Thanks! I also have some footage of the top of the forest during the pruning stage, but decided to leave it out of the video because it's just a big load of leaves; you can't see the arrangement from above in real life. 🌳👍🏻
@@BlueSkyBonsai En cuanto lo haga te lo mando, aunque creo lo dejaré para la primavera que viene. Los plantones que tengo aún son muy "bebés" y no tienen casi ramificación.
Thanks Raphael, got a couple of videos planned but having difficulty with time this summer.. maybe in the next week or two ... cheers, I really appreciate your support!
Thanks Scott! To be honest I filmed this back in May, I've been so busy it's taken me this long to edit and publish. Enjoy your ginkgos, its a brilliant species.
Cheers Jered! These Ginkgos are super vigorous + here's the cherry on the cake: they just don't seem to get any infections or insect infestations. Apart from being a v.cool species. Name is considered to bea spelling mistake that stuck! 👍🏻🍻🍻
@@BlueSkyBonsai i failed at germinating some ginko seeds a while back. Your forest makes me want to give it another shot. Im torn between rooting for England (who I picked to win from the beginning)....and Italy (where both Laura and my maternal sides came from before the USA.
@@jarheadbonsai well, you could take the view of pitying poor England, it's our first final since 1966. So even if we don't win, this is already the best we have done in my life! 🍻🍻
Thanks Ian! Yep I think so, but I also think the pot had something to do with it. The old pot was defo too small and after I unpotted them that pot somehow slid off the table and smashed... must have been destiny's way of telling me the old pot was no good!
To make a forest is something huge . Good for being so lucky. I don't have a garden like that not even in my dream but yesterday I got my first ginko from a e-shop. In Italy we don't have that much of mini plants in physical shop so if you want one of them overpay and wait. It's one of my fav bonsai and when it turns out to be yellow is pure gold
Thanks! Yes the ginkgo is a really special tree. If you're interested, there is an amazing resource here in Europe all about gingkos: kwanten.home.xs4all.nl/
Thanks so much! Yeah ginkgos are such cool trees. It's a sad fact that they are on the world list of endangered species. Because nobody wants the female trees (because of the bad smell). Thanks for your comment!
Very nice forest. Had not considered a grouping using Ginkgo. But will now, if I can find them, in suitable sizes. Like the pot you selected. Have a huge Chi-Chi Ginkgo, the wife loves. Pot top to top is just near 36” and 16+” wide. Will keep as pointy dome top, and open enough to catch space between branching. We are thinking of visiting Peter’s bonsai nursery and short tour of England in the future. Thanks for another great video.
Thanks Jeff! Yes in my opinion they're good for forests because of their vertical growth habit. Your ginkgo sounds enormous, reminds me of a joke someone told me the other day, do you know the name that bonsai specialists give to a very large bonsai? A tree. Anyway, if you do visit Herons in UK, I recommend contact Peter in advance of your trip so that you know he'll be there. I asked him to sign my copy of the Masterclass book and he did it with pride! He also allows guests to stay in the Herons guesthouse for a relatively low cost. A curious fact, I grew up in the nearest town to Herons - East Grinstead. The nursery wasn't there back then though.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Made error in measuring height of our large Ginkgo. Total height is 35.25” including pot. Pot is 11.5 inches tall, and received from nearby potter.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Tried shallower pot. Long story short - had to put into current pot, which it is still thriving in. As Mr Chan and several other long time bonsai masters have said, small is preferred and what is typically thought of - but anything that can be potted, that is “larger” can still be considered a Bonsai. However, likely, in a year or two, try coaxing into a shallower pot. In stages of coarse. 😁
Amazing channel. Best produced bonsai channel I've seen. I love the gingko trees. I hope to put them in my collection. Good to know about the cultivars.
Wow…that came out absolutely sick. And thank you for doing all that book reading so we don’t have to! Will be pruning my horrible juniper forest up one of these days and this is sure to help. Cheers Dave!
Thanks Colin! phew I tell you one thing: I'm not going to create a forest on a windy day again. It took probably double the time because of wiring each tree down as I went along. Anyway, it's done now, it can stay in the pot for a couple of years or 3 before I need to repot it. Enjoy pruning your forest! 🍻
Beautiful video, Dave. I like your choice and the idea of making together inspirations from two great masters. I can't wait to see the forest with autumn colors
Thanks so much! And great call, in autumn I must do an update with the golden leaves. I wonder if the two different batches will change color together or at different times. 🤷♂️
Well done Dave! I love forest bonsai plantings, I currently have 7 bald cypress trees that will be ready for potting next February. Living in south Florida they will do great.
Thanks so much Jack! Yes I've decided to make several more forests in the next couple of years, as well as looking great they are also a convenient way to put a load of thin trunked trees in one pot! 🌳👍🏻
Hey thanks for checking in! All is well here, just had a super busy summer. Things are getting back to normal now, and I have a new video due this Saturday, if all goes to plan.
love the leaves on those trees! I am so jealous you got to meet Peter, we were set to go to London (I live in Canada) when covid hit and wrecked our travel plans. I am hoping to get there soon though :)
When you do finally meet him you will see how kind and lovely he is. He gave me two English oak shoots and a mame zelkova. He didn't want to take my money! He also signed my copy of his book.
Yes you can use shoots of any thickness. It makes the forest more interesting if you can use various different thicknesses. Choose the thickest one as your primary tree.
Love the video Dave! As others have mentioned, the illustrations and animations are absolute top quality and really helps bring the info across. I would say next to Bonsai Mirai your videos are the most clear and informative I can find. Now I'm inspired to make a forest of my own!
