From Nursery Stock to Bonsai - Giant Sequoia Bonsai 2020 

I would love to see it now two years later

Just bought seeds. I will get them to sprout but at 72 do not know how long I will get to watch it grow. I remain optimistic.

"Skip ahead could be boring" sir this is a bonsai video, heavy metal and saws vs rootball is like pure adrenalin

Giant Sequoia roots only go down 5-10 ft they normally branch their roots out to balance their immense height they also entangle with each other to keep each other standing. So it’s not surprising how thick those roots are, thanks for the video I bought a baby Giant Sequoia at the park and I’m hoping to keep it as a bonsai but I’m very new to it so videos help. Thanks!

Awesome Tree!!! Please do an update on this tree!!!!!

Will be watching for updates, Ben. What an amazing project!

That’s an awesome tree! I would’ve taken at least two! Haha! That’s addict of me talking! Great nursery! Excellent job there Ben!

Hey Ben do you have a new update on this baby? I want to see how you train it. I am learning "topping" like the do on Bald Cypress. All these giant trees are so cool in bonsai forms.

Keep us updated on this bad boy

Great video Ben!! If it doesn't backbud as much as you want, you can always approach graft some of those long, unwanted branches closer onto branches you later decide to keep.

Nice. Every time you see the tree in it's glory you will think of your hard work.

That was just wonderful. Im looking forward to watching more. You have so much passion, good on you.

Awesome tree. Love those finds! Got a giant redwood in much the same manner (and effort). Stoked to see how they both turn out!

I have to say, I enjoyed every second of that mystery :). New subscriber looking forward to updates. My Sequoias here in the NL have already 2cm of new growth today.

Very cool vid and not boring at all, my bride and I went to a near by park in late October of this year and found seed cones on the ground from a giant sequoia and those seeds are now in the soil, now we wait for spring.

I appreciated your struggle and your outocme.

It will be nice to see an update on this giant Sequoia :-)

Thanks Ben. I just found your channel. Love Bonsai's and love Sequoias, tiny ones and the mind-blowingly big ones. I learned a lot just from this one video. Great effort on cutting that root mass down! Just subscribed, look forward to seeing your videos.

love the way you got the moss

Good find hope it survives. Last summer found a tree at my local nursery like that on the back lot probably a year or 2 be trashed. A bit out of my price range but had memorial day sales and trees where %50 off but this tree that I'd been stalking was left they gave me %75 and I was sold lol. Waiting here in Colorado for buds to break so I can put it in its new pot.

Great tree. Looks like a lot of very hard work! Ive just found your channel, so will be catching up.

I use a reciprocating saw on difficult root balls. Works a treat.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE! I have a 2 years old seedling. Just planted the plug last summer and will Bonsai pot it this late winter-spring.. it Doubled in branches. and tallness. is about 16 inches tall. started as 10 inches.

That was well worth watching, thank you.

i love the on screen commentary!

Beautiful find, Ben. Nice video too.

My FAVORITE nursery!!! Thanks for the video. I've been apprehensive to take such a strong wack a similar root ball. Not anymore!

BWAhahaha, 3 hrs...unreal man. I hate that moment where you realize you’re too deep into something to quit, yet finishing seems impossible. Well done, an absolute stunner of a tree as is.

Grand work, beautiful piece.

Glad I found your video on this, Ben, as I've had a giant sequoia in a pot for over 10 years. Bought it as a seedling at a gift shop in the Muir Woods. Re-potted it once, and it's now about 3 ft tall. Doesn't look as scraggly as yours. I've been considering whether to bonsai it. I saw in the comments that your sequoia didn't make it; I'm wondering if a different approach to the roots would make a difference ... given its years in a pot, I'm guessing the root ball will look similar. At least you've taught me what not to do! cheers!

Wonderful work!

It does backbud well. It also backbuds on the main trunk as well.

Just picked one up from a nursery not long ago, keen to see an update on this

This is good an example for us thank you sir.

When this tree is really healthy again it will back bud. Branches tend to be in a cartwheel which is something that needs to be addressed. Good luck with it Chris.

Love my redwood trees, I have 5 Sequoias 2 Dawns and 3 Coast redwoods.

Well it's been two years did you get to make a new video what a cool video this is you inspired me to do the same thing I'm going to go hunting

I look forward to updates from this!

Thank u for your vid I enjoyed it

Beautiful will look for updates.

