Kei apple is the Dovyalis caffra. It is indigenous to South Africa but is seen grown as bonsai in other parts of the world, particularly Italy. It would assumably grow in your area too, as do a few other South African trees.
Thank you for the videos I can talk about field maple, I have 3 all different styles they are fast growers in some cases too much water will tend to give you bigger leaves, they do in nature have the 2nd largest leaves of all maples I have a large garden field maple in my front garden this year more others it has shed so many seeds which take root all over the place in paving, gravel lawn and borders. I have so many seedlings from them which I have grown in pots plus all the self seeding ones which I leave alone u till they have hardened off then I will dig them up and pot them to grow on u till I am ready to use them as bonsai. BTW one of my field maples over rock has the smallest leaves I have seen the other two are the right size for bonsai, mainly it is down to controlling the water. Hope this helps some people to try them from seed they are very easy to grow in a very short time.
Love your no-nonsense videos! I recently bought a small walnut tree from a nursery. When I re-potted it, I discovered it has two very long 'tap roots' with all the fibrous roots way down at the ends of them. If I chop them off it will have no roots at all. Any advice?
I have not considered walnut tree for bonsai even thought they pop up in our gardens. Have you considered the size of the leaves relative to the size of the bonsai?
@@bonsaiheirloom Yes, the leaves are a little large but are compound, so I plan to cut them back to two pairs. Any advice regarding the root problem I have?
I'm also interested in hunting for yamadori too. How would one go about acquiring the proper permit to harvest yamadori? Also thanks for answering my questions. As for the olive, I pruned the root hard. There was literally only a couple of strands of fine roots left. I also cut off a bunch of branches and leaves. I put it in the shade and after almost 2 months it's is growing new shoots.
Hi there! Happy that your olive tree is getting going! It's not surprising olive cuttings readily root. To be law abiding, dig up trees in your own yard or your friends. There's NO difference between Yadori (unless you limit your interest to very old trees not available in gardens…it is all in the designing technique) and Yamadori… You CANNOT remove anything from the National Park, not even a piece of rock…but you can get permits to collect trees from the National Forest. Contact the US Forestry Service and follow instruction, I suppose. I have not done it. I only collect on private property, such as my own backyard. I don't collect yamadori anymore because I want to leave the trees for future generations to enjoy. Be kind to nature!
There are garlic and mint essence sprays you can buy. A trap is what I would use. It works for a while until they wise up. My squirrels will dig up a bonsai pot to either plant or find acorns. I did some search on RU-vid…one person said pepper or tabasco spray.
Thank you again for your fantastic videos, you're so helpful to everyone. I've got an oak that is probably 5 inches thick. I cut it down to about 15 inches tall, with the hope it will shoot new branches. Is it best to leave it in the ground, or would you say to dig it up? It can stay where it is if it will grow faster for a couple of years. Thank you
I would leave it in the ground and fertilize and water it really well to encourage growth. Then dig a section at a time to encourage the development of fibrous roots close to the truck. Keep as much roots as possible when you dig it, and grow it in semi-shade.
@@bonsaiheirloom thank you so much for your advice. It will probably grow like mad after being cut down. The roots should grow nice and close to it if I do that. I hadn't thought about that, so thank you.
You have to be careful with olive trees and root prooning. Every major root is directly connected to a main branch. You could loose a lot of important branches
I live on the coast of Maine and winters here can get to -29°. So do I leave the Bonsi outside in pots or should I remove them from the plant pots and plant into the ground?
I have no direct cold weather experience. Based on what I read, either bring them into your basement of garage, or cover them. Deciduous trees can be kept in the dark since there are no leaves on the tree. Evergreen may need some light…and therefore should be kept outdoor but protected, like covering the with tarp or with snow! I suggest you talk to a local nurseryman or a bonsai person to get insightful scoop.
You may be better off doing cuttings. They will bloom sooner (less number of years), and also the flowering quality is known. Another possibility is to buy a tree and air-layer above the node to get rid of ugly graft mark.
Cut back gradually always leave some green behind. Sometimes buds will appear below the green part. Give it a try…or make it into a bigger bonsai (which by definition has longer branches)...or make them into jin.
Hi there! Fig leaves are huge, so I'm not sure how it can be made to scale for a bonsai. Perhaps enjoy it as winter silhouette. Why not try ficus if you want tropical…or try fruiting trees like apple or cherry?
I know of people who have had decent success growing ficus indoors (obviously in the sunniest window spot available). But also I have heard that u can have success growing ficus indoors under artificial lights………..
I personally do not use fertilizer baskets. Just spread it over the surface. Basket does offer an advantage because you will less likely over fertilize. Even if you do, you only kill the roots below the basket which covers a small percentage of the pot.
