Hi Nigel, you think you can have an episode of showing us your plant room and what kind of set up you have? (lights, heating system, humidifier...etc) I'm curious to see how 'warm' you keep your plants in the Canadian winter.
Awesome! I really appreciate it and I'm sure others are curious too. It will help a lot of people who want to grow bonsai trees in colder regions. Cheers!
Fantastic video, I have recently been baptised into doing some green stuff . And now bumping into Healthy, Wealthy and Wise people like you makes me feel like a Monarchy
Excellent video. I learned so much about the jade bonsai. I've always been a lot more hesitant trimming and cutting, but I feel a bit braver now watching you!
thanks, I have several bonsai wich are dying because of the soil I think, there are little orange parasites in it and I don't have bonsai soil like you have
Thanks for your videos. I'm a recent amateur bonsai-er (?) person with a Crassula Ovata, aka Hobbit Jade. Your forests and landscapes what I aim to achieve!
Hi Nigel, Love your work. It probably does not surprise you that as you where discussing which branches to cut out, I was attempting to guess which branch you would cut. The only decision I would have made different to yours was that I would have cut that branch that you reduced last sooner and perhaps kept some of the leaves up top. You proved that there are so many variations to the art of Bonsai. Thank you for the video.
I absolutely LOVED this video Nigel you have some INCREDIBLE Succulent plants under way as Bonsai trees they look amazing already and I ADORE the Money tree and the Pencil Cactus and so looking forward to see how they get on over the coming weeks and months :-) thanks a million for sharing and sending you an abundance of love and heaps of happy growing from right across the Emerald Isle XXXXX
Thank Lyn, I guess the pencil cactus is not a cactus, its a euphorbia. (I'm slowly learning about succulents!) I've planted all my pencil cactus cuttings, hoping to make a forest some day. Thanks again and happy holidays!
When pruning the Portulacaria afra, I've heard on mention in several videos that you prune the branch back to the first or second pair of leaves depending on which direction you want it to grow. What exactly does that mean?? I have 3 P. afra that I'm trying to turn into bonsai after many years of just growing as they pleased. I'm very new to bonsai and am finding it a bit difficult to find solid information on the techniques used for Portulacaria afra bonsai. You are one of 2 people that have shared great useful information, for that I thank you! Your specimens and forests are truly an inspiration!💜🌳
The new growth after pruning will come from the base of the last set of leaves on the branch. The direction of the last set of leaves will determine the direction of this new growth. Because the leaf pairs grow at 90 degrees to each other, it gives you the choice of which direction the new growth will come in at. Just prune back to leaves facing the direction that you want your new branches to grow from.
I loved watching your videos. So friendly and instructive. They always surprise me by how much you prune your trees though. Sometimes it seems like you have nothing left but a stick with a few hairs for roots!
I've aways walked past the suculent section in gardening stores, but thanks to one of your vids i recognized a bunch of portulacaria's in between them. They are realy cheap and grow quite fast. I'm looking forward into making a nice tropical forest clump out of them. Here where i live in Brazil is 35ºc right now, so i better water my plants, just in case. Bye!
Thankyou so much for this I have now pruned my Portulacaria Afra thanks to another of your videos and was going to ask you on this one what I can do about the terrible roots it has - and you answered my question before I even asked! Magic!
Guava tree is actually a deciduous tree, a common adaptation to cooler and dry conditions for the "winter". Even if we do not have minus 30 celsius like here in Canada. There is a marked change in winter. Mexico is the point of encounter of the deciduous plants and the perennial trees. So your tree was just in a sleeping state. And not all places in the south are hot and humid. Nice video.
DUDE 😎 absolutely brilliant commentary, I've learnt loads since I've been watching you, thank you for you KNOWLEDGE, BTW, I LIVE IN THE UK, S,WALES BARRY ISLAND 🏝️, MARK IS MY NAME,, THANK YOU , SEE YOU SOON.
You created that pot the year I was born in, and now I'm a potter just getting into bonsai... I have a few oak and maples and one failed pine that I saved but it died anyway
hey mate for some reason my ms profile anyways names jason absolutely love all your videos and your nice words at the end hope someday to have such a nice collection of trees and such wisdom im like you i truly do get so much happiness at watching my plants and making it as best as it possibly can thank you for all your time full respect
Nigel, I've noticed in a number of your repotting videos that you never wire the plant into the pot. Can you explain that to me? I have only ever seen plants wired into pot with big guide wires, but your rock technique seems to produce results. The majority of trees I work with are pines or deciduous, and I can't imagine putting them in a pot without securing them with wires.