DUDE! Im from king county originally and moved to Idaho to be closer to the pnw and I'm planting a forest here. I found this channel because I just got a little sequoia and was wondering if this was even possible. I know the greenhouse in Kent you're talking about and I love it too! Automatic subscribed, I look forward to watching more of your content.

i have a 2 year old seedling and it definalty grew new branches under the main ones when I potted it up.

Ben, I did the same to my G/Sequoia early spring last year (2019) it back budded along the branches to the trunk and if you cut a thick branch off it will produce 2/3 buds at that cut. A nice taper on your tree, my tree was 8ft high and I cut it down to 4ft so a fairly straight trunk but with healthy foliage. Enjoy your G/S.

An Update on this tree would be Nice !!!

thx for the great video!

Gosh I wish our nurseries grew these!!

Very nice. I did not find a playlist for this tree - please consider making one if this tree survived. Keep up the goodd work, cheers.

I have a spruce similar to that , it was root bound and in clay... I soaked it and removed the clay then repotted In loose compost and peat with some rock for drainage and sphangnum moss.. didn’t touch the roots though

Keep up the great work, beautiful sequoia giganteum, a sequoia sempervirens bonsai would be interesting

Would love to see an update on this tree

Ben* One word; Chainsaw....the biggest ever made...LOL. What a fight you put up there.

Any update on this tree? What a great content by the way

What a lovely video of a sacred Sequoia related to the Giants near Yosemite. Perhaps you are related to them too...

You've got a new subscriber 😉

Inspiring 👏

I had a Bonsai I made from a giant sequoia that I bought at nursery, witch I was surprised they had one for sale here in Arkansas, definitely not a native tree here. Unfortunately it died after a few years . I think it needed more water over winter than my other Bonsai. Maybe our weather extremes killed it. I remember trimming the roots. Yes they were very tough to trim back probably the most difficult than my other Bonsai. We have harsh weather extremes in Arkansas. From 110 Fahrenheit in late summer to -10 Fahrenheit a few days of winter. But one year it's mild and the next it's extreme. I have to put my Bonsai in a place that only gets morning sun because afternoon summer sun here will cook a Bonsai to death. Some people mistakenly plants a Japanese red maple in all day full sun and well it quickly dies.

Bro that was fkn epic, I also love doing stuff like that, finding neglected nursery stock is the most fun. I can't believe that tap root though, it was like concrete like you said, talk about persistence, but hey look what you have now, a glorious tree that will come back to life and give you decades of enjoyment. Is there a follow up video showing it's growth..?

Hi mate how’s the tree doing. Have you made an update on it yet 👍👍

I'm sure you will find it will backbud quite readilly once it gets established.

You must be an office worker 😅 + the music ...? if you can call it music 😅 well part of it anyway... The end finish is great 🙏 Ben 👍

That was some battle ,stunning tree , how is she getting on ,any follow up?

Awesome channel and video per always. I'm new to the greater Seattle area, which amazing nursery in Kent was the one you went to?

Would LOVE an update on this tree.,

Do you have an update? How is the bonsai doing now? Love your work!

cool!! is there an update on this sequoia

I am hopeful this video isn't too old that I will not receive a reply to my question. As far as propagation goes I am wondering if the cut off bottom from this Giant Sequoia might eventually promote new growth? Did you try this with the bottom portion of the root that you cut off? Would new growth have started from the cut portion considering how dense the root ball is/was? Perhaps if the bottom portion was cut into smaller portions is it possible that most of the separated portions would start new growth? I am asking the questions to learn what experiments may, or may not work in my future tree growing opportunities. A portion of my original question comes from thinking it would be such a waste of new potential plants by tossing the cut bottom portion of root that was removed if so many new trees could be produced from the cut off portion. I appreciate your thoughts regarding my query, enjoy your day. :-)

You make it much more difficult than it needs to be my friend. Easiest way to remove soil from roots is to use high pressure garden hose or even a pressure washer.

Very curious how this awesome tree is doing. Any updates?

Are you sure it'll survive with so much work done to the roots?

I would be surprised, if this Sequoia had survived this treatment. I am not a Bonsai expert, but I also find the pot is a little bit small in proportion to that tree.

Truly enjoy watching your bonsai and Koi adventure! Look forward to more! Are you trialing any new fig varieties this year?

