I am a bonsai beginner. I appreciate the fact that you have filmed patiently after proper progress and compiled in this one video. The techniques you showed appeal to me and i shall try out germinating a rain tree seed to start off with. I am currently experimenting with rooting of cuttings. Thanks for making this video!
I love the look of this little rain tree and it proves how successful this setup is.And the added benefit of this setup I can see is you don't have to worry about watering even if you have to go away for few days as normally a pot this size might need daily watering.Great idea Vinny !
Your are doing wonders buddy! Thanks for sharing all the useful information. I love that fact that you do everything our of recycled material so its its very educational, fun and nature friendly!
Thank you for this simple trick. I had some seeds sitting in water and some put in soil. Nothin happened for 3 weeks and then I clipped the ends like shown in your video on new seeds. They started getting thick and big within less than 24 hours. Did this on all of them and all of them are showing reaction.
glad to know that 👍. next i recommend learning how to do air layering. there is a playlist for it. i feel it a very valuable but under utilized technique.
Hey Vinnie, I love those little Bonsais!! I am currently starting to plant some Tamarind, which I will put in a similar setting like you :) The seeds started growing only after 3 days :O Many greetings!!
+ma91cel ... feel free to post your links here, both pics & video. by the way, i don't recommend this setup. use a netpot from hydroponic stores. let me see if i can give you a visual
Hi Vinny! Just discover your videos and I couldn´t stop reading some of yours articles. I like the hybrid-ponics idea a lot. As you said, it´s nor a replacement but what's about using it for training to make seed grow faster. I´m going to reproduce the experiment, but I have a few questions: 1. Watering: do you put water on the small pot or just add/water to the hydroponic container? In second case, how the small pot never get dry if water never reach it? Isn´t it a problem? 2. Do you ever prune roots at small pot bottom level? I wonder if roots would grow if water doesn´t reach it... You should make an detailed article about this experiment, please!!!! And thanks for sharing!
Pedro, thanks for asking this question bcos I realized I should have shown the watering of the soil also to avoid this confusion. My answer will still puzzle you though :-) I water the soil in the top pot manually everyday, 1-2 times a day with a squeeze bottle. You can automate this by putting a twine/cotton string in the soil and let it hang into the water thru one of the bottom holes in the pot. But even in the absence of both, i have found the sand in the top pot, in another similar setup with a ficus, to be always moist. I just water it once in a while just for my comfort. The water seems to move up the hanging roots from both outside and inside the roots thru capillary action, due to the rough exterior of the now mature water roots, specially the ones hanging in air. The answer to your 2nd question is yes, i pruned the roots several times when the pot was in a sand tray. Then i let them grow some length in it and then only moved it to a water setup.
The missing part of the story you seek is shown in the steller link in the description. Yes, new roots do come out from below the pot, seeking water, even with the gap i currently maintain. They can sense the presence of water nearby. But when I initially added the water setup, i already had roots long enough to dip into water across the gap of air. So the bottom roots were roots grown in sand, which later got converted to water roots. In my next video, I will explain this further, as a side note. Thanks for pointing out the missing elements. I will ensure make my future videos are much better and clearer too :-)
I pllan on doing that with some sour sop seeds I have to get a thick trunk base. Thanks for the idea Vinny. I don't have coco peet here but will try something else.
The usual technique for trunk thickening is growing it in the ground. Hybrid-ponics is a just a fun adaption, specially for tiny pots, not a replacement :-) You could use coarse sand, with the fine dust filtered off, or anything granular in a tray. See my sand tray - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-znG1jP9LNAA.html
Thanks Mostafizur Rahaman :-) This sort of setup is better than what i did - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jLoYoHUHXhI.html. I hope you saw the other parts of my video, given in description.
what kind of little white balls are those? Possibly just a normal styrofoam ball? Also would bonsai soil work instead of sand or whatever the planting medium is for the hybrid hydroponics rain tree.
Hi Connor, yes those are styrofoam balls, used for packing stuff. you can scrape any piece lying around and use the particles too. in my later videos, i have improvised and used cardboard to block light - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0KjVY1rWFxQ.html (see end). Yes any solid medium is fine. I fertilize the sand too bcos thats my main container and i want healthy roots in them. water roots are sacrificial. i plan to replace half of that sand with vermicompost soon. you can look up videos on hydroponics. i merely applied it to bonsai :-)
Hello sir, nice video. I am also experimenting things that you show in your videos. It's great video with new technique of growing bonsai from the traditional way. Sir what is this rain tree. How can we get it. It's look same as tramrid seed (imli).
