Hey you're getting good at this, I'm gonna steal one or two ideas lol Just kidding of course! I think this video can go past 100K views pretty quickly. Good luck & enjoy!
Nice Shohin! Do you find Japanese Maples like a lot of afternoon shade during the hottest parts of the growing season? These are goon be some great trees, so important to work on the roots for such small specimen.
Thanks! Yes, the Japanese maples all get morning sun and afternoon shade. Otherwise they get leaf burn in the hot Madrid sun. And in the hottest months I also hang a 50% shade cloth over them.
Love this video. Absolutely incredible explanation. I always learn some new tricks here. Also, this is a common opinion ofc, how beautiful are Deshojos?
I'm so pleased I found you! This is only the first video of yours i've watched, but it's taught me SO much already. It's given me clarity over a number of bonsai elements. I'm an absolute beginner and have done the usual thing of watching tons of videos online, which helps in many ways of course. But your video was so clear. great close ups and explanations of what you were doing and why. Even to use footage from last year is greatly appreciated for a visual learner like me - and the whiteboard demo is brilliant. I very much look forward to watching more of your videos. I'm made up! Thank you for the time and energy you clearly put into your videos (as someone who makes them myself - i know what's involved). Excellent!
I am also so pleased you found this video! Glad you enjoyed it. Also just seen your channel for the first time- really entertaining videos! Makes me wonder how many great channels there are out there that we never find because YT only offers us the videos relevant to our recently viewed videos. I'm curious, what led a mushroom and fungi expert towards the world of bonsai? You might have already picked up from mine and other videos, it's an obsession for many of us that can become really time consuming, not to say potentially very expensive. But my friend now you're hooked there's no way back! wuaahahaha
More valuable info Dave, thanks again! Did you actually repot these a few days ago? I went to look at my nursery stock Thuja and it already had small white tips on the roots, as it's quite mild here in The Midlands and was toasty warm today (sat 19th) so I'm getting a bit late for repottings now!! PS: if you're curious, the roots were horrifically pot bound and I just couldn't get into the centre; ended up sawing through 'em. Eat your heart out Nigel!!
Thanks Kate! Yes I repotted these two weeks ago, then filmed the airy fly-by clips last week end. By now they have both leafed out massively, I'm going to need to prune them before repotting season is over! Unbelievable. All of the Japanese maples have leafed out by now but not the trident maple. Other trees haven't yet popped. Most of my oaks, the buds aren't even swelling yet. Larch buds have just popped open today. It's a strange year, I think the weird weather has confused half the trees. Hahaha sawing off the bottom of the root ball is certainly one way to approach a potbound system. Btw I don't have any Thujas, it's on my long-term someday list. They're not so common here in Spain, maybe because of the climate? Dunno.
@@BlueSkyBonsai I was curious as well. Here in Shizuoka Japan my Japanese maple is *just* starting to leaf out. I was thinking we had pretty similar climates so I couldn't believe how far along yours were. @Kate Dodd If I remember correctly Nigel actually sawed off the roots from one of his ficus trees (possible "Fancy" or maybe even "The one he grew from a seed"). If you look through his play lists you can probably find it.
I'm planning to do a video about moss .. maybe later in spring after all the repots are out of the way. In summary, moss seems to grow on the soil surface of my outdoor trees, whether I like it or not. I guess it self-seeds (or self-spores!) It looks nice for sure, but it brings various problems. The main problem is associated with birds... If yours are always indoors then the only real problem is that you need to keep it off the trunk and surface roots, otherwise the moss will keep the bark continually damp all year, and that is not good. We need the bark to dry out between watering. Permanently damp bark won't age and will always look like a juvenile shoot rather than a mature tree. Also moss harbours various bugs and grubs, not a huge issue indoors unless you get weevils, whose larvae can feed on your roots. But as I said, outdoors is the bigger problem because the birds keep attack the moss, exposing and potentially killing the roots in full sunlight.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Oh, wow. I didn't know that. I guess the birds are looking for food in the moss? Mine are on the balcony, so I don't think birds would be a big problem. Though they could potentially get in there when the glass is drawn to the side (in summer). I'll wait for your video before putting any moss anywhere. :)
Hey, a few minutes ago I was thinking about you and how long it's been since you've uploaded videos. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm going to watch it. Happy weekend!
