So I just went to home depot and they had a couple red japanese maples. I got the Suminagashi maple. It is about 4 feet, really thin but healthy looking. Im going to repot it right now. Im removing a little dirt from the dirtball and adding slightly acidic soil to new pot(lady at home depot said maple needs slightly acidic soil). If I want to Bonsai this plant, should I cut the roots now or after it has gotten over the shock of repotting? I can post pictures, but it looks just as you would imagine it..a generic 4foot tall, 3/4 inch trunk base, red japanese maple.

I got a normal 8inch clay pot so if I cut the roots in half it will sit kinda far down into the clay pot, but I could just get another pot later, plus I would really like to bonsai this plant.

I would let the plant get used to the new arrangment and after a few months do some trimming!

3/4" caliper is nice but imagine a 2-3 inch caliper. It' very easy to do if you have the patience. Just put it back in the ground in the garden. If it has a tap root , remove that then plant the tree on an impervious material, an old dinner plate, piece of wood , a ceramic tile. This will force the tree to develop fine surface roots. Each spring spade around he tree to force finer root development. Prune it to one main lead allowing many secondary branches that can be pruned. Feed it well. In 3-5 years you should have a very nice trunk to cut off and back bud.

It is a very good idea to make the plant a bonsai. However you may need some basic guidelines and information so as not to risk the plant and its results. You can see them at this site: thejapanesemaplebonsai.com. All you have to do is hit your browser with this: thejapanesemaplebonsai.com. I got all the bonsai ideas from this site. Enjoy!

So I just went to home depot and they had a couple red japanese maples. I got the Suminagashi maple. It is about 4 feet, really thin but healthy looking. Im going to repot it right now. Im removing a little dirt from the dirtball and adding slightly acidic soil to new pot(lady at home depot said maple needs slightly acidic soil). If I want to Bonsai this plant, should I cut the roots now or after it has gotten over the shock of repotting? I can post pictures, but it looks just as you would imagine it..a generic 4foot tall, 3/4 inch trunk base, red japanese maple.

I got a normal 8inch clay pot so if I cut the roots in half it will sit kinda far down into the clay pot, but I could just get another pot later, plus I would really like to bonsai this plant.