Great source of information for sure. Keep it up. That's a nice tree too. One thing I noticed was that the higher of the two apexes had a thinner trunk. Would you consider that a flaw (as the thicker trunk naturally would have grown higher)?
Some eagle eyes you have there! You are quite correct that in nature it’s usually the taller trunk that is the thicker of the tree, although I’m sure there are exceptions caused by some or other environmental factor or some event. The trunks are very close to one another in girth, the difference is certainly not obvious unless one is looking for a fault. Ideally the taller one would be noticeably thicker. It’s not and I have to work with the material I have and in fact I cover this concept in the video. As these trees’ foliage fills out readily one shouldn’t notice this as much as now. I don’t really have a solution which I think will advance the tree rather than set it back. One thing is for sure, I cannot cut off one of the trunks, neither can I dramatically reduce the height of the thinner trunk as there is nothing to replace the apex. Do you have any suggestions you’d be willing to share?
@@TerryErasmusbonsai it’s definitely not something you would notice on a first glance, i think if your video hadn’t been as long I might not have figured out what exactly ‚bugged‘ me (it’s a great tree so it’s not really a problem). Since you don’t want to reduce the height of the apex, which is understandable, the only solution I see is to let the left side of the tree grow just a little stronger over a decade (maybe by thinning out the right side a tad more) in hopes that it balances out eventually in the long run
@@Bonsaifly it’s not so much not wanting to reduce the height, if you saw the tree in person you’d see just how leggy the branches are. Cutting off the existing apex will not advance the tree. In my experience, to correct a trunk issue like this one needs to be quite purposeful and just allowing a little more growth on one side than the other is unlikely to make a meaningful difference especially when you take into account this species takes a long time to thicken at the best of times. Maybe a solution presents itself in the future but in the meantime I don’t believe it detracts from enjoying for what it is as it is and accepting this less than ideal situation as part of its uniqueness
Great instructions. ! I have a weird question on grafting. If im grafting to the trunk should the scion face upward or can it go downward? I would think face the graft down so that when wiring u wouldnt have to force an upward scion down and have a chance of breaking it. I usually see everyone face the scion upward on the trunk i guess cause its easier to insert it that way
Hi Chris, I have wondered a lot about this myself and cannot give you a definitive answer yet. I have tried grafting down for the same reason you mention however they have not taken. I believe it is related to the sapflow. I don't believe it has anything to do with the ease of inserting the scion though, why I too have also only seen the grafts being done facing up.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai thank u terry for the info and reply. It is interesting but as u say it prob has to do with sapflow. I have never tried it before . U would think the scion would be able to pull the sap no matter what. Thanks again
Thank you for the explanation Terry. Question: can you explain how can we achief the foliage pads in other species for example deciduous trees or tropical trees?
Thanks for the question Sabik. Essentially its the same as all trees grow much the same when it comes to this character as they all need sunlight. You will find some subtle differences in the way that the branches are positioned (perhaps tighter or more open, the tips level or turned up slightly towards the sun {in the case of pines}) perhaps but my approach to all species is roughly the same I believe. However the canopy, which is a collection of pads of course will be dramatically different between conifers, deciduous and tropical etc.
Good question! I say the same direction. The reason is that when you have wire bite the sapflow is disrupted. If you then wire across the wire bite and get wire bite again (and in some species particularly the conifers you allow the wire bite to a great degree as removing the wire before then will often mean the branches don't retain their position) then you will create sort of block like shapes and interrupting the sapflow even further. So I just try to wire adjacent to where the old wire bite was. Practically speaking, sometimes its not possible to wire in the opposite direction and the direction is determined by where you need to anchor the wire and how you want to bend the branch. If you want to propose a different way of thinking please feel free to share.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai thanks terry - that reasoning makes sense -- your videos are a great help -- another question if I may --- to help wisteria to flower is it best to spoil or stress and does good autumn colour have any relation to next years flowers ( I have a gifted a 20yr old wisteria that has never flowered)
Excellent overview of many aspects of styling/designing our trees. I picked up several new tips. Thank you for these informative videos.
Thanks so much Jeff! That’s great for me to get such positive feedback
This channel is more than the source of good information, but the best information. Thank you and well done.
Wow, thanks Liam!
This is such a good video to come back to again (and then a few more times in my case :) to remind me of the basics when I get stuck ❤
That’s great to know Wesley! Thanks for that feedback.
This is an excellent video. Thank you for sharing your expertise so clearly. Extremely helpful.
You're very welcome Benjamin!
Amazing lesson as always Terry. I picked up a lot of things to try on my trees!
Wonderful! Thanks for watching
Thank you. Good info on hinoki cypress. Nice materiaal to work with.
Glad it was helpful Benny!
Thanks for these great instructional videos at no cost to me 🎉❤
Ha ha, well I am glad you enjoy them.
Some valuable lessons, thanks Terry
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks
Very kind of you Scott. Thanks so much.
Great video thanks Terry
Thanks for watching Kevin!
That is beautiful. I have to invest into some good wire.
And thank you, I understand autumn.