Thanks so much PPP! LOL I don't get as many views as Bonsai Mirai but I'm flattered 😊 One thing about the deciduous forest, if I could do it again I would do it in early spring before leafing out, just as the leaf buds are swelling. Then the wind wouldn't keep blowing them over! Also I did this in May and I had to keep it indoors and humid (frequently misting) for about three weeks after, to stop the leaves from wilting in the hot Madrid sun. Would not have been necessary in March with new leaves starting to unfurl in the cooler air.
@@BlueSkyBonsai If you keep producing quality content like this, the views will come! (at least in my idealistic world.. :P I can imagine wind being a problem, especially on that raised porch of yours. The result is beautiful nonetheless. On a completely different bonsai-related subject: I just bought a nursery stock Fuji cherry "Kojo-no-mai" shrub, inspired by Darren over on Gro Bonsai ruclips.net/video/OEw8dARL9Tw/видео.html . We're in the middle of summer here in Stockholm, Sweden (Zone 7b) and I don't know if I should repot it now or keep it in its nursery container until next spring. We can get cold winters sometimes, with around -10C for extended periods of time and I'm thinking it's warmer(?) in the bigger nursery container, filled with organic stuff. Thanks a lot in advance! Nice new website btw :)
@@PVProduktion Hi! Thanks again for your kind words! And sorry to tell you that RUclips blocked your reply comment for some reason; I can only guess it's because of the URL in the middle. Anyway, I've seen it now in the "comments held for review" section. When you get a new bonsai, it's *not* usually advisable to repot straight away, sometimes it is better to let it get accustomed to its environment then repot in spring. But if you noticed the water doesn't drain through the soil, or that the roots have become too dense and potbound, then you could do an emergency repot, ... slip pot it into a bigger pot without root-pruning, then you could do the "full" repot job in spring as the new leaf buds start swelling. Or just after flowering has finished, if you want to enjoy the flowers first. HTH 😊
@@BlueSkyBonsai Thanks a lot for the reply, it really helps! I'll leave it be until spring for a proper repot :) (Your enthusiasm for Ginkgos rubbed off and I found a "Troll"-variety (grafted) at a specialist plant nursery - excited about its future!)
Hi Dave. I met Mr Chan a few weeks back when I visited his nursery. Could have spent the whole day there. Unfortunately he had a class to teach but made the time to say hello. Lovely gentlemen. I purchased one of these trees this morning and then you have uploaded this video! Thanks for the information. One question I do have is about reporting. I thought the general rule of thumb was to only repot deciduous trees in the dormant period?
Hi Colin, yes I have to agree he's a lovely guy. Ginkgos are really special, you have just got yourself into a piece of dinosaur history! Yeah normally I wouldn't repot ginkgos as late as May but just didnt get time in March or April this year. A bit of TLC for a few weeks after the repot and all nine trees were fine. The thumbnail photo was taken this morning, about 6 weeks after repotting. Cheers 🌳👍🏻
Exllent . thanks for charing . Just i guss the leaves are big for the eye . i want to say it will better if we use trees got small leaves . Anyway great .
Hola David. Me encantan tus vídeos y me estoy poniendo al día. Te has ganado un nuevo suscriptor. Una pregunta, ya que veo que te gustan muchos los arces. ¿Sería compatible hacer un pequeño bosque con tres arces de diferente variedad? Uno es arce del azúcar, otro es arce rojo y por último arce del amor.
Hola Pedroman, gracias! me alegra que te gusten mis vídeos. Yo creo que sí, puedes hacer un pequeño bosque de tres arces distintos. Necesitan el mismo sustrato, y mas o menos las mismas necesidades de luz, agua y abono. Si no te gusta el imagen del bosque después de un par de años, siempre es posible separar los árboles de nuevo. Si decides hacer el bosque, me encantaría ver una foto!! dave@blueskybonsai.com
@@BlueSkyBonsai Muchísimas gracias por responder. Las plantas en principio me llegarán pequeñas, y las plantaré juntas en una maceta con profundidad para que engorden de tronco y cuando tengan el grosor que me gusten, las pasaré a una maceta más plana para que resalten más y engrosen de nebari. Sí, te mandaré una foto y con el tiempo te iré mandando para que puedas apreciar el avance.
@@pedroman2197 perfecto! Pero una cosa: aunque vas a juntar los árboles en un bosque, te vendría mejor mantenerlos en macetas separadas para la fase de engrosar los troncos, porque si no, tu primera poda de raíces será muy difícil. Podar raíces grandes es complicado, dejando las raíces finas radiales. Y separar raíces en general es un trabajo delicado. Hacer los dos a la vez es casi imposible. Pues eso es mi consejo, pero al final eres tú quien tiene que decidir!
Beautiful forest Dave. I wish I could find material like that here in Connecticut. I’m curious why you composed this when the trees were in full leaf and not in spring when most repotting is done. Keep growing. Thanks
Thanks Matt. Yeah ideally you would want to create it in spring as they're all budding. But I ran out of time in early spring. I filmed the work in May.. a couple of the trees drooped a bit on the first sunny day, but now in July all 9 trees are doing great. Cheers!
And as you've rightly mentioned that, I think I will add to the description that I did this work in May. It's probably getting risky to root prune ginkgos now in july. Btw, although you can't easily find ginkgo material in Connecticut, I know in some other regions of US like Minnesota they are used as street trees so you might be able to get some cuttings sent to you? If not, surely there are abundant seeds, and it would be really cool to grow ginkgo from seeds I think.