Thanks and Happy weekend too! Por cierto con las complicaciones de la vida actual no puedo publicar más de un video al mes... eso si, es que tardo dos semanas en la fase de editar ...
What are the ages of those two maples? They have very nice trunks. And I’m very envious of your branch structure! :) The red leaves really pop in the video.
Thanks Jason. I've had both maples for four years. When I bought them they were in training pots and I would estimate they were probably somewhere around 7 to 10 years then. So i guess now between 11 and 14 years. The deshojo leaves are really bright red in real life for the next month or so, I'm glad you could see that in the video.
Foirth 😁 Lovely colour in those Deshojos. I’m still waiting for the buds to swell and open on mine in the UK. They are without a doubt my favourite bonsai tree with almost luminescent colour in spring. Truly glorious ❤️ Keep up the great work David. Always superbly done. 🙏
Thanks Jason! Yep I love the deshojos. I also love the Orange Dream JMs but the wonderful colour on those only lasts a few weeks before they turn lime green. Thanks for your encouraging words!! 👍
great video , im just a beginner of a few years ,and am just happy to be able to keep my trees alive , your advice is great and will definitely be in my mind when i repot next year , just a note , can this be done with larger training containers ? thanks
Thanks! Yes you can definitely do this in a bigger container although I would recommend an upside-down terracotta plate instead of a stone for this purpose. Here's one I did earlier in spring: flic.kr/p/2naSCza
Aussie Dave here David, I was up at 4.00 am to watch your video, bloody awesome 👌, I love your amazing whiteboard presentation 😀 ❤. I have only 1 young Japanese maple 🍁 that I can't wait until spring in Australia ( 6 months to go). Fantastic video please keep them coming 😀 👍 😊
Hey Dave, thanks so much! I guess you didn't sleep so great.. sorry if my video was the cause of that!!! Japanese maples make such fantastic bonsai. Enjoy it!
Hola Javier, gracias por tu comentario! El Nebari Sugoi me parece una buena solución, ojalá fuera un poquito cónico para que las raices tengan que crecer inclinado un poco hacia abajo. Tal vez hay que meter un montículo de sustrato para formar la inclinación antes de insertar las raices??
It is Echeveria, they are super easy to grow and almost impossible to kill! They just need sunlight and water. They don't look great as bonsai, but they do look good in a wide pot on a warm, sunny patio environment.
Wonderfully produced and superbly executed video.....you are a master of several disciplines. Delightful graphic illustration of the concepts too - outstanding!! Subscribed........
Thank you for this vey helpful and well made video. The visual representation of what is happening and why has helped me understand nebari on acers much better. Also the forehead slap made me giggle.
Thanks! Maybe .. but I think something external has to happen for the algorithm to suddenly accelerate someone's channel. Like, viewers who were not typically interested in bonsai clicking the thumbnail... and that's not easy when the subject is nebari 😉 lol But maybe I locked myself into a bonsai audience with this video title... Anyway, thanks for your prediction!
Thanks! Yes it seemed to start 2 weeks ago when I shot these repots but now the weather has turned back to winter conditions again 😂 ah, the rain is good, saving me tap water.
I hope to have such pretty trees in the future. For now, I'm just happy they have all survived the winter and are starting to wake up and get little leaves. :) I'm also proud of myself for daring to cut the roots at all. lol. They seem to be doing well so far though.
You WILL have very pretty trees in the future. And doubly so because you're creating them from zero. You're also practicing the most valuable skill in bonsai.. great patience!! You saw how much root mass I chopped off these maples.. they're still shooting out masses of leaves as if they didn't skip a beat! It's all about the timing.
