This has been the most helpful video I've seen on leaf size!! Also packed with so many tips on development and refinement techniques. Absolutely love your real time demonstration between species, environment and development stage. Many many thanks!!
I was amazed when they dissuaded me from making oak or hazel bonsai, they told me that the leaves are too big but it's false. The more time passes and the branching and root mass increases, the greater the quantity of foliage and is reduced because it has less need of large "solar panels". interesting lesson Jelle, thanks
@@Yurup morten albek shown a shohin size or less oak with tiny leaves, stated that time and rootball will make them smaller if i remember correctly. It was a damn good tree, never seen that thing alike.
I am growing a Horse chestnut (I estimated the tree was 10-15 years old at time of collection) collected 15 years ago from the wild. It was badly damaged by vandals. At the time of collecting it was about 0.8 meter tall, raggedly snapped. Trunk base about 3.5 cm. I reduced the height to 0.4 m. Trunk base is about 6cm and leaf size is one quarter of original size.
@@freewheelinfranklin6201 that’s impressive. I didn’t know horse chestnut could be reduced that much. Gives me hope for my rescue quince, not the Japanese one, the regular one “cydonia oblonga”. Someone grew it from seed and the trunk has a very interesting shape but I still have it in the ground to thicken up a lot more before putting it in a pot.
Thank you. I think I learned a lot and I got inspired and motivated. You have a good sense of being thorough without it getting overwhelming and boring. The whole video was full of information, yet remained interesting. Can't wait my sticks in pots to get to more mature stage where I can get ramifying them!
Since you asked for comments, here's mine: I grew a bonsai bur oak (unfortunately, it died when we had some severe weather and I couldn't protect it). Here's one thing I noticed about it. When pushing out leaves, it typically put out 5 to 7 leaves on a twig. The one closest to the tip was normally the largest one, and the smallest ones were on the other end. So the thing to do was to prune off the end leaves. But here's the thing: timing is important. If you do the pruning while the leaves still have some red because they're growing, the little leaves turn into big leaves. So wait do do the pruning until the leaves have finished growing. With my bur oak, the timing was obvious, because the red disappeared and the leaves were just green. Pruning when the leaves are green, the leaves remained small. On my tree: about and inch or two vs. the 10"+ for the large leaves.
I have watched a lot of videos before starting my first bonsai projects. A LOT of videos. This was the best one. Simple words, short sentences, nice pace, pauses, good explanation. Subbed.
Great video Jelle. I very much like this part of Bonsaicare and getting ramification. I'm wondering what is the best time to do this? With my beeches I pinch the buds to 2 - 4 leaves as soon as they open. Same with maples. I see other artists letting the branches grow till summer and then prune. Can you tell me what's best or why I should wait till summer?
Great information Jelle!! That was an amazing example of leaf size reduction! Smaller pot and restricted roots results in smaller leaves. Unrestricted roots and unchecked growth equals large leaves! I believe my husband's root might be too restricted! I should have him wear a kilt!
I definitely like this content!! I have a few bonsai that I am working on reducing the leaf size. I have an unrelated question about air layers……… I have an air layer on a Japanese maple started in spring of 2023, that I somehow forgot to separate last fall……. It is now early spring……. Can I separate it now or would it be wiser to wait until further into spring or summer? The air layer looks healthy enough, every bud has just started to push its first set of leaves.
Content along with visual demonstration, very good video. Most of the info except maybe the internodes getting longer as the growing season progresses I’ve heard, but I do like the way you’ve structured the lesson including the branch and have saved this video to watch again at some point in the future. Thank you.
Jelle, please help me because another video confused me. I bought a young Kawazan cherry tree to dwarf. In another vide, a bonsai suggested planting a young tree let it thicken its trunk. Another video showed someone wiring a sapling. What method would be best for the tree's health? Since I'm in a wheelchair, I can dig a hole to pllant the tree. Thanks for everything.