Hi! Good idea, someday I'll do a video on raised roots, but it might be a long time away... I have zero spare time at the moment. Thanks for your suggestion!
Hi, if you want the trunks to be like the ginkgos in this video, the thickest trunks are 9 years old, and the youngest ones are only 5 years old. But if you want, you can make a forest with many more very young trees, like 2 or 3 year old maples with very thin trunks. You are the artist; you choose the tree sizes that you want for your design. HTH.
I would love to do this someday. Looks lovely! But for now, I'm just gonna learn to keep them alive and stuff. XD Also, I don't have room for big things. :p
🌳👍🏻 if you do, I recommend do it in early spring when its leaf buds are just starting to swell, not in May like I did. The wind kept blowing my trees over while I was positioning them. I've been thinking about doing a video just on watering. It sounds like a simple topic, but it's the biggest cause of plant death! At least lack of watering.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Yes, I will try to remember that. :) It sure is! And I'd like to see that one. I'm constantly afraid of over and underwatering them. I lost one of my apple trees to underwatering (probably because the roots were so small that even though just the topsoil was drying, it was enough to kill the baby tree. I've been very careful with my other baby trees from seeds since then). But so far I haven't lost any to overwatering at least. XD
@@SysterYster Hi! I just saw your reply now; for some reason YT blocked it, I found it in the "held for review" section. I don't know why YT does that.. anyway seen it now. Sorry to hear about your apple tree ... that is indeed a bummer. It might help you to consider that I have NEVER lost a tree to over watering, and I water them tons. Okay so I'm in Madrid and we have a heat wave so I'm watering them all 3 times every day, now maybe that could look like overwatering in Sweden but, if they're in direct sunlight, and it's summer you probably need to do twice a day, and maybe three on the occasional sweltering hot day. If you have good draining soil, and the pot are not sitting in a puddle of stagnant water, then you can't overwater them! (think of trees in the rain!! Trees in nature don't die to overwatering!!) PS. maybe succulents are the exception.. they probably suffer if their soil is permanently wet.
So hello , I'm new to Bonsai , so forgive what might be a silly question . Do you not use any real earth ? What is the growing medium please ? I love Ginko bilobas and have grown some from seed . I'm planting them out now , but I might save one to grow as a Bonsai 😊🌳🌳🌳💚
Hi! When we consider bonsai as a real living tree in a small container, we need to give its roots the best conditions possible for the relatively tiny space they have to grow in. That means using soil that is both water retentive and allows proper drainage. And frequent watering. Roots need more than just water, they also need oxygen, otherwise they rot in stagnant water depleted of oxygen. That's why you see me using this granular soil, in this video mostly Japanese akadama, but in other videos I also mix it with pumice. The granules allow small gaps for the water to drain through, which then sucks down oxygen every watering. Unfortunately garden-center shops use more compact earthy soils because they can retain the water for longer, so they don't have to water all their bonsai trees so often. But they risk losing more trees due to poor root health. Roots need to grow vigorously for a tree's health. One more reason to use granular soil: it's much easier to repot a tree with granular soil, whereas with earth it takes a lot of time and effort to remove all the compacted clogged up dirt. In North America akadama can be expensive and so some people use a mix of turface and perlite which does a fantastic job. Hope that helps!
Hiya Dave. Your forest and video really turned out nice. Congrats. Some of your instructional graphics and animations are among the best I have seen in the bonsai world. Your fans might like to know that my cultivars you used to illustrate the diversity of color and leaf size/shape are available (and many others) from Whitman Farms in Salem, Oregon. The catalog (with photos) can be found on the internet. The owner, Lucille Whitman, ships in the most remarkably safe packaging. Looking forward to your next video…..and next…..and next……and next…..
Hi Jeff, Thanks again for your great feedback and help! I wish we had a resource like Whitman Farms here in Spain. Maybe when I next visit US I can sneak some cuttings back home with me in my suitcase.
@@BlueSkyBonsai some of the ginkgo sites on Facebook have people from all over Europe with some of the most amazing ginkgo resources for cultivars not available here in the states. Might be a possibility for you?
@@BlueSkyBonsai it also occurs to me that the blogger, Cor Kwant, originator of The Ginkgo Pages (best ginkgo information site EVER!) is in Sweden. She is very responsive to inquiries and I bet she will be able to help you with nearby cultivar sources.
@@jeffdodson1675 thanks, another good suggestion. I was just looking through the Ginkgo pages for the last week before finalizing this video. I had planned to drop in some more fascinating facts but in the end the video was too long. Maybe I'll do an update in autumn when all the leaves change colour. In the meantime I'll contact Cor as you suggested to see if she knows where I could acquire some small leaf cultivars. Cheers!
Hi Tora, I have two mame Portulacaria afras. You're right they grow easily here. I used to have a large Portu but it was permanently riddled with mealybugs, could not get rid of them with any of the commonly accepted methods. So that seems to be the down side of Madrid's hot dry climate. So I stripped it down, repotted and gave it to a friend in North Spain where it's much cooler. Interstingly, they haven't had a single infestation since then. Do you have succulents?
Might i ask a question? I have got my ginkgo biloba and i am new to all of this..the shape is not straight because its been bonded with a alluminum spine that still has already all around the trunk. The shape is tall 30 but the pot is little 17. There is too small space for water and adds so people on Facebook groups keep telling me to repot it asap without touching the roots but adding the pomice. Is it right if i add only pomice all around but leaving the old ground. Sorry but I'm Italian and I don't know the name of fake repotting stuff..is it right anyway do it now because the plant of course needs to grow up but the ground needs to be wet as far as i understood in gingko bonsai. So can i remove the alluminum spine too? Ot still needs? Thanks in advance but i like my gingko and despite I am newbie i want to learn as much as i can also by subscribing to your channel Cheers!