Hello Charlie, I don't wire my trees into the pot for a few reasons... Wiring your tree into the pot can leave nasty wire marks on the surface of your roots. I have seen many high quality trees in bonsai shows with ugly marks across their roots. The tree can be adjusted and moved around the pot any time in the re potting process. Once your tree is wired into the pot, it's position if fixed. As you pull and twist the tie down wired firm, it may alter the position of the tree further, and your final position may not be to your liking. If the tree is loose in the pot, I like to feel the tree firm up in the pot as I add soil and work it into the roots. Once a tree has all the soil worked into the roots, you will find they become quite stable in the pot. Having a flat root base on the bottom helps with the stability also. The rocks that I add around the tree after re potting help hold the tree in place until the roots begin to grow into the soil and the rocks also help stop surface evaporation from the surface of the soil. I don't wire and bend my trees all that much. so I don't need the tree to be rock solid with the pot. Wiring the tree into the pot may be necessary for some people and if done properly, it may be a good thing!
Nigel, I would love to see an update of those little guava seedlings, please, if one has already been made available. And I am excite to see how that Portulacaria afra is faring now. Please.
Hello Nigel. I would like to thank you for your videos, I've probably watched them all over the last few months and it has given me a lot of inspiration. I would also like to give you a tip on your filming setup that I think should help making more detail showing and that is to avoid having a very bright lightsource in the backround like a window or a very strong lamp. This is causing a big part of the image to be over exposed and fine detail to be lost. I suggest having a complete dark backround since you seem to have plenty of good light coming in from around and a nice camera that handles the light well. Finally I would also like to ask if you have ever tried growing a birch tree as a bonsai? They are everywhere here and I'm imagining you having a few over the pond there aswell! Greetings from Sweden and thank you for your videos again.
Thanks Jonas, I've grown a birch tree and they do make really good bonsai. They are however like a willow tree, they will shed branches if the vigor isn't balanced well within the tree. They are great trees for bonsai, but not the most easy to grow and shape. You will however learn a great deal from growing a birch bonsai. If you can grow a nice birch, you can grow any bonsai tree!
It must look amazing! It would be nice to show some pictures of it in an upcoming video. If you like you can email them to.... thekwbonsaisociety@gmail.com A picture of you with the tree would be awesome!
Nigel, your each bonsai video is so great and I learned a lot recently on bonsai planting. Nice to know you are living at KW area. I lived in Waterloo for two years ten years ago, and still have good memories in that period.
Hi Nigel.I try to buy this Turfus that you use for second ingredient of your bonsai soil.I am at the same market Toronto . Still I can't find it.As I figured out .It is fire prevention ceramic particles.I tried in Canadian Tire and Walmart but without any success.I need some brand name and the name of the big box store from which you purchase it .Some avarage price will be good.Thank you in advance.
Hi Nigel. I recently started watching your videos and found each of your plant like an art piece. Your videos are very informative and useful. I am beginner in Bonsai making. Your are very inspiring. Thanks and keep sharing. -- Mamta from India.
Hi Nigel, I've been watching a lot of your videos.I like what I see so I subscribed! I'm 74 so it's kind of late in life to get into bonsai but what the heck,,,,my mom was planting perennials when she was in her 90's! LOL I live in Connecticut USA and am thinking of starting out with Portulacaria afro. I've grown Jade plants before but never as a bonsai so it's like starting all over again. If and when I can find Portulacaria afro near me I'm sure it will need re-potting but have no idea of a bonsai soil mix for it.Can you please give me a soil mix?I'm not sure if it will need an organic or inorganic mix. Also,I noticed that the water in your water bottle sprinkler looked like a weak tea.Do you mix something with your water? Thanks for this video and all the others you've produced for all of us! Tom
Hello Thomas, bonsai is a great hobby to pick up at any age! My soil mix is 50 percent turface and 50 percent perlite. I sift out the dust and end up with a particle size of about 3 to 4mm or 1/8 inch. Here is a video on how I fertilize and water this in organic soil medium.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gXIIpxUqxdY.html If you can't find turface, lava rock will do nicely. Pumice is even better than perlite, but I find it too expensive. My videos on planting Jade have lots of good care info that you can use for the Portulacaria afra..... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hUPZYNcivb0.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-n71boEQHh1I.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RjIYfqany7k.html All the best and happy growing!
@@TheBonsaiZone WOW,,,What a helpful reply! I'll check out the other videos and hope my old memory banks can remember it all. I'll have to compile a list and print it out so the old brain doesn't have to be taxed to an overload! LOL Thank you sooooo much for helping me! I'm away from home right now but will try to find a Portulacaria afra when I get back in a month or so!