Great video. Do you get your mica pots from a source in the Northwest. I live up in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island and would like to find a local source. I just got a Pyracantha (firethorn) I am getting ready to work on. And I like to experiment with citrus seeds turning them into future bonsai.

I've got this bonsai mix from my local nursery and was wondering if I can plant my giant seqouia and coastal redwood in it. The brand is espoma organic bonsai mix it does drain water very well I think a little to well I do have my pine tree I got from the Colorado Rockies in it and my little mugo pine which seems to be doing fine with a little potting soil mixed in with it. At the moment all I have my 2 seqouia trees in is a potting mix I made which consists of a bunch of perlite and peer humus soils with a little sphagnum moss they drain pretty good after waterings but not sure if it's enough cause they stay pretty saturated the rest of the day. Should I replant them using just that bonsai mix or leave them be till next spring

Hey Ben, how is the giant seqouia bonsai doing? Greeting from holland

That's one nice carbon sequestration. Still waiting for an update. If it survived or not.

Can you upload a video of how you make your bonsai soil?

That's an awesome tree. I've been considering getting 3 of them and making a forest bonsai. What size do you recommend I buy? There's seedlings up to xl available online.

« Some of you may enjoy my misery » Nahh don’t worry haha

The fine white feeder roots on Sequoiadendron gigantea don‘t respond particularly well to pruning, so I‘m curious about whether this tree will prevail or not. As you said though, you mostly cut thicker rootwork. Good luck!

Post an update on this tree!

Thats a wonderful tree!! Very impressive! Do you know if you could keep a Giant Redwood Tree/Sequoia permanent in the house as a bonsai? I heard they are very adaptable

please update us on the Giant Sequoia!

Did it survive..? I’ve cut the bottom off of a root ball on a white pine, I know it’s not the same, but it turned out that all the roots I didn’t cut off ended up not even being attached to the trunk

I enjoyed watching your misery! Haaa haaa haaaa. What a gorgeous tree!

A Silky saw would have done this root prune in about 5 minutes, Ben!

Get a Dewalt Battery handheld sawzall That tree looks Great WOW

I have a Sequoia Tree in a 50 gallon hemp fabric container do I have to trim the roots or will it grow ok if I don't?

can you post an update? will be good to see

Has he ever done an update on this tree

Hi! Thats a cool Video! How is the Giant Sequoia now? Did the tree survive the rootcut? Today i gave my Giant sequoia a bigger Pot.Hard work! Greetings from Germany!

Could you re- pot the root ball remains?

Hi, I have a potted Giant Sequoia that I've grown from a seed 4 years ago. I'm wondering how old that tree is, because mine is nowhere near as developed as yours! Lovely tree, by the way.

It's been a year, can we get an update on that beautiful tree?

What nursery did you get this from?? Please and thank you! I’m looking for more nursery’s around the Seattle area,

Any update on your giganteum? I’m trying to figure out how to prune mine. Although, new chutes are coming out of the trunk, no new chutes are coming out of the branches. With that, I’m afraid to trim the branches, but they’re too long

Super late, but do you think the "tap root" was just the trunk? I'm wondering if the tree was buried way too deep.

You did a good thing buying that tree and saving it because I’m no professional but I’d say that tree was on course to die

Is it convenient to leave it with so much foliage now that the roots took that much punishment? wouldn't be better to keep some balance? all that I've been taught about bonsai would suggest if you have too much folliage and not enough roots to feed it, you risk killing the whole thing. But I might be missing some info here.

Giant Sequioa Bonsai Grow Tip: 1. 8 hours full sun MINIMUM during growing season. 2. Grow seedlings in 4' or taller nursery pot 4"x4". 3 ALWAYS use mycorhyzzae fungi in the soil. 3. Bark or mulch from that region, coarse sand/lavarock, organic soil, and perlite mix for great draining. 4. pot w/ drainage and water till it drains DAILY, you cannot drown these trees but must drain. You will grow 1" thick trunk and 3-4' your first year. when transplanting to bonsai: 1. DO NOT CUT roots. transfer entire root system into bonsai potand use the same soil with equal mix of bonsai soil. Never cut lower branches, only cut apex branches to control growth. Keep moist and misted every morning. Roots must never dry or freeze or its instant death. Young trees turn yellow every winter this is a good sign. Water in the winter daily as well. Must have dormancy (no full time LED lights)

Has there been an update on this tree?? I'm curious how well it back budded, I have always wanted one of these!