Hi and thanks for subscribing! Yes, carefully remove the aluminium wire from your ginkgo, because these trees have bark that scars easily but then the scar never really disappears so you would see that spiral scar for years. I personally never wire my ginkgo trees for that reason. Secondly, if you really need to repot it now, yes use a bigger pot and don't prune the roots. As you said, it's called slip-potting, and I did a video about it here: ruclips.net/video/xJFa-dsNO9I/видео.html If you need to prune the roots, now in summer the tree would suffer or even die, that's why we do root pruning in spring.
Once a day mostly, or twice a day when it gets really not here. The shallow pot is deceptive - it keeps the soil Wet until the very last minute of evaporation!
From any tree. But when you're choosing, it can help to choose a species with relatively small leaves so they can more easily scale down to bonsai size. HTH
@@markdougherty5591 first time I would recommend buy a chinese elm bonsai. Then you can practice everything on it over the next few years while your cuttings develop into small trees. If you start only from cuttings, there is a lot of satisfaction and pride in your creation ... but there is also a lot of waiting. It'll be a long time before they are ready to become bonsai. At minimum 1 year if you want tiny bonsai, or more typically 3 - 5 years to allow the trunks to thicken a bit. Back to the chines elm (sometimes wrongly called a Zelkova Parvifolia ... no such thing .. they just call it that to get past import rules) it is the perfect bonsai, all rounder, fine indoors or outdoors, has tiny leaves, and doesn't die easily!
Ginkgo trees are unusual in that there are male trees and female trees. Only the females produce fruit. The fruit smells terrible though, so most bonsai ginkgos are male. You *can* grow from seed but it's better to buy young ginkgo shoots and grow them from that way. A better tree species for fruiting/seeding bonsai is pomegranate. I did a video on them here if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/xQp6d1KibGc/видео.html
Nice work Dave, big steps forward for the forest!!!
Thanks Nigel! Also looking forward to see the autumn colours in this forest.
I thought the top view of the planting arrangement was particularly useful 👍
Thanks! I also have some footage of the top of the forest during the pruning stage, but decided to leave it out of the video because it's just a big load of leaves; you can't see the arrangement from above in real life. 🌳👍🏻
Great videos.appreciate the music and camera work as well
Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying the videos 😊
Good sharing...Dave 😍 inspiring
Thanks so much!
Amazing video and amazing pot, Dave. Gracias por compartir 🥰
Thanks Cris, glad you liked it! Ps. Would love to see a photo if you decide to go ahead and make a forest!
@@BlueSkyBonsai En cuanto lo haga te lo mando, aunque creo lo dejaré para la primavera que viene. Los plantones que tengo aún son muy "bebés" y no tienen casi ramificación.
@@criszf buena decisión! Deja que crezcan sin podar durante este año.
@@BlueSkyBonsai gracias, Dave
Bonsai phill very good video nice shape forest love thesegrops
Planting well done David
Thanks Phill. Really appreciate it.
nice Ginkgo tree bonsai forest.... 👍👍
Thank you!! 😊👍
Thanks sharing sir
Like bonsai👍
Thanks for watching and commenting! 🌳👍
Amazing concept and beautiful bonsai
Thank you!! 🙏
Dave, where are you? I miss your uploads. Please post again soon!!
Thanks Raphael, got a couple of videos planned but having difficulty with time this summer.. maybe in the next week or two ... cheers, I really appreciate your support!
Greetings from Indonesia my new friend🙏
Like your bonsai
Greetings and thank you!
Nice video mate. Well put together 😀
Cheers Sam! 🍻👍🏻
Great, great video Dave, great info intersting and educational just in time for me and my Ginkos
Thanks Scott! To be honest I filmed this back in May, I've been so busy it's taken me this long to edit and publish. Enjoy your ginkgos, its a brilliant species.
Magical moment near the Spanish garden Olive Tree.
😍 thanks Sophia!
Awesome video as usual. I'm thinking about making a Ficus forest after watching this :)
Thanks! Yes a ficus forest will look great, make sure you get a big enough pot because they grow so quickly!
Beautiful lush forest. I love the sediment grain and color with this shade of green too. Thanks broski 😎🍺🍺
Cheers Jered! These Ginkgos are super vigorous + here's the cherry on the cake: they just don't seem to get any infections or insect infestations. Apart from being a v.cool species. Name is considered to bea spelling mistake that stuck! 👍🏻🍻🍻
@@BlueSkyBonsai i failed at germinating some ginko seeds a while back. Your forest makes me want to give it another shot. Im torn between rooting for England (who I picked to win from the beginning)....and Italy (where both Laura and my maternal sides came from before the USA.
@@jarheadbonsai well, you could take the view of pitying poor England, it's our first final since 1966. So even if we don't win, this is already the best we have done in my life! 🍻🍻
@@BlueSkyBonsai its funny to get all of my bonsai broskis opinions on the match. It will be an epic affair for sure.
I love ginkos. Great job on the forest Dave!
Thanks Raymond!
great job. adding the extra trees has made it so much better!
Thanks Ian! Yep I think so, but I also think the pot had something to do with it. The old pot was defo too small and after I unpotted them that pot somehow slid off the table and smashed... must have been destiny's way of telling me the old pot was no good!