@@BlueSkyBonsai Yeah, so far none of the trees have reacted visibly to the root cuts at all. It's fascinating to me. :D I've practised patience for many years with my orchids. ;) Some of them I've had for 15-20 years. :)
Thanks Gerrett! Glad you liked it. I have been doing this trick for most of my repots, but some trees just don't need it, if their roots don't need to be wired down.
@@GrowingBonsai 👍 thanks! It's also important to realise that almost noone gets huge view numbers in the first 30 or so videos, but it sure helps to keep the viewer's attention 😊
@@BlueSkyBonsai Good to know. Still well below 30 vids myself. I know more about bonsai than about social media I suppose :). If you are ever on my channel, would be glad to hear your thoughts.
@@GrowingBonsai ha! I already subscribed yesterday! I watched your trident repot video, which is a great reminder because I have to repot mine tomorrow! I'm not going to film it. I will indeed add my thoughts there 👍
Daggum, Dave! Awesome root work. Love the round stone technique. Sounded like you plan to continue manipulating the root growth throughout the growing season. I’d be fascinated to see how you check the progress and time the soil removal. Your production is so impressive, Dave. I don’t know if it’s a one man show, or if you have a small team putting your videos together, but brother the quality is through the roof!
Thanks Yeti! Yes I did these repots two weeks ago, and I already brushed back one top layer of soil, brushing radially from the trunk outwards. We have cold and rainy weather here at the moment so I'm not worried about those surface roots drying, which is the risk with brushing back the top soil so soon after repotting. But the wires, probably I will loosen slightly at mid-late april, and brush back a little more topsoil end-April. Thanks for your kind compliments about the video production! It's only me and myself. But photography is my second hobby, and unfortunately a I'm bit of a perfectionist so only publish a video if I'm totally happy with the content and quality. I film in 4K and have good editing software... the only thing I don't have is enough spare time! 😊
@@BlueSkyBonsai brother, if you make a progression/time lapse, I’d tune in. And probably give it multiple views, much like I do most your videos. I’ve always lived knowing it’s not about time, but priorities. As long as your priorities are straight, you’ll have time for what’s important. I believe you’ve highlighted 2 of your cubs in your videos. No doubt your priorities are right where they need to be, brother. I appreciate all that you do share with us. It’s a real treat.
Excellent instructional video. Thank you, Dave. I noted on the second tree that the internodes were kind of long. Do you know about disbudding the new growth to shorten the internodes?
Hi Jeff, and thanks! Yes the internodes, I did all the buds last year but just didn't get around to it this year. In any xcase most of those lower branches with long internodes will get pruned back in late spring. Seen your email--thanks again!
You are making a very nice and very accurate application. It's impossible not to be fascinated. It was a video that should be taken as an example, as a lesson. Root arrangements and tree growth from year to year are very important for Nebari development. Larger pots will greatly shorten the time to develop Nebari or other elements.
Thanks as always my friend. Yes root work is so important and definitely a larger pot helps grow nebari faster. And to thicken the trunk sooner too. But of course small pots look so nice 😊
I'm very new at this...i wish you'd have shown how you blew off the excess to expose the nabari. Seems self-evident, but just need a visual! Thank you! (I'm recently medically retired as an RX due to bilateral retina disease, but this type work/hobby/leisure would do wonders for me. All lines are "squiggly" now, so i cannot accurately dliscern numerals anymore. Im young (-ish), too 😊)
Hi and welcome! Sorry to hear about your eyes, but it certainly sounds like you've chosen the perfect hobby! Regarding brushing off the top soil: One year later I did it in this video about "pot refresh"- hope this helps: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HqoS2kaBQfQ.htmlsi=5efIMC4kEOwBej1E&t=331
Hi Dave! Just wanted to say that I put 12 conkers in humid sphagnum moss in November. Now I decided to check on them, and three had sprouted! :D And yes, I know horse chestnuts are not great bonsai material, being very big trees. But I wanted to try. :P
Hi Syster, great work! They can make interesting bonsai indeed but you'll need to make them pretty big! Their leaves can be reduced but will never be tiny. We have a large horse chestnut in the garden and I am content to keep it there, not in a pot 😊
Love love love your videos! Your whiteboard use is so informative and clear. I really think you will help me with my bonsai. When will you be writing it all in a book??????
Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying my videos!! Book, sounds like a nice idea but I'm afraid you'll still need wait a few years for that. Until then you'll have to cope with my whiteboard sessions!
Thanks! Great, enjoy the experience of nurturing your own bonsai from the cradle! Ps. How long can you resist getting more acers? I had one the first year then the next year I got three more, and the year after another three. Now I have 12 at various different stages of development, it becomes a long-term addiction!!
@@BlueSkyBonsai hah I reckon not too long because I just cant stop looking at it, need more! I'm also at the stage where I try to grow bonsai of every seed/saplind I can get my hands on. Beginner's enthusiasm hah
Fascinating! Great looking trees you have, nice video production and animation too. I would personally love to have a bonsai "emerging" from my aquarium, but this seems like a nice way to start for a beginner.
Thanks Gavin! I tried putting humidity-friendly trees into two moss terrariums nearly 4 years ago, and they're still alive now. But somehow the trees never quite look as good as when they're on their own in a decent pot.
Cheers Matt. Yep repotting.. i try to enjoy every repot ... with a feeling of guilt that I'm not filming most of them 🤨 thanks as always for your comments!
Thanks bro! I'd forgotten about that, your pot-in-a-pot trick. Yes I should try it with one of my oak shoots. I'm curious about how the roots will do in that air gap.. I'm wondering if they will root straight through the air because of the high humidity in the air??? Are planning to repot that again this spring to inspect the roots?
Thanks for another great video Dave, most informative. Can I ask which brand of stainless tools you're using for this video please? I've just started searching but there's such a wide price range for 'similar' looking tools. I'm mainly after a concave cutter.
I've learned more from your videos and whiteboard lessons than I have from paid classes. Thank you so much! Do you have progression albums of your trees? Would love to see more of your collection from over the years. Can't wait for the next video!
Hi and thanks! Here is a link to photos of this deshojo maple on Flickr: flic.kr/p/2n8bst9 Feel free to browse around and see the progress on this and other trees.
Good evening sir , I am yours fan and subscriber I have a question, how many days after doing the wiring of the plant, we should remove the wiring. Deepak From Shahdara. Delhi (India).
Hi! It depends on the type of tree. If it's very vigorous like a ficus / banyan tree, then you should remove the wiring quite soon, I recommend after only 3 weeks, to be sure the wire doesn't start biting into the bark. If the branch hasn't yet set in the new position after that time, it's still better to remove the wire, then gently rewire it again. HTH
Great stuff Dave. Both trees roots are coming along very nicely! Ive not seen the stone trick, seen it with a little lump of wood, but i think the stone seems better!
Thanks! 100% akadama works well. 100% perlite not so good, perlite doesn't retain enough water and fertiliser. You need to mix perlite with another component like akadama, or pine bark, or cat litter, or turface, all of which are very retentive.
What's the soil called again mate I need the spelling haha I can't get the right spelling. Iv just Brough a beginners kit I'm doing red maple first I want to get a nice root system on show coming down a nice rock🤞 think iv got abit to big of an ambition for my first one if I'm honest haha. Any help and advice it very much appreciated!!
Akadama is the main soil ingredient, mixed with some kiryuzuna. You should be able to buy them already mixed, but try to get "shohin" granule size which are like 3mm or so granules. For everyone starting out on their first bonsai I always guve one piece of advice. Never let the roots get dry. To avoid heartbreak and wasted money when it dies. Make sure, every time you go away, or have an intense work week, or whatever, make sure your tree does not go without water! 95% of bonsai deaths are caused by lack of watering, and sometimes they die a couple of weeks later so you don't necessarily associate it with that weekend you let the soil get dry.
