Ps: Shohin and Mame bonsai are small trees the difference is that these trees even though they are small. They have great development/ramification and years of training with age showing.
Yes that is the main thing before purchasing a tree, to check if it eill thrive in our area. But happy you now Know what works best for you . Hope. It thrives 😁😁
Great advice. 30 years ago I bought a tropical, informal upright bonsai tree that was 35 years old. I was so proud of it. 10 years ago I blundered during repotting and the plant died. I pulled it out of the pot and flung it into the back yard. I was disgusted. 3 days later I picked it up to toss it into the trash and _ WHOA _ I noticed a tiny bud popping out at the base. I put loving kindness into that plant and now boast of a gorgeous 65-year-old cascading bonsai. I learned to move forward with advice like yours.
Oh man i am glad to hear that you was able to save that tree even if re shape was needed, is really sad when a tree is lost and more when we know we made big mistakes, i learned patience after all my mistakes and slowly my trees are looking better. Bonsai is a beautiful thing that takes years and years of patience
@@sarahaltizer2285 The blunder had to do with mixing weedkiller-contaminated soil with my substrate. (I didn't know at the time that my neighbor had been spraying near our fence line.) I cleaned out all of the substrate, replaced it with fresh, non-contaminated material and put the tree into a much larger pot to recuperate. I left the tree in a shady area (away from the fence by the way!) and watched it come back to life. My minister called it a "resurrection" tree. That tree proved to be a great lesson for all. Never give up.
As a shohin bonsai planter I think you have a very huge preference for large sized bonsai, which is okay, so anything else which is not the approximate size of a toddler does not impress you at all from what you have spoken. I'm sure however that we all have seen beautiful bonsai with a mature trunks in pots the size of 2 fingers. I agree a 2 year old or less bonsai is an actual "stick in a pot" but calling any bonsai a stick in a pot just entirely because of its pots size 🤔🤔
I think you got the wrong concept about this one. So the pictures i showed it's for a small juniper that is around 2-3 years old. No development or maturity. I have some shohin size threes and i do like shohin and mame. But those are old trees just small. Shohin bonsai have great ramification, a nice trunk that shows age, but i ment to say a small seedling. I used to have a 4 year old maple straight trunk with like 2-3 branches on it and huge leaves for the size i used to think it was a bonsai but it's not. You are right shohin are bonsai but even those being small they have great development. Sorry for not making it clear
I would definitely add wrong soil. I've just killed an aloe vera I had for years by replanting it into the soil that was way too dense for it. I saw the problems with watering right away, so I watered it very little, but the water I gave stayed in forever and eventually killed it. Soil that's too loose can also be a problem, because all water would drain right through. This is particularly harmful in summer. You can keep such a tree a live by watering it every day and letting it stay in a water container for about 1 minute after each watering. But who has the time for that? Another major mistake is not maintaining the balance between the roots and the leaves. Taking off almost all leaves while keeping roots intact can lead to all the last leaves falling off and the tree turning into a stump. However, strong roots can produce suckers which then can be turned into bonsai. The opposite -- cutting roots too much without trimming the crown -- is even worse. No suckers here. Among the more advanced mistakes is large leaf bonsai. Generally (if one can generalize at all), bonsai present an illusion of a full-grown (big) tree on small scale. Large leaves destroy this illusion. So one must either choose a specie with small leaves or make them small through several techniques.
