Hi Nigel, I never thought of making a Yucca into a bonsai. You proved that you can bonsai any tree, if you have enough imagination. I quite like the two yuccas that you worked on. Very inspirational I think. Congrats.
Yes, I was happy with the result, it lasted just long enough for the wound to heal, and then it slowly disappeared with rain and watering. I will use it again!
I usually use candle wax to seal these. Just light a candle and let the melting wax drip over the cut and slightly over. It stays for ages and doesn't seem to hurt the tree.
Yes, I think you could create an awesome yucca tree from a young plant! Their are some really good images of Joshua trees on the internet, these are a type of Yucca. The trees in this video are doing really well, lots of new growth from the cut points, I'm excited about them!
Good luck Nigel!!! Your enthusiasm is contagious. Apologies for going off on a tangent, but as you were pruning back so hard, I thought I would ask about a Pine tree (very young) that I have retrieved from a shady spot in the garden. It has grown very long and thin to catch some light. I have re-potted it but it looks silly due to it's shape. Do Pine's take to hard-pruning like you have done with the Yucca? It's only young and about 1/4 inch in diameter and I thought I would take it back to about 3 inches in height if it could handle the shock...?
You can prune a pine back hard, if you keep good healthy needles below the cut point. Pruning back into old wood without any green needles will kill the tree in 99 percent of the cases. Have a look at the video I did on the Scots pine. I pruned some of the branches as far back as safely possible. The tree is budding out now behind the cuts! ruclips.net/video/cSZwX26jfnM/видео.html
After i broke my yucca, I have used the ash made from carbon in the coal stove, but i guess wooden ash will also work. It dried out nicely and left some gray color
My yucca is more than 5 years but still thin. How can I make it so' fat' as yours(sorry for my poor English)? Should I cut it often? I found out that there is no much information about yucca bonsai in Russian...
I'm growing a red huckleberry plant and I need some help. I've potted the wild plant and it's about 25 cm tall. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for growing something like this. I haven't seen a bonsai made from a berry bush, but the huckleberry plants have very small very nice little leaves.
Try google images for "red current bonsai", there are some nice examples. Also check out..... ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t3525-red-currant Hope this helps!
Hey, I got this huge yucca eliphantipes, it was like 6 feet tall, I cut it back to 2/3 feet. It has a real big truck almost like a real elephant foot. Im nog using any woundpast and it now has u huge scare.. it looks healty but you meantions "die back" in this video is it possible for the tree to completly die back ? because it only has one branch/truck left.
I have an update on the tree here.... ruclips.net/video/4B9YzHsDckI/видео.html I don't think your tree will die, after the pruning, you will probably get a lot of new shoots. Check out this video also...... ruclips.net/video/jN5IHaAesG8/видео.html I used white glue as a wound paste and it kept the pruning point from drying out until it naturally healed. The white glue just washes away in a couple of weeks after it's done it's job.
You need a free draining soil, this allows you to water the tree more often without keeping the soil and roots too wet. The indoor moss needs a humid room like a basement or a plant room with some lights or sunshine. When the tree goes outdoors, your indoor moss will need some transition time to get used to full sunlight. When collecting moss to use, get moss that is growing in the sun, not shade moss. Mist the moss in hot dry weather, if it drys out too much it will turn brown.
Yes, I begin to fertilize about this time of year (late spring) and stop in late fall. I use a very small amount of 20-20-20 with every watering. I use just a pinch of powdered fertilizer mixed with my watering can. Too much fertilizer and the tree grow too fast with course growth.
+Nigel Saunders thanks, by the way I have recently fallen in love with wisteria and would love to grow one as a bonsai, but there are no good videos on how to bonsai them. do u have one?
Hi Nigel, I never thought of making a Yucca into a bonsai. You proved that you can bonsai any tree, if you have enough imagination. I quite like the two yuccas that you worked on. Very inspirational I think. Congrats.
Nigel Sir , tree have beautiful trunk . Best of Luck
Trees have a habit of not back budding where you want them to, reducing leaf size & ramification will be challenging. Good Luck with both.
Thanks, I'll need luck on these trees!
Now that is some pruning...Eager to see the results and regrowth...Thanks...
Wow painful to watch that much cut away! I love your willingness to just got for it! Makes me want just cut away at mine!
'Every tree has a story.' Exactly!
Did the wood-working glue work?
Yes, I was happy with the result, it lasted just long enough for the wound to heal, and then it slowly disappeared with rain and watering. I will use it again!
I usually use candle wax to seal these. Just light a candle and let the melting wax drip over the cut and slightly over. It stays for ages and doesn't seem to hurt the tree.
Thank you for the tip, sounds like a good idea!
Good luck Nigel that would be a very difficult specimen to deal with indeed
With a tree like, that, it would be best to start from seed or a cutting, to start the branching you want very early.
Yes, I think you could create an awesome yucca tree from a young plant! Their are some really good images of Joshua trees on the internet, these are a type of Yucca. The trees in this video are doing really well, lots of new growth from the cut points, I'm excited about them!
Good luck Nigel!!! Your enthusiasm is contagious.