Hi Nigel, can you please do a update videos of these bonsai? I am new to it. I have just planted a juniper bonsai and really excited about it. Thanks for your video I got lots of ideas. :)
Good Evening Nigel , what soil mixture you use in this jade plant ( Portulacaria afra) , Garden soil, gravels , Cocopeat, compost, ...... I guess these please tell what ingredients are being used because in this small tiny pot , little soil and the the plant is big , matured and thickness of the trunk also surprised me. And extraordinary root structure also. Greetings. Deb.
Hi Nigel, I absolutely love your videos! I've been obsessed with plants for as long as I can remember and recently have been getting into Bonsai. On the topic of unusual trees, I've been trying to see if it's possible to create a bonsai with my favorite plant of all time, Dracaena Draco (or at least a similar succulent that can be grown to look like Dracaena Draco). I started growing one from seed 11 years ago and it's on its way to being a magnificent specimen! I'd like to start a new one as a Bonsai so I figured you're the man to ask. It would also be cool to see you grow one in the future:)
I do have one that I got this fall, I'm just dying to make a video on it and will do so soon! They are one of my favorite trees! I want to duplicate the style of both these species. The sees are available on line for both of them. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_cinnabari en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_draco I will be making the video in the next couple of weeks. Very excited!
My number one questions is, do you ever get scared of lopping off those huge parts of the plant. It takes months to grow and you seem to make a decision in 10-15 seconds! Idk if I could ever get used to that.
I think over the years you get a feel for how the plant reacts to pruning. It doesn't always work out as planned and I do lose trees every now and then. But to get the tree you envision, sometimes the big scary cuts need to be made!
Thanks for replying Nigel I'm probably one of the younger people on this channel so at 20 years old if I start now I may live to see a couple of 60 year old+ Bonsais.
Hey Nigel, a few months ago I bought and instantly repotted a portulacaria afra, but the poor thing lost almost all of its leaves. How do you treat your plants, so they stay so incredibly vigorous? Temperature, Humidity, etc... I have the feeling the roots rotted from over-watering the first time but the line between over-watering and actually killing the plant because it's too dry is extremely fine, so I'm looking for another mistake I'm making... Also, i would love to send you some tamarind seeds, which are very nice and extremely easy to grow as it seems.
Thanks Alexander, I would really like a Tamarind bonsai, they look like really nice trees! My plant room just relies on natural light from the windows. I keep the temperature around 20 C, but on sunny days it goes up to around 35 C. The room is humid, with all those trees breathing in there! I have a fan to circulate the air, it runs 24 hours a day. Can you email me and I'll send you my address. Thanks again! thekwbonsaisociety@gmail.com
I’m from South Africa so Portulacaria afra is probably a bit easier for me to grow but I have noticed that they can grow in almost anything. They don’t like too much water so don’t worry about under watering them they’ll do just fine. On the flip side I’ve successfully grown one in water (a glass of water) before.
WILL YOU PLEASE DO A BEGINNER VIDEO EXPLAINING EVERYTHING TO DO?! 💕 🙏 🌻 😊 👍 I SEARCHED YOUR videos and didn't find any and I like your style, thanks so much!!!!!! 💕
There are many ways to start a bonsai, from seed, cuttings, nursery stock or collecting from the ground. It is hard to create one video that explains all the techniques for starting out. I would suggest an inexpensive Ficus to begin with. They can grow into a fantastic tree!
Hello Nigel, my name is Brandon from indiana. My question doesn't involve this video but rather a few of your older ones. I was just thinking about your willow. Is it still around?
One of my PA's trunks looks as if it's split just above the soil line, however the plant is going strong even indoors. Upon further investigation, I'm wondering now if the bark may be exfoliating like a crepe myrtle's. Do they do this? Thanks Nigel.
Generally not, but it is possible. Check your trunk for soft spots by squeezing it. If your trunk is soft, it is best to remove the tree from the soil, remove the rotted section, then let it air dry for a week, then re pot it and keep it on the drier side. Hopefully it's the bark cracking from growth.
Hey Nigel, your channel has become my favorite pastime, thank you for that. Hope u can answer a couple of questions: 1) Why did you start the guava saplings in a bonsai soil/pot? I thought it was better to let the plant mature for a while under normal conditions. 2) I am really captivated by deadwood styles but I live in a tropical climate (India) so I was wondering if either Ficus religiosa or Ficus benghalensis (the "Indian banyan") was a good choice for that ?
