Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone It could cause a collapse of civilization as we know it, we're borderline doomsday here. (Grabs buggout bag jumps in super lifted ford bronco , stops bye tacobell for one last burrito of readers choice)
Like many other watchers, I like to rewatch this and many other of Nigels Videos every year. I am getting a bit forgetful in my oldish age so need to reassure myself with Nigels great information and I thank him so much for his friendly face and way of teaching. No doubt I will be checking this video out again next year.
OMG, as they say! In 2015 you might have been mistaken for Neil Turok, the theoretical physicist, who was a Director at the Perimeter Institute! Are you related?
5:30 Are the horizontal wrinkles on the trunk typical for a larch? If no: do you know how this tree got them? Question 2: In Norway, we don't have a lot of larches, but I've found one after looking out for one for a year. Do you think I could take a cutting from it, or should i collect seeds, you think? (I guess I will do both, but do you know anything about larch cuttings? In spring, I assume..)
Yes, the native Larches all seem to have them, not so much wrinkles, but more like growth rings. As the Bark becomes more flaky with age, it becomes less visible. I haven't had any luck growing a Larch from cuttings. I can get them to survive the entire summer and lose their needles in fall, but they never seem to make it through the winter. They are fast growers, so I would recommend collecting seeds and starting a bonsai this way. They can be collected successfully too if they have a compact root system.
Nigel, I am really enjoying the indoors filming area. This is an excellent tree with lots of character. The front you've chosen is perfect imho. My main comment is how well the tree has done with just clip and grow techniques. Keep up the good work.
no 3 looked nice, I'd lean it a bit more forward and slanted more . Ps. I have shared your video on Facebook my bonsai page I'm sure alot of people will enjoy this.
Good evening Nigel, thank you for your thorough comments I really appreciate the time you take to do that. It is very helpful to me to watch the way you develop your trees and the culture in which they grow thanks so much, Jack
Great little larch. How long have you been growing Bonsai to get such an amazing collection? I’ve just planted up a small larch forest. My collection is slowly ‘growing’ Also I’ve made some air layers of my Maple trees which I’m excited to see if they succeed in a few months time. Looking forward to see how your trees grow in the coming year. Have a great day.
Thank you Margaret, I've been growing bonsai for 26 years now, but it seems like just yesterday that I started! Happy growing, I hope you have a great season!
I hold my breathe all the way over here in the Scottish Borders when you make those important pruning cuts! Super videos, watch them all. I've been given a Tamarind sapling as a potential baby bonsai. Would it work? I think we probably have similar weather to you, long cold winters and damp summers. Kind regards Glynis
Hi Nigel, first of all, thank you for the video. I really enjoyed watching it! It made me want to start cultivating one right now. Then question comes. I live in zone 10. Will Japanese / American larch work?
+Sandra Leung The natural range for Larches doesn't extend much below the great lakes area. They can survive right up to the Arctic circle with temp going down to -65 C. I think zone 10 is too warm.
Hi Nigel, Thank you for this demo. I picked up a very young Japanese Larch this year and your demo here gives me food for thought for its future. Wondering about fir trees. You are a big proponent of using native species. Why do you think fir trees are not often seen in the Bonsai world?
+Robert Pawlsoky That's a good question. I think suitable material to start with, is just hard to find. Trees sold in nurseries are usually Christmas tree size and I haven't seen any to collect around my area. I think they are more popular in mountain regions, where seedlings can be found more easily. I'll keep my eye out for one, they do make really nice bonsai!
Great video Nigel! That tree has lots of potential. Do you think it is a good time of year to prune an american larch I collected this spring? It has shown lots of signs of new growth, and I want to remove a major branch.
+ArkcoVerse Yes the major branches should be pruned when the tree is dormant in winter. I leave the detail pruning of the branches until spring, when the buds are starting to show green. This allows you to see which buds are alive.
Where do you get your bonsai pots? I don't know where to find them, so i think to use an oval plate that i can find at local market, something like this www.lancom.ro/images/detailed/4/farfurie-ovala-melamina-290gr.jpg
+ak50gunit Some of the nurseries in my area have cheap bonsai pots for sale. They work fine for tropical trees, but for hardy trees you need a good quality bonsai pot. Good quality usually means an expensive one! The best place to find good pots is on line. Try eBay also for some good used pots. The poor quality pots don't last long, when exposed to freezing and thawing. They will start to crack, flake and fall apart after the first winter. A good quality pot will last a lifetime. Until your trees are getting to a show ready state, I would recommend the plastic mica pots. They look reasonable and will also last a lifetime.
Nigel....why did you pick the needles off and let them fall on the bonsai pot? I just gently tip my larch, with the pot covered in plastic wrap, and the brush gently the needles off onto the ground. Viola! done in a couple of minutes. Otherwise I love your videos.
Hey...keep up on those videos. They are quite interesting and I have learned a number of new things from you even though I have been doing bonsai for almost 25 years. Love your enthusiasm. You and Graham potter are the best when it comes to informative videos. It was interesting in that video of the old apple tree that of 2014 when you said spring was finally here in May. Sorry I had to laugh when we had all are trees here on the West Coast in full bloom. I could not do any transplanting into pots by then. :D
+ak50gunit The soil in this pot, is bonsai soil, but it has broken down over the years and has gone all mushy. The tree hasn't been re potted in 4 or 5 years. I think the tree will like getting fresh soil. The pot needs to be a darker tone, more of the trunk colour when the tree is wet. The green colour it is now clashes with the foliage in summer.
+Chief Morning Larches grow mainly in Canada and some of the Northern states. On the Wikipedia page, there is a map showing their range.... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larix_laricina
+VFDB My larch forest is just starting to turn yellow now, check out this page, very interesting reading. www.usna.usda.gov/PhotoGallery/FallFoliage/ScienceFallColor.html
Good morning Nigel another great video. I have a large that I am training to so you give me some good ideas. What percentage of your trees do you cover the base with Moss, there seems to be quite debate about that strategy here in Illinois. Also when will you take the wires off this recently completed.? Thank you so much for sharing your work, Jack
+Jack Earley Moss to me represents grass or bushes, growing under your tree. The amount of moss vs. other ground cover depends on the look you are after. If you want the look of a high altitude tree in the mountains, a complete covering of moss on your pot will take away from this look. You should not see any bonsai soil, but other ground covers can be used instead of moss. Sand, rocks, fine gravel etc. These other ground covers should be keeping in the scale of the tree. Study pictures of trees in nature and look at the ground surrounding the tree. Find one with the look you are going for and try and duplicate the look in miniature. When your ground cover is done right, it will add to the look and feel of the tree. When it is done poorly, it will take away from the feeling and location you are trying to convey with your tree. Finding the right rocks, growing and pruning your moss, and finding the right ground cover (sand gravel etc.), then making it all work, takes a good eye, practice and time. Keep your goal in mind, and keep experimenting, until you find the right look underneath your tree. I'll leave the wire on the Larch until it grows to the point where it just starts to leave wire marks. I'm guessing mid summer? Branches that have not set, will need to be wired again.
