Great video Tony and interesting to hear about your gear change in terms of thinking through bonsai design. I am sure many make the same mistakes or go through the same journey as they progress and increase their bonsai experience and knowledge. For me: Get the trunk to where you want it first. This is the foundation on which everything else is built. By all means deal with roots and let the foliage build to draw in energy and help the health of the tree - but a refined tree with stick thin trunk but great ramification will almost never thicken so that must be done first. The branching can be rebuilt from almost nothing in a couple of seasons. Once the trunk is suitably developed then you can be more concerned with branch placement and ramification. Primary branches can be built in one growing season, with development of secondary and tertiary growth in subsequent seasons so a canopy can be built in a few years from almost nothing. Bold decisions early on lead to better trees. I think your decisions and development ideas on these were spot on. Growing in the ground will give you great material to work on in a few years time. That first tree I think you could even have taken out that remaining thicker upward branch and relied on those thinner twigs to thicken up nicely in the coming years. These also air layer very easily so removing bigger branches is a possible source of air layers. I also think that attending shows or clubs also leads to a perception change of what constitutes a quality bonsai tree and this shifts your own attitudes to growth and development, all of which are great reasons to join a local club if you can. Ps. You would say that. Style it out Tony, nobody noticed 😮😂😂
Cheers mate. Yes, I agree. I personally like to aim high in the things I do, and then I see where I get to. I'm looking at my material and thinking to myself 'What do I have to do in order to turn this into a stunning bonsai in the future, whether that is in 3, 5, 10, or more years time?'
You say they will be going in the ground, so will you be doing a video on that please, Tony. I have no idea what sort of tree size and root structure there will be in 3-4 years and of course, your parents' garden has plenty of space. So it would be interesting to know what spacing and any advisories you can give and whether you would need your dad's digger machine to dig them up when the time arrives or will it be a spade job? With us being half way through Spring now, might you also be covering how you intend to ensure those cuttings survive the summer and winter in the next 12 months and at what time might you be putting those rooted cuttings into small nursey pots for onward growth please? As you know, I am a keen propagator but I have very little knowledge of wood cuttings other than rosemary which of course is a shrub as opposed to a tree (or is it?) so a video on the cuttings you take will be invaluable to me and I dare say others.
Hi Nikki. The plants are already in the ground. I just planted them like you would a normal plant, and as for the cuttings, they are in my front bedroom sweating in a clear plastic bag with 100% humidity. I doubt they'll make it even with that though as their leaves were just too tender
That was a well explained tutorial Tony. Got me thinking about putting some of my collection in the ground rather than fussing with them so much. Thanks, keep growing
Cheers Matt. Yeah I'm looking at a few of my early trees, and I'm thinking that they are going to take 50 years to look any good if they continue as they are.
Hi Tony some nice trees to come in the future after time in the ground for some years explaining your thought processes as you go is very useful for other Bonsai hobbyists to follow, 10 years is a bit long for me at 81 in a months time mate but each to their own. The last tree those lower branches could act as sacrifice branches to help the trunk expand. All the best with them mate.
Well done Tony , its educational to hear you explain your choices and options , theres so much growth understanding that goes into bonsai ,that and alot of patience . Your passion for it will bring you great reward in a few years with your trees.
Thank you. That's the plan. I'd love to have some really nice material to work on in the future. These should be ready to start working properly in 3-4 years I reckon.
Tony, at 5:24 you frightened me that your finger collided with the cutter... And for 10:56 - we usually of course don't expect the tree to look like bonsai after first prunning, but in this case there is something already appealing.
Cheers Chris. I love this kind of work, and the beauty of working on a few, is that at least a couple of them should end up being pretty nice pieces of material to make a bonsai from in a few years.
@Tonys Bonsai yes love that type of work myself. The only thing. When you become better to see the "right" decisions. It goes very fast. And as you for a video you almost need 4 trees. To make a good and long video. Hope RUclips start paying you some money?