The Guava seedlings will be transplanted into normal pots soon, I just had the pot empty so I used it. There are a few species of tropical trees that the dead wood will survive, Podocarpus and Buttonwood come to mind. The dead wood on a ficus won't last very long, it goes very soft and fibrous very quickly.
Cool guava tree! You are lucky with those seeds too. I put a bunch of guava seeds in a wet paper towel that was placed inside of a ziplock bag. After a couple weeks in my cupboard, nothing happened. Still, I planted the seeds into bonsai soil and covered with a plastic bag. A month later, and still nothing. Do you have any tips?
The guava fruit I got the seeds from was very ripe, that might be a factor. My seeds were in a sunny window and the room is very humid. Maybe one of those mini tray greenhouses would work?
I never knew that euphorbia (not a cactus, btw. Cacti grow exclusively in North and South America) grew into such large trees. I'm very interested in seeing what you do with it :) Edit: that euphorbia would look very cool if it was styled to look like a mini saguaro cactus!
enjoyed watching you're update as allways. thank you keep up the good work. though I hold you in part of the blame for my insatiable plant collecting habit.
very interesting videos! i just came across and subbed. Recently got a Pachira Aquatica, looking forward to seeing it grow! hopefully to find some useful videos about what to do and what i can do to the plant! thanks!
Wonderful video Nigel! I just got a Portulacaria a couple days ago and I am working on making it into a Bonsai. What soil did you use for your P. Afra in this video? It looked like just white rocks to me. Also, my plant is very young but I pruned two small branches that were low on the trunk. It's only 3 inches or so tall, so it's young. Was it too soon to prune those branches?
The soil I use is 1/2 perlite and 1/2 turface. I sift the soil to remove the fine particles. The particle size is about 3 to 4 mm when finished. The branch pruning should be fine. Be careful with the watering until the tree starts to grow again.
How are the little guava trees doing? I would love to stop in sometime and see your collection. Let me know if there is a time that works at all for you.
The Guava trees are doing well, the seedlings are very tall, almost as tall as the larger one! I'll have to cut them back and re pot them before winter. Email me at.... thekwbonsaisociety@gmail.com for a visit.
Hello Nigel Really enjoying your videos so far. Have learned so much. On this video however, on the second tree you replanted... is it just me or does it look like there are initials in the base of the trunk of the tree?
Hey Nigel thanks for the info on the shefflera. Can you direct me to a tutorial or the like for working on a large ficus benjamina? I'm going to attempt taking one that is about 5 ft tall and reducing it. Any tips you can direct me to would be most beneficial.
HI Nigel, What kind of guava is this? Have you worked on a pineapple guava? You inspired me to try one. It has a nice texture to the bark. It prunes easily but they can grow to 15' + if untrimmed here in California. Thanks for all your great videos. Alyene
I believe the Guava I have is the common or lemon guava. I think the pineapple guava would make an interesting tree also. I'll keep my eye out for some fruit and try planting the seeds!
Yes, I have a oil filled electric radiator type heater. In front of the heater I run an oscillating fan that circulates the air around the room evenly. I will be making a video on my winter set up soon.
Just FYI, it is a succulent, but not a cactus. Euphorbia tirucalli is an old world plant, cactus from the new. "Pencil Cactus" is just a common misnomer.
Yes indeed. For the succulent cuttings, I let them dry out for a week or two and then plant them in dry soil. I lightly mist the cuttings every morning and when they start to grow again, you can increase the watering.
Hi, I’m new here and to bonsai but I’ve started growing houseplants and propagating somewhat, what sort of set up/room layout would you recommend for those of us who don’t have a plant room? Love the videos, keep up the amazing work!
Thanks Tom, I would recommend a Ficus or a dwarf Schefflera for an indoor bonsai. Succulent bonsai also are fantastic inside by a bright window. Be sure to rotate them to get even growth.
If you are growing the tree, you can wait until the branches have so many leaves, they weep under the weight of the leaves. At the moment mine have as many as ten pairs of leaves on the branches. I let them grow long in the summer to help thicken the trunk and give the trees lots of energy for a good mid summer pruning. If your tree is well developed, you can prune sooner, but I would wait until you have at least 6 pairs of leaves before pruning. Any less and the tree may begin to get weak. If the tree is going into a show, then you would want to keep it tightly pruned until show time.
hahaha "Fly out all over the place". You always aspire us Nigel. I got a Guava tree from upcountry but the leaves are all dry, do you think i should be patient with it like you?
Hi nice video, but whats the difference in cutting between the first and second set of leaves? you talked about depending the cut on which direction you want it to grow in.