Hi, Cam ơn bạn chia sẻ nhé chúc suc khỏe, thành công, may mắn, hẹn gặp lại.....like
cảm ơn đã xem và cho ý kiến của bạn 😊
Wow, I feel like I just got a masterclass in bonsai forest design. Thank you so much!
Thanks Jay I'm really happy to hear that's how you feel from this video!
To make a forest is something huge . Good for being so lucky. I don't have a garden like that not even in my dream but yesterday I got my first ginko from a e-shop. In Italy we don't have that much of mini plants in physical shop so if you want one of them overpay and wait. It's one of my fav bonsai and when it turns out to be yellow is pure gold
Thanks!
Yes the ginkgo is a really special tree.
If you're interested, there is an amazing resource here in Europe all about gingkos: kwanten.home.xs4all.nl/
@@BlueSkyBonsai thanks
Nice job, I like your improvements on your video production techniques
Thanks Isa! I really appreciate it!
Great video! I love both Ginkgo biloba and forrest plantings!
Thanks Gerrett! Me too! 🌳🌳🌳👍🏻
Hadir mengikuti, Bagus subur2 bonsai 🌳nya mister, Menginspirasi, Sukses selalu 😀👍 salam dari INDONESIA mampir kopi☕☕ 👍
Thanks so much! 🌳👍🏻
Love ginkgos! ✨ Great video, beautiful forest 🍃🙌🏻🍃
Thanks so much! Yeah ginkgos are such cool trees. It's a sad fact that they are on the world list of endangered species. Because nobody wants the female trees (because of the bad smell). Thanks for your comment!
Very enjoyable video thank you
Thanks very much!
Excellent
Thank you!!
Very nice forest. Had not considered a grouping using Ginkgo. But will now, if I can find them, in suitable sizes. Like the pot you selected. Have a huge Chi-Chi Ginkgo, the wife loves. Pot top to top is just near 36” and 16+” wide. Will keep as pointy dome top, and open enough to catch space between branching. We are thinking of visiting Peter’s bonsai nursery and short tour of England in the future. Thanks for another great video.
Thanks Jeff! Yes in my opinion they're good for forests because of their vertical growth habit.
Your ginkgo sounds enormous, reminds me of a joke someone told me the other day, do you know the name that bonsai specialists give to a very large bonsai? A tree.
Anyway, if you do visit Herons in UK, I recommend contact Peter in advance of your trip so that you know he'll be there. I asked him to sign my copy of the Masterclass book and he did it with pride! He also allows guests to stay in the Herons guesthouse for a relatively low cost.
A curious fact, I grew up in the nearest town to Herons - East Grinstead. The nursery wasn't there back then though.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Made error in measuring height of our large Ginkgo. Total height is 35.25” including pot. Pot is 11.5 inches tall, and received from nearby potter.
@@jeffhurst4744 still pretty big, and the pot sounds quite deep.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Tried shallower pot. Long story short - had to put into current pot, which it is still thriving in. As Mr Chan and several other long time bonsai masters have said, small is preferred and what is typically thought of - but anything that can be potted, that is “larger” can still be considered a Bonsai. However, likely, in a year or two, try coaxing into a shallower pot. In stages of coarse. 😁
Inside depth of pot is about 9 1/4 inches.
Stunning Dave keep up the great videos
Thanks so much Percy!
Amazing channel. Best produced bonsai channel I've seen. I love the gingko trees. I hope to put them in my collection. Good to know about the cultivars.
Thanks so much! Yes the ginkgos are a wonderful species, I really want to get my hands on one of the smaller leaf cultivars.
Wow…that came out absolutely sick. And thank you for doing all that book reading so we don’t have to! Will be pruning my horrible juniper forest up one of these days and this is sure to help. Cheers Dave!
Thanks Colin! phew I tell you one thing: I'm not going to create a forest on a windy day again. It took probably double the time because of wiring each tree down as I went along. Anyway, it's done now, it can stay in the pot for a couple of years or 3 before I need to repot it.
Enjoy pruning your forest! 🍻
@@BlueSkyBonsai I can imagine the frustration, but we can all agree that it came out great. Should be a sick little forest for years to come.
@@BostonBonsaiIdiot cheers 😊👍🏻
Beautiful video, Dave. I like your choice and the idea of making together inspirations from two great masters. I can't wait to see the forest with autumn colors
Thanks so much! And great call, in autumn I must do an update with the golden leaves. I wonder if the two different batches will change color together or at different times. 🤷♂️
Well done Dave! I love forest bonsai plantings, I currently have 7 bald cypress trees that will be ready for potting next February. Living in south Florida they will do great.
Thanks so much Jack! Yes I've decided to make several more forests in the next couple of years, as well as looking great they are also a convenient way to put a load of thin trunked trees in one pot! 🌳👍🏻
@@BlueSkyBonsai I am doing the same with some Ming Aralia and Sea Hibiscus trees I have.
@@jacktaylor6190 sounds great. The mings especially have lovely small leaves so must look wonderful as forests.
Very well put together video, the production values on these just get better and better. Always very calm and soothing, and always very informative. 👍
Thanks so much Jason. I wish RUclips would publicise my videos a bit more though!
I really appreciate your comments.
Hi Dave, I hope all I see well! I’ve been missing your updates.
Hey thanks for checking in! All is well here, just had a super busy summer. Things are getting back to normal now, and I have a new video due this Saturday, if all goes to plan.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Hopefully super busy means a super fun summer! Good to hear all is well, looking forward to your updates!
Good job ...
Thanks!