Oh you definitely are right, wrong soil has been a mistake i have done as well, some like that acidic type other different. I am still learning to keep a good balance and how to reduce leaf size, but taking my time and doing alot of research before attempting to do any of this. I think also having that really compact soil really makes it easier to get root root since it holds too much water. Definitely has helped me learn and hope to not make any other major mistakes as i go
So what I've found is, Bonsai is literally having a Pet Tree. Feed too much, it will get sick. Water too much, sick. Trim it too much, you open it to infection. Trim it not enough, it gets shaggy and untidy. Rehome it too soon, it will grow anxious and struggle to grow to the space, don't Rehome it soon enough it will grow too big and overflow the space. It is literally like a pet. And actually, thinking it like this makes me want to care for a tree. I've seen so many Bonsai Videos in my recommendation today, and I'm intrigued. 😁
Yes is really about that it's a little of a learning curve knowing when to do things jst let a pet. They require so much care and attention. And jst like a pet the grow and grow and you see that happen which is rewarding
All my Bonsai are sticks in a pot, I have fully excepted that mine are starters never to see their full potential, but it's my art my vision. Being an enjoyable 20 years so far. ✌️🇳🇿
I am sure yout trees migh be small but are already mature and look more like a tree. I referred to small seedlings like a 1-2 year old in a bonsai pot... But is always our own vision i am sure you love your trees and like the size they are at. That is what is important to create your own vision of what you want your trees to look like. ❤️
Yes that is absolutely correct, wish i did my research before, but as must of us as beginners we tend to get too excited and want to jst do too much at once, reason for making this video. Hope it helps other not make this mistake 🙏
0:28 When it comes to bonsai, (as you rightly point out later) patience is the key.. It literally pays to go slow and be patient rather than fast.. I like to think of bonsai as a "pet" or a family heirloom that can be passed down from generation to generation.. I believe the Japanese thought of it in the same manner as well..
Absolutely right. It takes. Alot of patience and we can only do a few things at a time. Before I wanted to do everything at once and didn't know better. But now with care and patience i am able to keep my trees happy
Good advice, I have done a couple of these mistakes myself. One of the bonsai club leaders at a show here in town told me. The road to successful bonsai is paved with many dead trees.
Absolutely. Sometimes we learn from our mistakes, at my local bonsai society they all have gone through the same, as a beginner is hard to avoid these things since we get too excited. But i am so glad yoi are learning as i am from experience
I like the video! But I would have to disagree with the stick in pot hypothesis. The size and age of tree do not dictate weather you have a bonsai or not. Bonsai just means tree in pot. And actually some young trees can look quiet big and mature. (Trident maple) Where as some can be small they tend to need longer years to achieve the same type of age conditions. (Blackpine) Japanese will regard small trees as great bonsai if they have been well taken care of in a pot. Not necessarily the size of the tree. Funny enough there are even categories in competion based on size. Truth be told the best bonsai are found in the wild. Yamadori style ;) because the best are old.. generations old.
Yes you are absolutely correct. Reason why i mentioned if you like the tree that small then is fine. But to grow a bit bonsai it needs to be mature to really look more like a tree. What i meant was putting a small seedling in a pot, for example a 2 old nursery pot grown willnjust bee too thin and not mature enough to be a good bonsai. But yes mame bonsai are little trees but with really mature looking trunks, but are also older. I mentioned it because when I started I had like 2 1/2 year old japanese maple seedlings in a little bonsai pot and i wanted them to get big and look like a big tree but it was barely growing due to them being in a small little pot. That is what i ment to say in the video. But i really really appreciate the feedback, you are correct there are some smaller trees that can look mature quite fast. But we mostly start with a juniper nana and those take a few years to look a bit more mature in the foliage.
And yes Yamadori bonsai are just amazing, I really want to try to collect some Yamadori but my skill is not there yet to help it survive. But hope to one day. Those trees have interesting shapes and grow naturally in the wild, beautiful trunks, shape and some have natural scars and stuff. Have you collected and Yamadori? Id love some tips on that.
Yeah, I've collected a few naitives not much info I can give do to be location specific but generally time of year and ability to get enough of the roots to survive being out of the original position. All said I appreciate the dialog. I suppose my point and yours are both the same and we made it differently :) I believe we can both agree that age is what makes trees great and not their relative size.
@@whereswalt2716 i will give it a try sometime. Yamadori is beautiful, i have seen some great ones from frieds. And absolutely yes age is whag makes a tree special and size is depending on our own vision and what we want it to be ass, tall or small. I really appreciate you communicating and helping me ecplain it a bit better ❤️
So is it true that they will not grow? I have a small gold strike Juniper in a shallow bonsai pot, but i do want it to grow. I'm new to this. What would be the best method of making sure it grows up thick and strong? Pots, soils, time of year, etc.
Very informative video, man. It’s funny how we didn’t know these things when we first started out. I can’t believe how much I have learned over the years, and still need to learn.
Great advice, condensed into one video. I have also left a few dead trees in my wake! The process just takes time, and doing too much, too soon, seems to be every beginner’s mistake right out of the gate.
Yes we don't research enough. I think we get too excited and want to do all at once, but even though is sad loosing trees is a big learning curve that helps us on out journey.