Thanks. Ya, Ankit, the seeds look similar to Tamarind. For bonsai, i recommend that you use the trees around your location or buy seeds online on amazon etc. if you are very specific. The magic is not in the tree species but in the bonsai artist. And at small sizes, you dont even need trees, shrubs, veggies, herbs or spices too will do. Rain tree link - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_saman
Ofcourse the one with the hydroponics grew faster with a thicker trunk, because it's roots simply had more room to develop. Im sure using a bigger container and using normal potting soil would gave the same results
My trees have already germinated from the seed, how many time should I have them in their first pot? They have been there for about a month, when should I move them to a bigger pot? Thanks for the help
Hello Vinny nice video. Its really interesting to see your hybrid ponics project and to know that it's really effective in faster growth. I'm a bonsai enthusiast from Kerala and now starting to grow some trees. What is the soil mix that you use in the pot just above the water? What is the proportion of NPK fertilizer that you are using and is it the powder form or liquid form you dissolve in water? From what age of the seedling can we start fertilizing it? It would be of great help if you could find time to reply my queries. Thanks once again for a nice video.
Hi Jayadevan, thanks for watching. For fertilizer, just follow the links in the description. For soil - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G7RzRgBfdkI.html and ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R3ZGeOtOjpw.html. Once the water roots are a few centimeters long, i start with a few drops in that water tank. when the roots had touched the bottom, i was adding a capful of liquid NPK. I am a non-resident Keralite :-)
1)should i scarify the tip or the round edge? 2)my rain tree bonsai is about 50 years old but its tap root broke my beautiful bonsai pot what should i do? 3)my delonix regia bonsais trunk has termites in it how to kill them 4)nice video.
Hi Abhirath, since the root comes out from the pointed end, it is better to avoid the risk of any damage to that crucial area. Hence, it is safer to scarifiy the round end. It sounds like your rain tree needs some root pruning and a repotting. I don't have much idea about termite issue but I am aware that termites do not like kerosene. I don't know if potted plants can handle kerosene though.
Thanks for the good suggestion. I have started doing it already, by editing audio outside my video editing app. Hope you like my audio mix in the 2nd half of this latest video - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DE61KHtqOCk.html
I use AVI Demux to extract my voice as mp3 from finished video and then use Audacity to edit music timing, keeping voice as ref. This edited music is exported as mp3 to FilmoraGo app on my phone where it is added as background music and then compiled again. Quite a circus :-)
Thank you for taking the time with the teaching video. Question, can you use the Hybrid-ponic method and then can it be transplanted to potting soil? on the seed scarification, do you do it where it was connected to the large pod?
Yes, water roots of some trees i have worked with can adapt to growing in soil also. Best to avoid doing it suddenly. The plant needs time to adapt to the missing water. So i use a loose mixture of filtered cocopeat & crushed bricks (i discard the fine dust) & keep humidity high by frequent spraying or resting the pot just above a tray of water, not touching it. Once new roots emerge and establisg, you can transplant to regular soil
scarification : the pointed part is where it was connected to the pod. thats where the root will emerge from and hence risky to scarify bcos it could cause damage. the round opposite end is just a leaf and hence safer to try. you can try both and learn. its free education :-)
Thanks Mehmood :-) In Hyderabad, i never look at seasons for germinating seeds. If you have extra seeds, then go ahead & sow some right now, saving the rest of the seeds for later.
sir i loved the hydroponics way u grow seeds or cuttings & roots as well but can we shift the tree to the hydroponics bottle which is already grown up in soil ?? because my ficus religiosa trees are not growing much roots
Hi Abby, yes, the soil roots of ficus trees and even other species can be moved to water. On youtube, just search for water bonsai, to get an idea of water as a medium for root growth. keep in mind that roots in water need more care and maintenance but can reward you with faster growth despite a small container. From your videos, it appears you have access to ground. That is the best place to grow bonsai. So, you can look at water as an experiment. I live in an apartment. Limited space & sunlight. No access to ground. Hence, i had to get creative with solutions :-)
Hello Vinny I just got me some Zelkova Serrata Seeds and I wanted to ask that I saw a video of germination being done by a paper towel, hydrogen Peroxide and Plastic bag. Should I do Scarification before I put it on the paper towel and wet it or is that method still good with out Scarification?
Hi, as I am not familiar with this species I do not know the best way. just follow the video that you have seen. i must add that if a seed's cover is not waterproof, then within 1-2 days of soaking in water, you should see the seed bloat up. else, it means the seed cover is water proof and scarification will speed up the bloating to just 24 hrs i guess, after which you can follow the paper towel method or plant into soil, sand etc. hope that helps. feel free to record your experiment and post a link here. cheers !
Hi Vineet ji.... I have germinated lemon seed 3 month before and now it become 3 month old plant with half feet of height in sand soil mixture.. now can I transfer it in to hybrid system as in this rain tree vedio...?
ya you can. instead of the setup shown here, i recommend that you use the leftmost one seen in this video at 12.19 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lSVyMqHoGbE.html
Thanks Aashish :-) I don't know, since i dont have that species. I suggest you give it a try and record the progress. If you succeed, then you will have an interesting video. Feel free to share it here.