So nice ginkgo I have some of that
Cheers Bert! 🌳👍🏻
Good day sir thanks for sharing this video#bonsai tree ideas thanks sir sending back thanks
Thank you!
love the leaves on those trees! I am so jealous you got to meet Peter, we were set to go to London (I live in Canada) when covid hit and wrecked our travel plans. I am hoping to get there soon though :)
When you do finally meet him you will see how kind and lovely he is. He gave me two English oak shoots and a mame zelkova. He didn't want to take my money! He also signed my copy of his book.
Very nice work
Thanks! 😊
Fascinating…I have about 5 new baby gingko every year that….can I use them if their trunks are only pencil thin?
Yes you can use shoots of any thickness. It makes the forest more interesting if you can use various different thicknesses. Choose the thickest one as your primary tree.
two likes are from me.
Thanks bro and thanks again!! 😊
Awesome ❤️❤️
Thanks Beauty Agriculture!
@@BlueSkyBonsai im also loving bonsai. Your channel is superb
@@beautyagriculture9480 thank you so much! I really appreciate it 😊👍🏻
Love the video Dave! As others have mentioned, the illustrations and animations are absolute top quality and really helps bring the info across. I would say next to Bonsai Mirai your videos are the most clear and informative I can find. Now I'm inspired to make a forest of my own!
Thanks so much PPP! LOL I don't get as many views as Bonsai Mirai but I'm flattered 😊
One thing about the deciduous forest, if I could do it again I would do it in early spring before leafing out, just as the leaf buds are swelling. Then the wind wouldn't keep blowing them over! Also I did this in May and I had to keep it indoors and humid (frequently misting) for about three weeks after, to stop the leaves from wilting in the hot Madrid sun. Would not have been necessary in March with new leaves starting to unfurl in the cooler air.
@@BlueSkyBonsai If you keep producing quality content like this, the views will come! (at least in my idealistic world.. :P
I can imagine wind being a problem, especially on that raised porch of yours. The result is beautiful nonetheless.
On a completely different bonsai-related subject: I just bought a nursery stock Fuji cherry "Kojo-no-mai" shrub, inspired by Darren over on Gro Bonsai ruclips.net/video/OEw8dARL9Tw/видео.html . We're in the middle of summer here in Stockholm, Sweden (Zone 7b) and I don't know if I should repot it now or keep it in its nursery container until next spring. We can get cold winters sometimes, with around -10C for extended periods of time and I'm thinking it's warmer(?) in the bigger nursery container, filled with organic stuff. Thanks a lot in advance! Nice new website btw :)
@@PVProduktion Hi! Thanks again for your kind words! And sorry to tell you that RUclips blocked your reply comment for some reason; I can only guess it's because of the URL in the middle. Anyway, I've seen it now in the "comments held for review" section.
When you get a new bonsai, it's *not* usually advisable to repot straight away, sometimes it is better to let it get accustomed to its environment then repot in spring. But if you noticed the water doesn't drain through the soil, or that the roots have become too dense and potbound, then you could do an emergency repot, ... slip pot it into a bigger pot without root-pruning, then you could do the "full" repot job in spring as the new leaf buds start swelling. Or just after flowering has finished, if you want to enjoy the flowers first. HTH 😊
@@BlueSkyBonsai Thanks a lot for the reply, it really helps! I'll leave it be until spring for a proper repot :) (Your enthusiasm for Ginkgos rubbed off and I found a "Troll"-variety (grafted) at a specialist plant nursery - excited about its future!)
@@PVProduktion the trolls are fantastic little ginkgos, very short internodes. Enjoy it!
Hi Dave. I met Mr Chan a few weeks back when I visited his nursery. Could have spent the whole day there. Unfortunately he had a class to teach but made the time to say hello. Lovely gentlemen. I purchased one of these trees this morning and then you have uploaded this video! Thanks for the information. One question I do have is about reporting. I thought the general rule of thumb was to only repot deciduous trees in the dormant period?
Hi Colin, yes I have to agree he's a lovely guy.
Ginkgos are really special, you have just got yourself into a piece of dinosaur history!
Yeah normally I wouldn't repot ginkgos as late as May but just didnt get time in March or April this year. A bit of TLC for a few weeks after the repot and all nine trees were fine. The thumbnail photo was taken this morning, about 6 weeks after repotting. Cheers 🌳👍🏻
Exllent . thanks for charing .
Just i guss the leaves are big for the eye . i want to say it will better if we use trees got small leaves .
Anyway great .
Agreed, they are big leaves. I think the look of the forest is more like palm trees on a desert island?? Thanks for your comment!
Good
Thanks HAJU BONSAI!
Hola David. Me encantan tus vídeos y me estoy poniendo al día. Te has ganado un nuevo suscriptor.
Una pregunta, ya que veo que te gustan muchos los arces. ¿Sería compatible hacer un pequeño bosque con tres arces de diferente variedad? Uno es arce del azúcar, otro es arce rojo y por último arce del amor.
Hola Pedroman, gracias! me alegra que te gusten mis vídeos. Yo creo que sí, puedes hacer un pequeño bosque de tres arces distintos. Necesitan el mismo sustrato, y mas o menos las mismas necesidades de luz, agua y abono. Si no te gusta el imagen del bosque después de un par de años, siempre es posible separar los árboles de nuevo. Si decides hacer el bosque, me encantaría ver una foto!! dave@blueskybonsai.com
@@BlueSkyBonsai Muchísimas gracias por responder. Las plantas en principio me llegarán pequeñas, y las plantaré juntas en una maceta con profundidad para que engorden de tronco y cuando tengan el grosor que me gusten, las pasaré a una maceta más plana para que resalten más y engrosen de nebari.