Ich habe immer einen Bonsai gehabt,ob in Firma oder Haus. jetzt wo ich in Pension bin verliert einer alle Blätter. Dieses Video wäre die Rettung , doch Englisch habe ich zuletzt in der Schule gesprochen. Bin jetzt 70 Jahre.
1. Repotting at the wrong time. 2. Pruning too much at the wrong time and incorrect wiring technique and leaving on too long 3. Overwatering and underwatering 4. Stick in a pot / 1 stem base. Dont expect a beautiful healthy big tree to come from a small 1 stem tree 5. Wrong tree/ wrong location
So much for shohin and mame and penjing,literati and bunjin and let's not forget saikei.Some folks might prefer a smaller composition or style. Perhaps the traditional want of "a big thick composition" is not desirous to one's taste. Whatever the case, the advice of a "stick in pot" may not be the best advice to give to someone. By the way,I have both.
Yes and all is that is correct, shohin, mame those are all great trees but even those have nice aged bark or trunks, even if is not a huge trunk, if you noticed in the video i show as an example a juniper that looks like is just 2 years old. And still need alot of development, that is what i ment. I had some Japanese maple seedlings 1 and half year old in a bonsai pot, that was not a bonsai or shohin or mame if barely had any leafs, no developed branches. That is what i ment, shohin are small trees but with development, good little branches, nice taper and aged. I ment a little seedling or really young tree 1-3 years old grown in containers or always grown in pot with not enough age .
@@titomunoz1012 i think i needed to clarify a bit more. It might have sounded like any small tree is not a bonsai.. But i really appreciate you helping me clarify ❤️
Pretty sound advice... Except the "stick in a pot" section. I'm sure many practitioners and professionals would disagree that shohin and mame are not bonsai.
Absolutely, shohin and mame are all great bonsai trees well matured and aged even being small. I was referring to what i did before, i had some seedlings, 1-3 year old seedling in a small bonsai pot, and would wait for them to grow big but of course it had no development, no brancheing jst barely any leafs.
I know that sadness of killing or hurting a tree you were trying to take special care of! Thank you so much for talking about your experience with being a beginning bonsai grower. My husband and I killed a couple trees before we started learning more and being successful. It is good that you shared these mistakes.
It really is sad and when we starr we don't know what to do about a tree dying, but is part of the learning curve . Glad you guys are learning , little by little we get better and learn
Good vid. Wouldve liked more information on names of the different kind of trees that were shown. My personal favorite was the tree that blossomed white flowers
When I find a good tree for Bonsai like yesterday landscapers removed topiaries I trimmed a lot left some green only to transport,I plant in ground remove grass that has (nutrients)in part shade and sun so plants will drain good sandy soil and recover on their time.🌎🌅🌨️
Wow yes absolutely that will recover really well, specially since you added well draining soil. Congrats on the new tree. Is always fun seeing them show signs of life
Im sorry. It sounds like you did not know what you where doing with that tree, and you still dont. You just literally named the whole list of what COULD have been the problem. But you still dont even know why the tree died on you. So you start making videos to advise other people? Well i guess your video isnt even a video. Its a foto album. Just... Stop.. pls..
