yesterday I watched the amazing video and I must say the way you prune the roots is very bold. I forgot to say that ... Oh! its the music of Snow!!!! I never heard it before.
Wow. I can't believe the snow. It is very warm here in the balkans. First spring flowers are already done with blooming. I put my yuca tree outisde (I also repotted it).
wow Nigel.. I love the statement, work with what u have for a collected tree and to create what u want off a tree grown from seeds.. nice... :-) Nigel, how do you determine the age of a bonsai tree of a cutting???
Many of the tropical trees don't really have growth rings like the hardy trees do, so it is really hard to tell the age of a tree. A cutting of a tree is also hard. You can see how fast the tree thickens up each year and try and guess the age by the current growth rate. There are clues, things like wounds that have healed over, the bark texture, the flow of the trunk into the branches etc.But the actual age of your tree is very hard to tell. I have some very tiny trees that are close to 20 years old, but you would never be able to guess that!
Thanks again Nigel, will look out for Part 4, will be great to see it all finished. Have you made any adjustments to the positioning of the trees? I made the mistake of not planting mine close enough together, so it looks far more man made than natural.
We got enough for it to feel like winter, it stormed over night, but the strong afternoon sun melted most of it away by the end of the day. Spring has returned!
Hello Nigel! Do you always bare root and wash the roots clean when you first work on a plant? Most of the trees I started last spring/summer made it through the winter but then began to die off now that it is warming up. The only thing I did different was not bare rooting and washing them.
Hello Frank, yes I bare root almost all my trees when re potting. The bonsai soil is good for root growth and seems to hold the right amount of moisture in the soil over winter. There can be many reasons for trees to die over the winter and sometimes it is hard to know the exact cause. You will just have to keep trying different locations and methods until you find what works best.
just did my first bonsai repot thank you for all the info . I used your recipe for the soil mix!😊 can rooting hormone be used to stimulate growth in areas of the roots where needed ?
It doesn't harm the roots at all to be under water for a few days. The trees in nature are under water in many places as the snow melts in spring time. They can be under water for a month or more in some forests.
hi Nigel , i collect a pine , it was on a rockery soil and the roots that left it s not so many I put it in shade area so it wont get direct sun light and i watering the tree once a week, should i fertilize the tree or should i do something else ? thank you
It is best not to fertilize until the tree has new growth developing. Fertilizer can harm the tips of the new roots that are forming. I would try and give the tree some sunlight, it is best if it gets morning and evening sun, but no direct overhead sun in the afternoon.
as always, way off topic- i took a cutting of a fig aerial root, trimmed it up so it has kinda a trunk where it was connected to underside of branch about 1.5 cm thick and then splits into about 5 roots that i trimmed to aboot 10cm, burried it with about 2cm trunk protruding, reckon it will grow? its autumn here (Queensland) but 30 degree temps forecast for monday.
Wait for what Mr. Nigel will say. But I am sure it will grow. Check out his video "Major root surgery". If anything, just don't have it on the direct sunlight until some new growth appears. I cut my ginseng ficus totaly 1 or two roots remaining with almost no feeder roots. (I did that in the middle of the winter.. indoors, not much light).. it's doing very good. :)
I would keep the tree outside in a position that gets morning and evening sun, but no direct afternoon sun. I would try and mist the tree a couple of times a day. Once you start to see new growth, you can slowly transition the tree back to full sun. Be careful not to let the soil dry out as the new roots will be near the surface of the soil and they will die if the top layer of soil drys out. I usually place some flat stones around the tree to stop surface evaporation. This keeps the roots cooler also. Good luck!
Is there a way for me to grow a Japanese red Maple inside? I live in the desert, and I know the maple needs it's soil to be moist at all times. I would need to water it multiple times a day to keep it moist. If I put it by an eastern facing window would it be ok?
The Maples need to go dormant for the winter, you need a climate cold enough for them to loose their leaves and generate sugar in the sap for spring. I think you would have to put the tree in a refrigerator for at least 6 weeks, but I'm not sure if that would even work.
i am hoping that these series of videos thing is temporary. we want longer videos :) well, i want longer videos. especially when sparrows starts to sing.