Hi Jelle, love your videos, my goto channel for all infomation. I would be interestd to know where you aquired you Brazilian Raintree seeds. I am in the UK, and cant seem to locate seeds or cutting/tree. Would you have any cuttings i could buy. Keep up the excellent content, i watch just about every video, even if its a spicies i dont have, it was your videos on the Brazilian Raintree that has made me want to aquire one. Best regards Stephen
Hi, do you use organic or synthetic fertiliser for your bonsai? I have 5 little pine tree seedlings I germinated from a pinecone I picked up, they are in 2nd year of growth. Thinking maybe to try my first bonsai practice with them in a year or so. My main interest is my ornamental flower and shrub garden, and I mainly use organic mulch and fertiliser. Is this system ok for bonsai? I have seen people use mainly synthetic slow release beads in some videos, but I have no experience using these and I worry I will overstress the plants if I use them badly.
Hi, good video thank you. When is the perfect time to do this on your tree if you cant do this when just started with the bonsai? Thank you for your answer
Thank you for your interesting discussion of the development and reduction of leaf size. I wanted you to know that the plural of leaf isn't leafs, but leaves. One leaf and many leaves. Thank you again.
Great videos and instructions! Question: Did i hear you say that fruit size and flowers of bonsai are the natural size? i.e the same as a natural fruit tree?
Great video! Your detailed explanation on reducing leaf size in bonsai is incredibly helpful. The step-by-step guidance makes the process easy to understand and follow. Thanks for sharing such valuable tips!
Just getting started with bonsai, I’m doing all from seeds.. so far I have a white oak, and a silver maple.. I’m loving your videos! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Excellent video!! So much information in a well presented way. I’m sure I’ll be going back to watch again in case I missed some important information. Thank you!!
Perfect. My second bonzai video ever so I'm a beginning beginner. This was simple and easy to follow but I know I will have to watch it again. And maybe again.
Thank you for your time and effort making these videos. Really helpful information for a beginner like me. I love watching your videos, they are always informative and easy to follow. 👍 I also love listening to your accent!!
Make sure you do rootwork early on, and avoid phone-pole straight trunks. Also, check that the species is able to reduce leaf size. Not all maples are great for bonsai.
Great video, thanks a lot for your effort and your explanations, seems to have a lot of post production in the background with so many different video cuts
Another great video, I've so far found all of your videos very helpful and easy to follow / understand. You explain more technical aspects in an easy to digest manner compared to other popular channels which sets you apart nicely. I particularly appreciate when you switch the camera to be focussed just on cuttings for example, to give a clear visual of what you're talking about as if it were still on the tree, you do this in other videos as well and its extremely helpful. You've helped me learn quite solid basics and some important key points in a very quick time just as I'm getting hooked into Bonsai, thank you for that! Inspired me to get a Japanese Maple, Japanese Juniper and Ficus at very young age to train almost from the start, rather than going for something pre-shaped and already mostly developed. Will enjoy keeping up with your updates on different projects.
Wondering if there's any value in a video on pruning a juniper to encourage branching. I'm thinking firstly that it's hard to know where a juniper will bud as the nodes aren't so obvious and secondly that if you over-prune some types of juniper that they have a tendency to push out juvenile needle growth - so there's a limit on how much you can prune and that's entirely down to experience (which unfortunately I don't have)
Don’t give up. Make sure you provide an adequate conditions. Every tree has different needs, different soil pH, different watering, different fertilizing, sun or shade etc. You will find all needed info online. Good luck
Thank you so much! Are there any other topics you would like me to address on the channel? Please share videos you like around, it helps me / the channel to get more views :)
@@GrowingBonsai what about how-to videos on creating specific styles like broom, cascade, etc.? I am trying to grow both but do no know how to do it. Perhaps it could be species that you haven't covered yet like thuja. I am trying to get larches and thujas to grow denser foliage (especially lower down in the tree)
quick question, I want a horse chestnut bonsai but can I get those leafes reduced aswel? since you said it depens on the species. thanks for the awesome video's by the way!
They do. Key is however in winter to remove the big end-buds (and in healthy strong specimens, fat buds that form after that). So there is a need to weaken the tree before they start growing.
What u can do to reduce size. What i do is bring the plant indoors during the grow season. And put it under a UV grow light. The leaf and size of the bonsai will stay pretty small