Thank you for watching and the feedback . It always help 😁. I am definitely not an expert . Bio says i am sharing my experiences . Not that I am an expert . But i appreciate your comment
My bonsai is fucus. Due to overwatering the plant roots has been dead.I have removed the roots totally because they are dead and i repotted the plant The leaves have been falling down day by day but my stem is alive. How can i recover it 😢please respond
I left my little bonsai tree Inside houston heat 🥵 due to our lights being turned off coz of the storm.all the leaves fell except like 5...will it grow back
Hi it should . I would scratch the bark and see if there is still green. If it is it will make it. Light changes and temperature made the tree drop its leaves. Bring it outside not under direct sunlight though and it will recover slowly . Once you see new growth put it slowly in the sun or were you had it before
For for most species you don't want to water a tree when soil still moist . Now also alot depends on the tree species , there are some that like lots of water. But jst sharing whag has worked for me. I water only when i start feeling the soil getting dry. If it still slightly moist i won't water. Trees have been doing great this way , in my case
Let me tell you right off it don't matter if you use bonsai soil or not that's not gonna kill your tree in fact bonsai soil and bonsai pots are the end game of bonsai these things are for refinement of an already developed bonsai tree .. I've only got about 6 years of experience but for at least three years before that I would just read and learn before I ever got my first tree bc I didn't want to rush into it and make mistakes .but you definitely want an organic soil mix to grow your tree out in . I mix my own with pine fines or orchid bark Pete moss and perlite or pumice one to one parts ... so one pot full of each or a cup or a bucket full of each .timing is everything in bonsai you can't just go buy a tree bring it home trunk cut it and root prune it and think it's gonna be okay ... usually one insult per year with a year between for healing. When I buy a tree from anywhere I just let it grow for a few years while growing accustomed to what it takes to make that specific tree grow and be as healthy as possible all while taking in the shape and curves and watching it's growth patterns and habits .After myself and the tree get acclimated then it's time to make a plan all while putting everything I've notice and learned into account . I'll start off with either a light to medium pruning and then after a season if the tree is on track I'll start to make a design and After my vision is well on its way then I'll start the reduction of the root ball but there's alot more in between those steps to make a tree have shape and stand out .
Thank you so much for taking your time to write this tips, i will definitely keep this is mind. When i started i was pruning, re potting, wiring, all at once, was the worse mistake ever. I didn't research i jst followed random advice and thought that's how it was. But yes right now i let my trees be trees and let them grow. It's been a year since i have done anything to the ones i have. Thank you very much. Patience is the key.
Hi. Only one thing you can do. Scratch at the base of the tree. If you see green underneath it still alive i would suggest watering it and leaving alone and out of the sun .
great video, any idea why my new leaves are also starting to turn light brown and diee, they also look crunchy! is it too much sunlight or a humidity issue?
These are all common mistakes we all made at some point (It has to be that way to learn from it); people spends hundreds of dollars on a Bonsai and don’t even use the right pot or soil. Bonsai literally means a tree in a pot (Mame, Shohin etc), but I partially agree, work the trunk first and then Progressively make it smaller. Thanks for the video.
Yes as a beginner i did that. I didn't know about quality soil, i didn't do research before doing any of these which is a big mistake . I have learned but still mad about the nice trees i lost due to me not researching before doing any work
So sorry to hear that, sometimes is not about the tree being great but special to each of us, i know it is a sad thing, hope you didnt give up on Bonsai ad tried again
@@lifeofbonsai I have tried again! I started as a child & now I have the disposable income & freedom to spend on my beloved maples instead of just junipers :)
@@lifeofbonsai but I do have one issue I'm finding it hard to get my maple cuttings to root ice used 2 different types of rooting hormones and still nothing though my bald cypress cutting is producing new growth even though it hasnt rooting so looks like a i might have some hope with it. The soil I use is that happy frog really good soil stays moist for a while so I don't have to water it everyday even in the extreme heat of summer though indo water my baldy every morning only tree I've ever had that likes wet feet
@@je-xv7it i have the same issue . I have never been able to root maple cuttings for some reason i have tried different species and nothing seems to worm for me
I have found a very small, Picea schrenkiana/ Asian Spruce. When i try to find more info on how to use this tree, i dont turn up with many answers to help. Is this type of tree not good for bonsai? Not sure if it has a more common name in the Bonsai World? Any advice on this type of sprce would be appreciated 🙏🏻
Yes that could definitely work as a bonsai. Its a beautiful tree. This is an evergreen so will always stay outside just really protect it from cold cold weather i would put in in one of those Styrofoam cooler or something like that to protect it from cold winds. But can absolutely be a bonsai
Great advice with this video , I lost a beautiful maple I had airlayerd , I cut the airlayer from the mother in summer and I lost both plants , I was gutted , I know now my mistake , I do a lot of planting and potting in winter it seems to work better for me. Pruning when the weather is not hot makes a lot of sense to.
Yess it's sad. Same happened with a trident maple i did lost the whole tree..but the thing is that we learn what works best for our climate . That is correct , heat does stress the roots alot
Hi, I'm new to bonsai and want to start my own tree. Its nearly July so is it worth it to get one now or should i wait until next year? Im asking because in most videos I've watched now it is said that you can do most work only in early spring.