Each set of leaves grow 90 degrees to each other, so depending on which set of leaves you cut the branch off to, it will determine the direction of growth for the next branches.
Nigel, Thank you for your Bonsai Learning Channel. I have learned a lot from your videos. I am new to Bonsai and I was wondering, where do you get your moss from? Thanks in advance! Victor
I collect my moss from a sunny spot, usually cracks in the sidewalk or driveways. Moss that grows in the shade usually doesn't work well for bonsai, unless it is underneath a bonsai forest.
when I watch you rake out the roots, I wonder why you don't just run it under water to get rid of the dirt instead? it would be less damaging to the roots than raking so I am wondering what the advantage of raking is.
The raking of the roots sorts out the roots that cross and cleans out the congested areas. I like to be able to run the rake through the roots so they have room to grow. You can use a hose and wash the roots clean but it may require raking also to clean the soil out of the tangled areas. At this time of year, I don't have the hose hooked up outside because we still get freezing at night.
I'm so new to bonsai I'm clueless😏❗️. So, first, explain the soil mix, the bottle top watering thingies and tools, please? Also, how can I find your first video? Love your explanation and general knowledge, so good for gals like me🤗
I have playlists for the trees that have more than one video on them. If you go to the channel page and click on the playlist tab, you will see the videos available on the one you select. If you click on the video tab on the main page of the channel, you will see the videos in order from first to last. You can scroll through them and hopefully find what you are looking for!
Hi Nigel I love your videos , ive got loads of Jade trees and love them also have done some forests thanks to youre vids . I live in Cornwall England can you please tell me when is the best time to pot up Jade cuttings Thank you Clinton
Hi Niguel! I have a question...does jade can reduce their leaves? We have kind of jade here in the philippines but im not realy sure it is like what you have now...the size if the leaves is about the size of thumb...thank you for your response in advance!
Yes, they can be defoliated and the new leaves will grow in smaller. If you keep them on the dry side and in full sun during this process, they will grow in at least half the size. This should only be done on a healthy well fed tree. The soil should be dry before de defoliating or the roots may rot with the wet soil.
They would fuse together into a clump style, some might die off as they grow older, but they would look really natural. I am actually going to keep them as a clump in future!
i think that could look really cool. thank you for replying i love your videos. you are the reason im into bonsai. it started as a random christmas present i got and your videos turned it into a hobby! thank you and keep it up man!
I think you would be fine, they are native to Australia and Africa and Madagascar. I have seen them growing in the U.S. in Florida and California. If you get a rainy season, it might be best to keep them out of the rain and control the watering. You should check with a local bonsai club, or find someone growing one in your area for better advice.
I use sifted perlite and turface mixed half and half. To this I will add 10 to 20 percent composted pine bark. The sifting removes the fine particles from the soil and improves the drainage. This soil needs frequent watering and will dry out quickly on a hot dry sunny day. I need to water two to three times a day in these conditions. The soil mix also requires frequent fertilization.
Thanks for the video; After I watched this video I have started on couple of portulacaria afra bonsais.....how often do you prune this plant and which season is good to prune?
I let them grow wild and shaggy, then I prune them back. You can prune them almost any time of the year as long as they get good light and warmth to recover. It is important to always let the shoots grow long before cutting them back. Here is a playlist for my forest that shows this in practice... ru-vid.com/group/PLQouTWwmTQow3J1GeaAgURSTigAr_uWDK
To get a better view of what your procedures are, it would help to have a white background for your video since a zoom is not practical in your situation.
I don't use any fertilizer util the tree and the roots start to grow. I fertilize with a pinch of 20-20-20 (with micro nutrients) in my watering can, every time I water.
I don''t get why anyone would want to throw away a perfectly good tree, regardless if they thought it was any good for bonsai or not. Just plant it outside and let it be.
To thicken the trunk on your Jade, you will need lots of branches and foliage. It is best just to let it grow large and then cut it back severely to a stump. After this you will need to regrow all your branches.
Hi Nigel, I love your videos. I always wanted to do a bonsai tree. I live in a tropical area, can I send you a pic of my portulacaria, I think there is something interisting on it cause of his shape.
What soil do you recommend for easy beginning bonsai? Is there anything i can get that's ready that I don't need to blend. There's a few trees I would like to get started with. Thank you
Cactus soil is about the closest you can get to bonsai soil. It will work well if you are careful with your watering. Always let it begin to dry out before thoroughly watering again. Here is my video on watering and fertilizing.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gXIIpxUqxdY.html