I'm a bit new to bonsai but I've been observing trees all my life and I'd like to ask why are the roots combed out? The pancake nebari looks much more natural when it has the bumps and grooves of crossing roots like in nature.. these smooth flat pancake nebaris look very unnatural.. is that the point? Am I missing the point? Lol
Hi, actually I agree with you: I much prefer natural looking nebari to those smooth plate-like pancakes we sometimes see. I am trying to develop a natural slope into the nebari which helps thicken the lower trunk and looks beautiful- here is an example I saw and snapped in a field a couple of years ago: flic.kr/p/2ntDmkR That's what I'm trying to achieve with my bonsai. Having crossing-over roots can also mimic nature, true, but becomes a problem visually when the roots are disproportionately too big for the trunk, compared to a real tree in nature. Did I answer your question??
I have just got into Bonsai and am completely hooked. However some of the other tutorials i watch are too advanced. I would also love to have a maple to work with without re mortgaging the house.
Being hooked on bonsai will probably stay with you for the rest of your life. You will never look at a tree in nature the same way again! I also set myself a low budget for buying bonsai material, but if you put on the effort and can wait many years, a purchase of $100 now might be worth $1000 in the future. Btw buying japanese maples in winter as prebonsai material is the most cost effective way. You can turn them round into a beautiful bonsai in very few years. And in the meantime you still enjoy their wonderful leaves and colours.
Hi and thanks for the great comment. I don't know if I'll do a video about the books, but certainly I'll create a list of the books that inspired me and others that I keep on referring back to. I'll put it on the BlueSkyBonsai.com website, hopefully tomorrow if I can get the time.
Thanks Ernst! I think repotting videos are not usually very attractive to watch so I decided I would try to make one with some extra interest... The pebble trick is great if you get the exact right size stone for the tree and pot.
how do you know how much of the root you can cut off? I started last year with my first bonsai and killed it by accident because I cut off to many roots....
It depends very much in the time of year and to some extent on the species. If you repot a deciduous tree in late winter or early spring (read: March in the northern hemisphere) then you can prune back roots very hard. I recommend you watch this video about repotting: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tDIRz2YFhfw.html But as summer draws closer, root pruning becomes more and more risky. That's because the tree will have leafed out and the hotter weather will make the leaves need more water for transpiration, trying to draw more water from the recently depleted roots. You *can* still repot up to early june (n.hemisphere) but by that time it's a bit risky and pretty important to keep the tree in the shade for a few weeks and the leaves frequently misted. All in all it's safer to do it in early spring just as you see the leaf buds swelling ready to burst. Coniferous trees, you need to be more careful when pruning the roots. Same timing applies, but you probably shouldn't remove more than half the root mass in one year. For Tropicals, it varies by species. Ficus you can remove probably 2/3 of the root mass at any time of year, because you leep them indoors - but again I take the measure of keeping it in the shade for a couple of weeks and high humidity (humidity tent, or very frequently misting the leaves for a few days).
Using the stone is such a good idea! I am certainly going to add that to my "tool box" of ideas. Still 5 months form repotting here in Australia, so plenty of time to find suitable river rocks!
When you see the leaf buds swelling and just about to pop, it means all the starch (that was stored in the roots in winter) has turned back to glucose/sap and is pushing up the trunk to the branch tips. So the roots are storing the energy in winter but not now in spring. On the other hand, if you see the leaf buds haven't yet started to swell then the tree is still dormant and the energy is still being stored in the roots. This might have appeared like a drastic root pruning, but now two weeks later the trees have continued to leaf out vigorously, no problem. It's all about the timing.
Hi Dave! All and each one of your videos are amazing and easy to comprehend. Thank you so much for sharing. I have a question if you have some time. When can I do an air-layer of the trunk after repotting my japanese maple? Thanks again for your great videos, have an amazing day!
Hi Ernesto! Thanks, glad you're enjoying the videos. Personally I would wait until next spring to air layer it. I have never air layered a tree in the same year as root pruning it. And I have never lost a tree to air layering. If you're in a hurry I guess you could probably do the air layer in late spring/early summer and remove & pot the layer in early autumn. But one of my philosophies is to not hurry bonsai. Why rush and risk losing the layer?