Is perfect time to get a bonsai. It will help to learn about the tree species you want to get. Also don't do anything to it yet jst let it aclimate to your house yard, for tropicals those can be potted and worked on during summer like ficus
I had given a bogavilloa..i know spelling is wrong ..she's 86 so this plant was in an Eastern window. I would water it every time i visited ..i hadn't been there in a while and tree dropped all leaves..i brought it home and put in my Greenhouse. Hopefully😢 we didn’t lose it ..
Good luck with it. Don't over water it. Make sure the soil stays moist but leave it alone. No direct sunlight.. I really hope ot recovers. Bougainvilleas are pretty tough
I am also a tree murderer, in a number of different ways. Good news is it's been a while since I've killed, so maybe I'm getting better, or smarter, or luckier?
Yessss same here😢. But absolutely that is a great sign, we learned from our mistakes i haven't killed any tree yet for a while. I learned patience and that really helped. Good luck n your bonsai journey
I killed a few junipers by overwatering them. I learned that if you use chunky soil mix after removing all of the original soil from the roots, you don't have to worry about overwatering.
Yes i use a bonsai soil mix ,perlitw, akadama and lava and is amazing i can water ofter and the trees remain healthy . But regular potting mix can't he watered as often
Hey thanks so much for your video. I have an indoor carmona bonsai and I am murdering it. I forgot to water it for like 2 weeks and the leaves are very crusty. I have been watering it more now and misting the leaves. I am worried that it could be dead already but what's the best way to bring it back? Like water slowly up until its soil is completely damp or give the plant as much water as possible? (This was a gift from someone that I forgot about 🫣) Any help would be so much appreciated.
Hello, so sorry to hear that, the first thing i would do is scratch a little bit of the bark close to the base of the tree. If you see some green under its still alive. If so and if the soil is already damp then don't keep watering it jst leave it alone and don't let it be in full sun jst shade, if you keep watering it will get root rot.. But if you scratch a bit and no green or really faded green the is too late unfortunately 🙁.
Miniature trees a mame bonsai or shohin depending on the size. But they look like little old trees, am i ausre yours are developed enough to be a mame bonsai😁
So yes and no. Depending , if your tree is in development and not in bonsai pot then you can use regular soil, but the reason why bonsai soil is used, is because it has great draijage, particles are larger than soil so allows better airation to the roots and allows for control on fertilizing
@@lifeofbonsai it's a Bonsai with small leaves.. i brought it from Costco couple of weeks a ago. I kept it indoor. Past 3 days I see small dots on all most all leaves. Not sure what happened to it.
Im a beginner. I thought if you repot a bonsai and cutting some of the roots, you need to defoliate some of the leaves and leave in a shaded area for a days or week before full sunlight.
Yess all of those things are correct . Depends on the species tho and how much root prune, if is a little bit of prune then no meed to defoliare , or a if is a juniper we gotta be careful since their energy is n the foliage . But other than that yes all those things are correct
hi when repotting does the bonsai need to go into a plastic pot until it’s suited for a larger bonsai pot or can it be moved immediately to a larger one? (I’m very new to bonsai and have a brush cherry)
Great video, thanks for your time. I bought 2 toothpick thin Brush Cherry saplings. I've had them for under a year and their growth has always been rampant, I gave 8 hard prunes already and the trunk is much more thick but I've been debating and I think I will follow your advice and repot them from the small bonsai pot to nursery pots. These are fun trees, their growth is always a surprise...thanks again!
Yesss and there can be some tiny bonsai as long as they have good aging look and ramification . But yesss those grow so quick if you had it in the same pot and has been growing i am sure it will get even thicker in a slightly bigger pot
So either is fine. With bonsai soil you want to be sure to feed it nutrients as needed . But is better to put it on regular potting soil and be careful to not overwater
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for this video. 😢I wish I had seen it before I purchased my two Bonsai.😭😭😭I think they are both dead and I don’t know what to do, but I know what NOT to do. I thought I had it right this time but clearly I’m not getting it. Thank you again for this informative video. I am sharing it with my son who is also a beginner in Bonsai
Really glad it helped . Unfortunately sometimes we find the information a bit late but is never late to start again , i wanted to give up at first because i could not get my trees to survive but now as i practice patience and care better for them they are all thriving . Remember that even the great bonsai masters lose trees from time to time