They're nice little trees which ought to thicken up well in the ground. Just be careful that the growth isn't so strong that they lose their curves! I love how you explain everything as you do it; its much easier to understand than just chopping bits off. Good luck with them ☘️
Good decisions Tony and well explained - as always. The hardwood cuttings I planted up off my Kojo Restyle (about a month ago) all appear to be doing fine. No idea if they have rooted but they are not showing any signs of wiliting growth. So definitely get them in some soil in the shade :)
Decisions, decisions! You made some smart decisions here. I was enthused to watch this one, as you know I have 2 cherry trees potted up. They're growing like mad, the trunks have doubled in girth and I think I'm going to take your lead a do some pruning myself...lots of green branches still..cheers..thanks for the video!
its tough to not want the "instant bonsai." I think that bonsai has to really be looked at on the long term if one wants a realistic trunk. Cuts made as early as possible heal quickly in ground, big cuts make a tree look smaller if not well along in the healing process. To get a smoother more aged bark this is the way to go. I really like all these trees and since i just pruned up my carmona, i know ill have a bit of pruners remorse for not watching this first. Great video thanks Tony!
Cheers mate. I think you're spot on about trees healing quickly in the ground. That's the plan anyway, and as you say, we have to look at trees with a long term plan if we want to end up with quality bonsai.
I think I would have made the same decisions for these trees except for the first tree, I think I would have removed one of the 2 remaining bigger branches (the next fork in the tree) as well. I like it when people explain why they're removing (or in other videos, wiring or positioning etc) a branch, their reasoning behind their actions and you did that in an excellent way, Tony.
on that second tree i'd have been tempted to chop the main trunk off right above that second branch. i'd have done the same on the last one as well. I mean, i wouldn't do that personally.. but i'd like to see you do that and see how it goes 😂
🤣I worked hard not to chop off too much mate. It's so easy to end up planting a tint stump in the ground, but I think with how much I left these will soon be growing strongly which was the main aim.
Hi Les. I potted them up in some soil and have placed them in a clear plastic bag in one of my bedrooms. The leaves were still very soft, so I'm hoping the humidity will help them to stay alive and eventually put down some roots. I'll do an update in a couple of months.
I started 30 years ago with a few collected trees, but I couldn't access any information to learn, so I kind of gave up, then around 2 1/2 years ago I started watching youtube videos an my passion was re-ignited. Shortly after that I had a very serious illness, and I used that time to really study, and i've never stopped!
Good job mate. I like the way you think...and that after only 2 years 🤓
Great video Tony and interesting to hear about your gear change in terms of thinking through bonsai design. I am sure many make the same mistakes or go through the same journey as they progress and increase their bonsai experience and knowledge.
For me:
Get the trunk to where you want it first. This is the foundation on which everything else is built. By all means deal with roots and let the foliage build to draw in energy and help the health of the tree - but a refined tree with stick thin trunk but great ramification will almost never thicken so that must be done first. The branching can be rebuilt from almost nothing in a couple of seasons.
Once the trunk is suitably developed then you can be more concerned with branch placement and ramification. Primary branches can be built in one growing season, with development of secondary and tertiary growth in subsequent seasons so a canopy can be built in a few years from almost nothing.
Bold decisions early on lead to better trees. I think your decisions and development ideas on these were spot on. Growing in the ground will give you great material to work on in a few years time. That first tree I think you could even have taken out that remaining thicker upward branch and relied on those thinner twigs to thicken up nicely in the coming years. These also air layer very easily so removing bigger branches is a possible source of air layers.
I also think that attending shows or clubs also leads to a perception change of what constitutes a quality bonsai tree and this shifts your own attitudes to growth and development, all of which are great reasons to join a local club if you can.
Ps. You would say that. Style it out Tony, nobody noticed 😮😂😂
Cheers mate. Yes, I agree. I personally like to aim high in the things I do, and then I see where I get to. I'm looking at my material and thinking to myself 'What do I have to do in order to turn this into a stunning bonsai in the future, whether that is in 3, 5, 10, or more years time?'