YAY for Nigel's root work. Always a pleasure to watch good sir!
Thank you Jasper. I'm always trying to improve the root systems!
Loving this series of videos. Looking forward to the next episode. The root work is amazing .....✂✂✂
Thank you Alrene!
yesterday I watched the amazing video and I must say the way you prune the roots is very bold.
I forgot to say that ... Oh! its the music of Snow!!!! I never heard it before.
I hope the trees recover well, I always worry about them after a major operation!
Another great installment, I've been enjoying the daily videos!
Thank you Kathy, it's a real soap opera!
I like the way videos are released more often even if there are no bonuses at the end, gives me the daily bonsai and Nigel dose hahaha, keep it up :D
Thank you Champi, I always watch other people's bonsai videos each night. It's a good way to learn and keep you focused!
Holy Tree of Thunder and Growth.. You have snow!
Yes, spring comes and goes, winter tries to hang on as long as it can!
Wow. I can't believe the snow. It is very warm here in the balkans. First spring flowers are already done with blooming. I put my yuca tree outisde (I also repotted it).
The last chance of frost is usually around the end of May. I have even seen light snow in early June here. Summer does come soon after that!
great series...thank you
Thank you Michael, I'm getting closer to the end, part four coming soon!
wow Nigel.. I love the statement, work with what u have for a collected tree and to create what u want off a tree grown from seeds.. nice... :-)
Nigel, how do you determine the age of a bonsai tree of a cutting???
Many of the tropical trees don't really have growth rings like the hardy trees do, so it is really hard to tell the age of a tree. A cutting of a tree is also hard. You can see how fast the tree thickens up each year and try and guess the age by the current growth rate. There are clues, things like wounds that have healed over, the bark texture, the flow of the trunk into the branches etc.But the actual age of your tree is very hard to tell. I have some very tiny trees that are close to 20 years old, but you would never be able to guess that!
Nigel Saunders thank you so very much....!!!
прекрасные лиственницы, потрясающий лес! Найджел, сделайте, пожалуйста, видео о вашей яблоне, очень хочется увидеть её )
Яблоня страдает, у нее заболевание ржавчиной, и многие ветви умирают, я сделаю обновление этой весной, к лучшему или к худшему.
very sad (
Thanks again Nigel, will look out for Part 4, will be great to see it all finished. Have you made any adjustments to the positioning of the trees? I made the mistake of not planting mine close enough together, so it looks far more man made than natural.
I did adjust the positions slightly and the fronts of the trees slightly also.
I caught up with the other parts today, really enjoyed the series!
Oh I'm sure glad we didn't get that snow in Saskatchewan.
The snow is all gone today, my son and I were out in the ball diamond playing catch!
Canada...shiver!
Its back to warmer weather for now!
How much snow did you guys get. I'll level with you I hate snow and the cold lol.
O'Neil 🌴✌🏾
We got enough for it to feel like winter, it stormed over night, but the strong afternoon sun melted most of it away by the end of the day. Spring has returned!
Bom. diaaaaa. meu. amigo. Parabéns teus vídeos tão Parabéns
Obrigado, a parte 4 será publicada amanhã!
Nigel do you ever nic the sides of the thicker roots to promote growth further back?
I have done it on maples and It might work on the Larches also. I'll see how the roots look in another few years and give it a try.
Hello Nigel! Do you always bare root and wash the roots clean when you first work on a plant? Most of the trees I started last spring/summer made it through the winter but then began to die off now that it is warming up. The only thing I did different was not bare rooting and washing them.
Hello Frank, yes I bare root almost all my trees when re potting. The bonsai soil is good for root growth and seems to hold the right amount of moisture in the soil over winter. There can be many reasons for trees to die over the winter and sometimes it is hard to know the exact cause. You will just have to keep trying different locations and methods until you find what works best.
just did my first bonsai repot thank you for all the info . I used your recipe for the soil mix!😊 can rooting hormone be used to stimulate growth in areas of the roots where needed ?