Sí, te mandaré una foto y con el tiempo te iré mandando para que puedas apreciar el avance.
@@pedroman2197 perfecto! Pero una cosa: aunque vas a juntar los árboles en un bosque, te vendría mejor mantenerlos en macetas separadas para la fase de engrosar los troncos, porque si no, tu primera poda de raíces será muy difícil. Podar raíces grandes es complicado, dejando las raíces finas radiales. Y separar raíces en general es un trabajo delicado. Hacer los dos a la vez es casi imposible. Pues eso es mi consejo, pero al final eres tú quien tiene que decidir!
Mantap bosku
🙏👍
Beautiful forest Dave. I wish I could find material like that here in Connecticut. I’m curious why you composed this when the trees were in full leaf and not in spring when most repotting is done. Keep growing. Thanks
Thanks Matt. Yeah ideally you would want to create it in spring as they're all budding. But I ran out of time in early spring. I filmed the work in May.. a couple of the trees drooped a bit on the first sunny day, but now in July all 9 trees are doing great. Cheers!
And as you've rightly mentioned that, I think I will add to the description that I did this work in May. It's probably getting risky to root prune ginkgos now in july.
Btw, although you can't easily find ginkgo material in Connecticut, I know in some other regions of US like Minnesota they are used as street trees so you might be able to get some cuttings sent to you? If not, surely there are abundant seeds, and it would be really cool to grow ginkgo from seeds I think.
Thanks Dave. I actually found a source for Ginkgos, basically young saplings. Thanks, keep growing.
@@mattbrennan647 that's good to know 🌳👍🏻
Hi
It’s me again
Sorry to disturb you
Can you make a video one day explain to us how to do the roots like in the air
Hi! Good idea, someday I'll do a video on raised roots, but it might be a long time away... I have zero spare time at the moment. Thanks for your suggestion!
Thanks a lot for your videos
Quick question when we can do this jungle ? I meant at what age if the tree ?
Hi, if you want the trunks to be like the ginkgos in this video, the thickest trunks are 9 years old, and the youngest ones are only 5 years old. But if you want, you can make a forest with many more very young trees, like 2 or 3 year old maples with very thin trunks. You are the artist; you choose the tree sizes that you want for your design. HTH.
I would love to do this someday. Looks lovely! But for now, I'm just gonna learn to keep them alive and stuff. XD Also, I don't have room for big things. :p
🌳👍🏻 if you do, I recommend do it in early spring when its leaf buds are just starting to swell, not in May like I did. The wind kept blowing my trees over while I was positioning them.
I've been thinking about doing a video just on watering. It sounds like a simple topic, but it's the biggest cause of plant death! At least lack of watering.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Yes, I will try to remember that. :)
It sure is! And I'd like to see that one. I'm constantly afraid of over and underwatering them. I lost one of my apple trees to underwatering (probably because the roots were so small that even though just the topsoil was drying, it was enough to kill the baby tree. I've been very careful with my other baby trees from seeds since then). But so far I haven't lost any to overwatering at least. XD
@@SysterYster Hi! I just saw your reply now; for some reason YT blocked it, I found it in the "held for review" section. I don't know why YT does that.. anyway seen it now. Sorry to hear about your apple tree ... that is indeed a bummer. It might help you to consider that I have NEVER lost a tree to over watering, and I water them tons. Okay so I'm in Madrid and we have a heat wave so I'm watering them all 3 times every day, now maybe that could look like overwatering in Sweden but, if they're in direct sunlight, and it's summer you probably need to do twice a day, and maybe three on the occasional sweltering hot day. If you have good draining soil, and the pot are not sitting in a puddle of stagnant water, then you can't overwater them! (think of trees in the rain!! Trees in nature don't die to overwatering!!) PS. maybe succulents are the exception.. they probably suffer if their soil is permanently wet.
So hello , I'm new to Bonsai , so forgive what might be a silly question . Do you not use any real earth ? What is the growing medium please ? I love Ginko bilobas and have grown some from seed . I'm planting them out now , but I might save one to grow as a Bonsai 😊🌳🌳🌳💚
Hi! When we consider bonsai as a real living tree in a small container, we need to give its roots the best conditions possible for the relatively tiny space they have to grow in. That means using soil that is both water retentive and allows proper drainage. And frequent watering. Roots need more than just water, they also need oxygen, otherwise they rot in stagnant water depleted of oxygen.
That's why you see me using this granular soil, in this video mostly Japanese akadama, but in other videos I also mix it with pumice. The granules allow small gaps for the water to drain through, which then sucks down oxygen every watering.
Unfortunately garden-center shops use more compact earthy soils because they can retain the water for longer, so they don't have to water all their bonsai trees so often. But they risk losing more trees due to poor root health. Roots need to grow vigorously for a tree's health.
One more reason to use granular soil: it's much easier to repot a tree with granular soil, whereas with earth it takes a lot of time and effort to remove all the compacted clogged up dirt.
In North America akadama can be expensive and so some people use a mix of turface and perlite which does a fantastic job. Hope that helps!
Hiya Dave. Your forest and video really turned out nice. Congrats. Some of your instructional graphics and animations are among the best I have seen in the bonsai world.
Your fans might like to know that my cultivars you used to illustrate the diversity of color and leaf size/shape are available (and many others) from Whitman Farms in Salem, Oregon. The catalog (with photos) can be found on the internet. The owner, Lucille Whitman, ships in the most remarkably safe packaging.
Looking forward to your next video…..and next…..and next……and next…..
Hi Jeff, Thanks again for your great feedback and help!