You say they will be going in the ground, so will you be doing a video on that please, Tony. I have no idea what sort of tree size and root structure there will be in 3-4 years and of course, your parents' garden has plenty of space. So it would be interesting to know what spacing and any advisories you can give and whether you would need your dad's digger machine to dig them up when the time arrives or will it be a spade job? With us being half way through Spring now, might you also be covering how you intend to ensure those cuttings survive the summer and winter in the next 12 months and at what time might you be putting those rooted cuttings into small nursey pots for onward growth please? As you know, I am a keen propagator but I have very little knowledge of wood cuttings other than rosemary which of course is a shrub as opposed to a tree (or is it?) so a video on the cuttings you take will be invaluable to me and I dare say others.
Hi Nikki. The plants are already in the ground. I just planted them like you would a normal plant, and as for the cuttings, they are in my front bedroom sweating in a clear plastic bag with 100% humidity. I doubt they'll make it even with that though as their leaves were just too tender
That was a well explained tutorial Tony. Got me thinking about putting some of my collection in the ground rather than fussing with them so much. Thanks, keep growing
Cheers Matt. Yeah I'm looking at a few of my early trees, and I'm thinking that they are going to take 50 years to look any good if they continue as they are.
Hi Tony some nice trees to come in the future after time in the ground for some years explaining your thought processes as you go is very useful for other Bonsai hobbyists to follow, 10 years is a bit long for me at 81 in a months time mate but each to their own. The last tree those lower branches could act as sacrifice branches to help the trunk expand. All the best with them mate.
You just never know Joe, I reckon you'll be watching me dig these trees up in a few years and developing them into proper bonsai!
@@TonysBonsai I may well be but I could be more ga ga than I am now not knowing what my name is and being spoon fed, no thank you.
Well done Tony , its educational to hear you explain your choices and options , theres so much growth understanding that goes into bonsai ,that and alot of patience .
Your passion for it will bring you great reward in a few years with your trees.
Thank you. That's the plan. I'd love to have some really nice material to work on in the future. These should be ready to start working properly in 3-4 years I reckon.
Tony, at 5:24 you frightened me that your finger collided with the cutter...
And for 10:56 - we usually of course don't expect the tree to look like bonsai after first prunning, but in this case there is something already appealing.
🤣I just watched it back, and You're right. It did look like I'd knicked it. A bit of blood is good for plants though so they say!
Nice one Tony, I've just worked on mine and found vine weevil in one 🤞 it makes it. Looking forward to the 2025 update
Thanks for the reminder. I've got some nematodes in the fridge, and it's warming up here, so I'm going to treat all my trees.
As always mate. Every decision was perfectly executed. Can't wait to see them evolve
Cheers Chris. I love this kind of work, and the beauty of working on a few, is that at least a couple of them should end up being pretty nice pieces of material to make a bonsai from in a few years.
@Tonys Bonsai yes love that type of work myself. The only thing. When you become better to see the "right" decisions. It goes very fast. And as you for a video you almost need 4 trees. To make a good and long video. Hope RUclips start paying you some money?
Yeah, I'll have to start running my videos at 1/2 speed 🤣
I earn enough to cover all my costs, fertiliser, soil, trees, washing up bowls etc
They're nice little trees which ought to thicken up well in the ground. Just be careful that the growth isn't so strong that they lose their curves! I love how you explain everything as you do it; its much easier to understand than just chopping bits off. Good luck with them ☘️
That's a good point. I'm hoping that they maintain the interesting character and some of the taper as they thicken.
Good decisions Tony and well explained - as always. The hardwood cuttings I planted up off my Kojo Restyle (about a month ago) all appear to be doing fine. No idea if they have rooted but they are not showing any signs of wiliting growth. So definitely get them in some soil in the shade :)
Yeah, these were full of soft leaves, so I have bagged and listed them, so I'm hoping they will appreciate the humidity.