Yes, rooting hormone has been shown to help promote more root growth.
thank you ! :)
it's a little fukien tea
Why you let the trees so much time in the water?
Nice vid btw :)
It doesn't harm the roots at all to be under water for a few days. The trees in nature are under water in many places as the snow melts in spring time. They can be under water for a month or more in some forests.
hi Nigel , i collect a pine , it was on a rockery soil and the roots that left it s not so many
I put it in shade area so it wont get direct sun light and i watering the tree once a week,
should i fertilize the tree or should i do something else ? thank you
It is best not to fertilize until the tree has new growth developing. Fertilizer can harm the tips of the new roots that are forming. I would try and give the tree some sunlight, it is best if it gets morning and evening sun, but no direct overhead sun in the afternoon.
ok thank you sir
Do you have a video about all the tools you use? If not, can you make one?
He's got one where Hong from his club goes through all the different bonsai tools.
Here is the video that Jasper is referring to....
ruclips.net/video/r2p3vL45WcM/видео.html
Thanks Jasper!
Nigel Saunders thank you
as always, way off topic- i took a cutting of a fig aerial root, trimmed it up so it has kinda a trunk where it was connected to underside of branch about 1.5 cm thick and then splits into about 5 roots that i trimmed to aboot 10cm, burried it with about 2cm trunk protruding, reckon it will grow? its autumn here (Queensland) but 30 degree temps forecast for monday.
Wait for what Mr. Nigel will say. But I am sure it will grow. Check out his video "Major root surgery". If anything, just don't have it on the direct sunlight until some new growth appears. I cut my ginseng ficus totaly 1 or two roots remaining with almost no feeder roots. (I did that in the middle of the winter.. indoors, not much light).. it's doing very good. :)
ok might bring it inside
no, on second thought i just gonna stick a little cocktail umbrella above it:)
:D Just make sure it's not a big umbrella. You don't want to keep it in a complete shade :)
I would keep the tree outside in a position that gets morning and evening sun, but no direct afternoon sun. I would try and mist the tree a couple of times a day. Once you start to see new growth, you can slowly transition the tree back to full sun. Be careful not to let the soil dry out as the new roots will be near the surface of the soil and they will die if the top layer of soil drys out. I usually place some flat stones around the tree to stop surface evaporation. This keeps the roots cooler also. Good luck!
Black roots dead / orange alive - is that fairly common in other tree species?
You will find this in pines and junipers also.
Kewl, thanks - I'm thinking of making my first bonsai an evergreen so that will help.
How long did the whole process take you? Video 1-5?
I think it took about 6 hours total, but if I wasn't making a video, it would go much more quickly.
you may have mentioned this in another video, but how do you get moss to grow when the tree isn't in a greenhouse or other humid area?
You need to water it at least twice a day, so bonsai soil is a must for good drainage. Pick moss that is growing in full sun and it should work fine.
Thank you!
Is there a way for me to grow a Japanese red Maple inside? I live in the desert, and I know the maple needs it's soil to be moist at all times. I would need to water it multiple times a day to keep it moist. If I put it by an eastern facing window would it be ok?
The Maples need to go dormant for the winter, you need a climate cold enough for them to loose their leaves and generate sugar in the sap for spring. I think you would have to put the tree in a refrigerator for at least 6 weeks, but I'm not sure if that would even work.
Ok thanks
i am hoping that these series of videos thing is temporary. we want longer videos :) well, i want longer videos. especially when sparrows starts to sing.
The longer ones will be coming. I had a busy week and could only get a few hours per day to video. Thanks!
Nigel Please can you give me one of Bonsai, is hard time to have one here. I have no one to ask other than you. I hope you understand.
It is best to start your own from native trees in your area or from seeds you can collect. I need to keep my trees to make more videos!
Aish, I just don't know where to get one. Okay than I'll search somewhere near my area stores.