Hi Vikraman Vellapan, thanks. Do check the links given in description. for my plants in soil, i mix 1 cap liquid NPK in half liter bottle of water and fertilize 2-3 times a week. Keep in mind that i am diluting the strength. Traditionally gardens just sprinkle the powder or granules on ground or pot but that didn't work for me properly since my powder was too strong. for my plants in water, as the water dries up, i add more NPK enriched water from the half liter bottle i prepared.
+Vikraman Vellapan ... the liquid NPK i have prepared (link in description) is a diluted version which i consider as concentrated still & needs further dilution before final use. i no longer add drops of the concentrated liquid directly to water container since the dilution is not consistent. if too strong, then the roots die. so, regardless of soil or water, i now use 1 cap liquid NPK in half liter water and pour that into all my water containers. i hope things are clear now :-) for soil also, i can use it daily bcos its diluted. the biggest advantage of liquid is dilution of strength.
Hi Charlie, NPK is a chemical fertilizer for plants, available at nurseries & plant shops & also online. the substitute for it is animal droppings, compost etc
Excuse me, How come the roots of the tree don't rot? Rotting of roots from overwatering is the biggest problem I have. So many plants I had died from it. Thanks.
Hi Kurtlane, I can relate to your question, as I too started there. Roots need oxygen to grow. Without it, they die & rot. Over-watering does NOT kill your roots. Lack of oxygen, triggered by over-watering in bad soil is the culprit. Water roots have extra structures on them to absorb the tiny amount oxygen from water, like fish gills. Since, I do not aerate the water, I have to change it weekly once. Most trees and plants will have this behaviour. It is a misconception that roots do not like water, quite common in bonsai community. Your simple question has a vast answer :-) Read - instantbonsaiforeveryone.blogspot.in/2016/06/mini-bonsai-from-seeds.html
Thank you Ryan :-) if i do not prune the roots, then they just grow long and coil around, as many of my other specimens did. less surface area of roots that way. pruning encourages fresh side roots from main roots, although it does slow down growth initially. higher surface area is achieved thru a dense fibrous root system, thus speeding up growth later, despite a tiny container. another alternative is to grow in ground or large pot and pot it back into a tiny container. but thats common, this is not :-)
Hi, it will reduce to some extent but won't stop it totally. I still get larvae in my containers. But since every sunday, i throw out the old water fully & clean the containers, this is not a problem for me. The larvae get thrown out long before they become a mosquitoe. The main reason for changing water is to discard the waste in the water from the roots and supply fresh oxygen rich water.
I do the same, weekly change of water but still... I have a mosquito proof home yet. Can I change the water every 3 days? Also my cuttings get roots without the rooting hormone or NPH, I just used tap water... though my orchids haven't flowered yet. Any suggestion is appreciated. Thanks.
+double trouble ... ya every 3 days is good if you can maintain it. if you use pots used for kratky hydroponics, you won't have mosquito problems, as the water surface is exposed. i do not use rooting hormones at all. air layering technique gives more roots and it is faster too. once a few roots have emerged, i start feeding few drops of liquid NPK. I prune the roots to boost the density. sorry, no experience with orchids or any flowering plants.
Am not into hydroponics on a big scale... Just tried putting in a few plants... a sago palm, aloe vera, orchids etc. A few bonsai are also coming up :-) Thank you.
Hello friend I am starting with the bonsai world I have some rain tree seeds and they have a month but I live in a very cold country you could help me as I do to keep them I want to make bonsai with them but I live in a frozen country I have the plants in a mini greenhouse
Hi, i am not able to understand you completely. I recommend that you make bonsai with your local trees, for best results. You can grow many tree species hydroponically, similar to what i have done here or even better. But if you want to grow raintree in a cold country, i guess it might have to be indoor, next to a window or with artificial lighting. Its possible.
Hello friend, thank you for your response. I used to say that I have rain tree plants 10cm tall but the leaves come out very green and with the days they turn yellow and fall you know what you may be missing.
This is the tree species - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samanea_saman This tree grows on roadsides. I would recommend working with trees in your locality or nursery rather than trying to get a particular tree. The magic of bonsai is not in the tree but in the hands & mind of the bonsai artist :-) Good luck 👍
Hi Lyle, I have mentioned it in the comments of this video - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dh-Eufig7U4.html. This is just a quick fix though. I still recommend buying hydroponic macro & micro nutrients.
+keysBW I found hydroponics to be high maintenance but felt the growth speed is better when roots are in water, compared to a similar volume of soil in a container. I use both but prefer soil, bcos of less headaches. Majority of my plants are in soil in pots. From what i understand, for vegetables, the faster and better growing technique is 1) aeroponics 2) hydroponics and 3) soil is the last. But soil is the easiest to do. It all comes down to individual choices. But both hydroponics and air pruning are a rarity in the global bonsai community and i am proud to have both examples on my channel :-)
It's great that you test each air pruning and hydroponics. Hydroponics is hard. I might just stick with he air pruning and probably experiment one time with hydroponics. Thank you for all your tips. You baby trees are adorable. Keep posting.