Cheers Tony!
Thank you 😊
My pleasure Gloria
Cheers Tony, totally followed your logic on which branches to keep and which had to go, even the accidental one 😂
🤣🤣I'm happy to sacrifice the odd accidental branch in order to make good videos. I'm basically a bonsai hero 🤣🤣
Decisions, decisions! You made some smart decisions here. I was enthused to watch this one, as you know I have 2 cherry trees potted up. They're growing like mad, the trunks have doubled in girth and I think I'm going to take your lead a do some pruning myself...lots of green branches still..cheers..thanks for the video!
its tough to not want the "instant bonsai." I think that bonsai has to really be looked at on the long term if one wants a realistic trunk. Cuts made as early as possible heal quickly in ground, big cuts make a tree look smaller if not well along in the healing process. To get a smoother more aged bark this is the way to go. I really like all these trees and since i just pruned up my carmona, i know ill have a bit of pruners remorse for not watching this first. Great video thanks Tony!
Cheers mate. I think you're spot on about trees healing quickly in the ground. That's the plan anyway, and as you say, we have to look at trees with a long term plan if we want to end up with quality bonsai.
Let's see them next year.
They're all planted in the ground now. I'll definitely do an update next spring when they are full of blossom.
I think I would have made the same decisions for these trees except for the first tree, I think I would have removed one of the 2 remaining bigger branches (the next fork in the tree) as well.
I like it when people explain why they're removing (or in other videos, wiring or positioning etc) a branch, their reasoning behind their actions and you did that in an excellent way, Tony.
Thank you. Yes, I also enjoy seeing people working on tres explaining what they are doing and why. It beats watching reality tv that's for sure!
👍👊🤙
My only suggestion is that you also have a look at the roots and sort out any major defects prior to putting them in the ground. Good luck
Yeah, I'll definitely have a basic look when I plant them, but I definitely won't be bare rooting them! 🤣
on that second tree i'd have been tempted to chop the main trunk off right above that second branch. i'd have done the same on the last one as well. I mean, i wouldn't do that personally.. but i'd like to see you do that and see how it goes 😂
🤣I worked hard not to chop off too much mate. It's so easy to end up planting a tint stump in the ground, but I think with how much I left these will soon be growing strongly which was the main aim.
@@TonysBonsai go hard or go home I say... when it comes to other peoples trees..
@@Ad_DOOM 🤣🤣
"I want to avoid swelling lower down" not always Tony surely 😂
🤣Well spotted mate. Sometimes swelling it is definitely advantageous. Especially on an already large trunk! 🤣🤣
🤣🤣 love playing spot the innuendo in your vids Tony. You never disappoint!
You say that so easily ‘Kojo No Mai’ 🤣😊
I don't like to say it, but I'm actually half Samurai! 🤣
Жертвенные ветви лучше удалять частями, тогда прирост оставляемых ветвей уменьшится.
Hi tony, can you also update on the cuttings please, I would be very interested in how they turn out 👍
Hi Les. I potted them up in some soil and have placed them in a clear plastic bag in one of my bedrooms. The leaves were still very soft, so I'm hoping the humidity will help them to stay alive and eventually put down some roots. I'll do an update in a couple of months.
@@TonysBonsai thank you
I'm very curious who got you into bonsai? how did you learn?
I started 30 years ago with a few collected trees, but I couldn't access any information to learn, so I kind of gave up, then around 2 1/2 years ago I started watching youtube videos an my passion was re-ignited. Shortly after that I had a very serious illness, and I used that time to really study, and i've never stopped!
Can fuji cherry be airlayered Tony
you made a right balls up of that first tree lol.
Why do you say that?
@@TonysBonsai cutting bits off that you never meant to take off.then trying to cover it up by saying well it was going to be removed anyway ..lol
O ye of little faith 🤣