You’re welcome 😊 Ha ha ha, glad we got Autumn/Fall out the way.
Great video. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Beautiful tree. Well done 👏
Thank you Sam! Cheers!
Good stuff..not sure how I have never caught your videos before, but you earned my sub.
Awesome Kevin. Thank you!
great video Terry thanks. one question when is the best time to wire the branches
Great question. Best is between growth spurts, so just before growth in spring and then again before the 2nd flush of growth in summer.
Thanks for the reply and for your great videos
@leoanastas my pleasure. Thank you for your support.
Great source of information for sure. Keep it up. That's a nice tree too. One thing I noticed was that the higher of the two apexes had a thinner trunk. Would you consider that a flaw (as the thicker trunk naturally would have grown higher)?
Some eagle eyes you have there! You are quite correct that in nature it’s usually the taller trunk that is the thicker of the tree, although I’m sure there are exceptions caused by some or other environmental factor or some event.
The trunks are very close to one another in girth, the difference is certainly not obvious unless one is looking for a fault. Ideally the taller one would be noticeably thicker.
It’s not and I have to work with the material I have and in fact I cover this concept in the video. As these trees’ foliage fills out readily one shouldn’t notice this as much as now. I don’t really have a solution which I think will advance the tree rather than set it back. One thing is for sure, I cannot cut off one of the trunks, neither can I dramatically reduce the height of the thinner trunk as there is nothing to replace the apex.
Do you have any suggestions you’d be willing to share?
@@TerryErasmusbonsai it’s definitely not something you would notice on a first glance, i think if your video hadn’t been as long I might not have figured out what exactly ‚bugged‘ me (it’s a great tree so it’s not really a problem).
Since you don’t want to reduce the height of the apex, which is understandable, the only solution I see is to let the left side of the tree grow just a little stronger over a decade (maybe by thinning out the right side a tad more) in hopes that it balances out eventually in the long run
@@Bonsaifly it’s not so much not wanting to reduce the height, if you saw the tree in person you’d see just how leggy the branches are. Cutting off the existing apex will not advance the tree.
In my experience, to correct a trunk issue like this one needs to be quite purposeful and just allowing a little more growth on one side than the other is unlikely to make a meaningful difference especially when you take into account this species takes a long time to thicken at the best of times.
Maybe a solution presents itself in the future but in the meantime I don’t believe it detracts from enjoying for what it is as it is and accepting this less than ideal situation as part of its uniqueness
@@TerryErasmusbonsai that makes sense.
As I said, it’s a very enjoyable tree already so this is just something I was curious about :)
Bravo ,baie leersaam ,dankieT
Thanks Arno! Ek waardeer dit.
Great instructions. ! I have a weird question on grafting. If im grafting to the trunk should the scion face upward or can it go downward? I would think face the graft down so that when wiring u wouldnt have to force an upward scion down and have a chance of breaking it. I usually see everyone face the scion upward on the trunk i guess cause its easier to insert it that way
Hi Chris, I have wondered a lot about this myself and cannot give you a definitive answer yet. I have tried grafting down for the same reason you mention however they have not taken. I believe it is related to the sapflow. I don't believe it has anything to do with the ease of inserting the scion though, why I too have also only seen the grafts being done facing up.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai thank u terry for the info and reply. It is interesting but as u say it prob has to do with sapflow. I have never tried it before . U would think the scion would be able to pull the sap no matter what. Thanks again
Thank you for the explanation Terry. Question: can you explain how can we achief the foliage pads in other species for example deciduous trees or tropical trees?
Thanks for the question Sabik. Essentially its the same as all trees grow much the same when it comes to this character as they all need sunlight. You will find some subtle differences in the way that the branches are positioned (perhaps tighter or more open, the tips level or turned up slightly towards the sun {in the case of pines}) perhaps but my approach to all species is roughly the same I believe. However the canopy, which is a collection of pads of course will be dramatically different between conifers, deciduous and tropical etc.
How long do you leave the wires on for?
This differs based on how strong the tree is and how tight you made the wire. Best is to eyeball the tree and act appropriately
second wiring is in the opposite direction?
Good question! I say the same direction. The reason is that when you have wire bite the sapflow is disrupted. If you then wire across the wire bite and get wire bite again (and in some species particularly the conifers you allow the wire bite to a great degree as removing the wire before then will often mean the branches don't retain their position) then you will create sort of block like shapes and interrupting the sapflow even further. So I just try to wire adjacent to where the old wire bite was. Practically speaking, sometimes its not possible to wire in the opposite direction and the direction is determined by where you need to anchor the wire and how you want to bend the branch. If you want to propose a different way of thinking please feel free to share.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai thanks terry - that reasoning makes sense -- your videos are a great help -- another question if I may --- to help wisteria to flower is it best to spoil or stress and does good autumn colour have any relation to next years flowers ( I have a gifted a 20yr old wisteria that has never flowered)
👍👍👍
Many thanks!
👍😍
Thanks for watching Harriet!
@@TerryErasmusbonsai my pleasure Terry.