I wish we had a resource like Whitman Farms here in Spain. Maybe when I next visit US I can sneak some cuttings back home with me in my suitcase.
@@BlueSkyBonsai some of the ginkgo sites on Facebook have people from all over Europe with some of the most amazing ginkgo resources for cultivars not available here in the states. Might be a possibility for you?
@@jeffdodson1675 good call, I'll investigate. I'm not big on FB, but that's no reason to not look! 👍🏻
@@BlueSkyBonsai it also occurs to me that the blogger, Cor Kwant, originator of The Ginkgo Pages (best ginkgo information site EVER!) is in Sweden. She is very responsive to inquiries and I bet she will be able to help you with nearby cultivar sources.
@@jeffdodson1675 thanks, another good suggestion. I was just looking through the Ginkgo pages for the last week before finalizing this video. I had planned to drop in some more fascinating facts but in the end the video was too long. Maybe I'll do an update in autumn when all the leaves change colour.
In the meantime I'll contact Cor as you suggested to see if she knows where I could acquire some small leaf cultivars. Cheers!
Do you have any succulent bonsai? They’re beautiful and would do well in Madrid’s aridity
Hi Tora, I have two mame Portulacaria afras. You're right they grow easily here. I used to have a large Portu but it was permanently riddled with mealybugs, could not get rid of them with any of the commonly accepted methods. So that seems to be the down side of Madrid's hot dry climate.
So I stripped it down, repotted and gave it to a friend in North Spain where it's much cooler. Interstingly, they haven't had a single infestation since then.
Do you have succulents?
@@BlueSkyBonsai I have two shohin portus, a crassula tetragona forest, and a crassula ovata tree. I love them!
@@mirandusings they sound great. I guess you haven't had issues with insects with yours?
@@BlueSkyBonsai Not thus far!
Might i ask a question? I have got my ginkgo biloba and i am new to all of this..the shape is not straight because its been bonded with a alluminum spine that still has already all around the trunk. The shape is tall 30 but the pot is little 17. There is too small space for water and adds so people on Facebook groups keep telling me to repot it asap without touching the roots but adding the pomice. Is it right if i add only pomice all around but leaving the old ground. Sorry but I'm Italian and I don't know the name of fake repotting stuff..is it right anyway do it now because the plant of course needs to grow up but the ground needs to be wet as far as i understood in gingko bonsai. So can i remove the alluminum spine too? Ot still needs? Thanks in advance but i like my gingko and despite I am newbie i want to learn as much as i can also by subscribing to your channel
Cheers!
Hi and thanks for subscribing! Yes, carefully remove the aluminium wire from your ginkgo, because these trees have bark that scars easily but then the scar never really disappears so you would see that spiral scar for years. I personally never wire my ginkgo trees for that reason.
Secondly, if you really need to repot it now, yes use a bigger pot and don't prune the roots.
As you said, it's called slip-potting, and I did a video about it here: ruclips.net/video/xJFa-dsNO9I/видео.html
If you need to prune the roots, now in summer the tree would suffer or even die, that's why we do root pruning in spring.
How many times do you water your ginko bonsai once you repotted it. I would imagine it dries very easily due to the soil you’re using ?
Once a day mostly, or twice a day when it gets really not here. The shallow pot is deceptive - it keeps the soil Wet until the very last minute of evaporation!
Do you have to get cuttings from another bonsai or can they be from any tree?
From any tree. But when you're choosing, it can help to choose a species with relatively small leaves so they can more easily scale down to bonsai size. HTH
@@BlueSkyBonsai Thanks a lot. would you recommend using cuttings or buying a bonsai tree? (first time)
@@markdougherty5591 first time I would recommend buy a chinese elm bonsai. Then you can practice everything on it over the next few years while your cuttings develop into small trees. If you start only from cuttings, there is a lot of satisfaction and pride in your creation ... but there is also a lot of waiting. It'll be a long time before they are ready to become bonsai. At minimum 1 year if you want tiny bonsai, or more typically 3 - 5 years to allow the trunks to thicken a bit.
Back to the chines elm (sometimes wrongly called a Zelkova Parvifolia ... no such thing .. they just call it that to get past import rules) it is the perfect bonsai, all rounder, fine indoors or outdoors, has tiny leaves, and doesn't die easily!
where is your next video? been waiting.....
I had a busy summer!! But now back to normal and new video will be on Saturday. Thanks for checking in!
Does it grow fruits in bonsai style and can I grow From seeds
Ginkgo trees are unusual in that there are male trees and female trees. Only the females produce fruit. The fruit smells terrible though, so most bonsai ginkgos are male. You *can* grow from seed but it's better to buy young ginkgo shoots and grow them from that way.
A better tree species for fruiting/seeding bonsai is pomegranate. I did a video on them here if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/xQp6d1KibGc/видео.html
@@BlueSkyBonsai oh so I won't know if the ginkgo I germinating is male or female.. I meant can they even grow fruits in bonsai size
@@gardenmiss1minkepalascalper they don't grow feuit until they're mature. I've never seen a ginkgo bonsai grow fruit, but I suppose it's possible!
@@BlueSkyBonsai OK thanks
Great videos and great editing. Dont't use too much sound effects. I like to relax among bonsai videos :)
Thanks Niko that's great feedback.
Could I email you? Thank you :)
Sure. dave@blueskybonsai.com
Beautiful video, amazing pot.
Thanks! Yeah I love that pot. Every time I pick it up I am really scared it'll slip and drop 😁
First to comment!!
Cheers Edinborogh, you have the record for the most firsts!