.

And (I promise) the last progression pic as it's enough to show how these trees can become stunning in a rather short period of time (2-3 years) - it just keeps improving year after year :)