Apologies for going off on a tangent, but as you were pruning back so hard, I thought I would ask about a Pine tree (very young) that I have retrieved from a shady spot in the garden. It has grown very long and thin to catch some light. I have re-potted it but it looks silly due to it's shape. Do Pine's take to hard-pruning like you have done with the Yucca? It's only young and about 1/4 inch in diameter and I thought I would take it back to about 3 inches in height if it could handle the shock...?
You can prune a pine back hard, if you keep good healthy needles below the cut point. Pruning back into old wood without any green needles will kill the tree in 99 percent of the cases. Have a look at the video I did on the Scots pine. I pruned some of the branches as far back as safely possible. The tree is budding out now behind the cuts!
ruclips.net/video/cSZwX26jfnM/видео.html
Amazing! Thanks for the link...that is exactly the info I need for both my little pines. Nigel to the rescue...:)
I actually liked how it looked about 9 minutes into the video
Sir does it sprouts when We chopped the stem of yucca tree wt time does it taken to sprouts?
Yes, they will sprout new shoots on the old wood, it takes 3 to 4 weeks before they appear. I will be releasing a video on the Yucca forest tonight!
Hi Nigel always look forward to seeing your videos what wood glue did you use
I used just regular non waterproof white wood working glue. It washes off after a few good rain storms.
Yucca is more of a windswept, literati, possibly cascading or informal upright
After i broke my yucca, I have used the ash made from carbon in the coal stove, but i guess wooden ash will also work. It dried out nicely and left some gray color
for the sealing I mean
That sounds like a good technique for sealing the wound and preventing infection, thanks!
How old is this tree?
Yucca branch after flowering. If you want it to branch then encourage flowering.
Thank you, great tip!
My yucca is more than 5 years but still thin. How can I make it so' fat' as yours(sorry for my poor English)? Should I cut it often? I found out that there is no much information about yucca bonsai in Russian...
I'm growing a red huckleberry plant and I need some help. I've potted the wild plant and it's about 25 cm tall. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for growing something like this. I haven't seen a bonsai made from a berry bush, but the huckleberry plants have very small very nice little leaves.
Try google images for "red current bonsai", there are some nice examples. Also check out.....
ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t3525-red-currant
Hope this helps!
Nigel Saunders thanks!
Hayden Fox h
Hey, I got this huge yucca eliphantipes, it was like 6 feet tall, I cut it back to 2/3 feet. It has a real big truck almost like a real elephant foot. Im nog using any woundpast and it now has u huge scare.. it looks healty but you meantions "die back" in this video is it possible for the tree to completly die back ? because it only has one branch/truck left.
I'm not using any woundpaste*
I have an update on the tree here....
ruclips.net/video/4B9YzHsDckI/видео.html
I don't think your tree will die, after the pruning, you will probably get a lot of new shoots. Check out this video also......
ruclips.net/video/jN5IHaAesG8/видео.html
I used white glue as a wound paste and it kept the pruning point from drying out until it naturally healed. The white glue just washes away in a couple of weeks after it's done it's job.
Nigel Saunders thnx ;)
Would it be okay to use the same soil you made in your soil video for a juniper bonsai, do you use that soil for all your bonsai
Yes, I would use more composted pine bark instead of compost for coniferous trees.
+Nigel Saunders thanks, I wasn't sure what to use for my junipers
Yes, I would add more sifted composted pine bark to a soil specifically for conifers.
Which season is better to chopping
I like to hard prune the tropical trees early to mid summer. This gives them time to recover in good weather.
How do you grow moss on bonsai trees?
You need a free draining soil, this allows you to water the tree more often without keeping the soil and roots too wet. The indoor moss needs a humid room like a basement or a plant room with some lights or sunshine. When the tree goes outdoors, your indoor moss will need some transition time to get used to full sunlight. When collecting moss to use, get moss that is growing in the sun, not shade moss. Mist the moss in hot dry weather, if it drys out too much it will turn brown.
Nigel, do you fertilize your trees?
Yes, I begin to fertilize about this time of year (late spring) and stop in late fall. I use a very small amount of 20-20-20 with every watering. I use just a pinch of powdered fertilizer mixed with my watering can. Too much fertilizer and the tree grow too fast with course growth.
woa every watering, must be a tiny pinch then! :p
I add about a top to a liter of water, then sneak in some of that a day after watering.
how fast do these grow
Under the right conditions they can grow quickly, generally I get 6 to 10 inches per year. (15 to 25 cm)
+Nigel Saunders thanks, by the way I have recently fallen in love with wisteria and would love to grow one as a bonsai, but there are no good videos on how to bonsai them. do u have one?
Mikbonsai (see comment above) has a good video for Wisteria...
love the trunk
is there any new sprout now ?
Yes the tree is doing really well, video coming soon!
do you have any chilli pepper bonsai they make very nice tree and easy to care for :)
stevegot710 I have seeds coming from Norway in the mail. I'm excited about starting some fancy pepper trees!
awesomeee :D cant wait to see thattt with your skills youll get a nice looking tree in no time