@@BlueSkyBonsai Thank you so much Dave for responding. I agree, there is no need to rush. I will repot it now and wait till next spring to layer. As a hoped your advise was very helpful, again thank you and have a great day. Keep the videos coming, please.
Very informative and I love the pause and animation. I can definitely apply the techniques to succulents that I want to create a bonsai out of. Thanks.
@@carmooliveira5772 akadama with kiryuzuna. S,ome people just call it kiryu. It's a bit like pumice but better because it changes colour when wet so you can see easily when the top soil is dry, similarly to akadama.
Nicely done Dave! You have so much attention to detail! I just discovered your videos and really like your style and all the work you put into these videos. I know it's a lot of work, but you are good at it! Subscribed and look forward to more videos! Cheers
Hi, I did that video last year! You can see it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eFdWy-MfFrs.html When a deciduous tree is just pushing out new leaves, it's the perfect time to repot because all the sap is pushing upwards so the roots can be pruned without harming the tree.
Such a great lesson, and great visual on how adding the stone below the base of the tree, while tightening the roots down wire creates a better nebari. Can't wait to see the results of these repottings.
Thanks a lot @shirayasha ! Yes later in spring I'll loosen the wires and brush off some surface soil - probably not in a video but will upload photos to Flickr and Instagram. Will definitely show the roots again in a future repotting video. This is how the trees look now - a few days ago we had a frosty morning: flic.kr/p/2ndcyvj flic.kr/p/2nddWTj
Nice video! I just got a new Japanese maple and will start training it this spring. I recommend using decomposed granite and fur bark for the soil if you haven't tried it. Akadama has always turned into a solid mass over time for me so I stopped using is and the decomposed granite helps create fine roots. I've been growing bonsai for over 25 years now and will never get tired of it.
Thanks! That's a good tip, I should give it a try. I don't have a problem with akadama mushing, but I think it's because it almost never freezes here. I sometimes use pine bark in the soil to increase retention in deeper pots, but never tried granite. Cheers!
Yes, about 6 years ago I bought a huge haul of kitty litter, I found my local supermarket did a non-clumping non-chemicals cat litter for cheap. Unfortunately since then they don't sell it any more, only clumping and scented. I also use pumice and or kiryuzana in my mix, because they are slightly absorbent and hold their structure over many years and re-uses. Kiryu is excellent but pretty expensive.
All the tropical trees are indoors by mid-autumn. The rest of my trees stay outside all winter. You can see in this video if you're interested: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_wsGWXRfhNA.html But here in Madrid it only stays frozen for a few days at most. This year there was no freeze at all. It's probably equivalent to a US zone 8, but here we just call it a Mediterranean climate.
@@IceManOregon great question! And guess what, I did a pair of videos on watering too 😊 In summer here it normally exceeds 38°C / 100F for several weeks. During those months I need to water three times a day - about 11am, 2pm and 5pm. That's impractical to do by hand so I have installed automatic irrigation for those times. I also hang a 50% shade sheet over the benches May through August, and that has helped enormously. You can see the shade sheet in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-E2dBOrA7tOs.html And detailed recommendations for automatic watering in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MNCYVpaHpfQ.html HTH
I've just collected one young apple from wild, its not real yamadory, its very thin, but it has a nice shape. It has a single root (no root branches, just one big going straight down) and its very long, aproximetly the height of a tree. What do you think should i bend it or cut it? Now its in a big pot before i decide what do do. Im new in bonsai so if you can help me with advice that would mean to me a lot. Thank you!
Leave it in the big pot until next spring. It's got to start growing fine roots near the surface before you can cut the tap root seriously shorter. Also one year of unhindered growth will help thicken the trunk a bit. Next spring just as the new buds are swelling or starting to pop, then unearth it and check the root system. Sometimes you get loads of fine roots near the trunk base - then you can cut the tap root much shorter. But other times the roots grow little by little, and in that case you'd need to shorten the tap root bit by bit over a few years. This video might help: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Kj4CRj96goU.html
