This was so helpful, i have been struggeling with understanding how to properly trim my bonsai to get it nice and thick but now i feel like i have a much better idea on how to do it
Jelle explains completely and has answered many of my questions simply by watching his videos. I can see that time and consideration were used in editing. Thank you, Jelle!
I'm a beginner, struggling to know where to start with pruning my bonsai. This is such an excellent explanation and very clear, and has changed my whole idea of how to prune and grow my bonsai. Thank you so much Jelle, I'll be keen to watch more of your videos ❤
You just keep getting better and better with your explanations of important stuff. One of the biggest challenges I face is stopping myself from forming a bonsai 'before' I have waited long enough for a decent sized trunk!! It is so frustrating making myself wait sometimes. After seeing this video I am going to force myself to rethink some of my intended pruning decisions on my younger maples.
💕Thank you so much for this very nice compliment. I AM trying to get better. When I started this channel 5 months ago, I had never given youtube much thought and never really put a video together. So although I dare say I have pretty decent knowledge on growing bonsai, the learning curve on video making is VERY steep. My workspace is a mess, because I have spent so much time on getting video material together!
Man, this video is great. I've ben growing bonsai for about 8 years and this is the best video on this topic that I've seen. Lots of great advise for any level imo.
Thank you for imparting wisdom - this puts into perspective shaping trunks in general, but especially for me as a beginner, shaping trunks of collected bonsai from the wild. I will use these tips to both shape collected bonsai and grow young trees. Bonsai is more important than videos 😉 Keep it coming tho!!
THANK YOU for such a concise yet comprehensive overview... It has given me a better understanding of trunk to limb reduction (for trunk taper) ... And also of planned scaring & the healing process I'm a newbie on the bonsai scene but luckily have access to an old garden to be remodeled ... So I am in the process taking aerial layers from mature plants ( wisteria, jap maple, crab apple, cotoneaster & crepe myrtle thus far) I was planning to transfer them to large pond baskets once rooted (for root development) ...in the meantime, this video has directed me towards LIMBS for trunk reduction - so BEFORE I cut out upper growth I'll graft new buds IN (as required ) & THEN cut to the newly established branchlets ... Should have some "fair" training specimens in 5 years or so & a lovely bonsai collection in 10 ... Again , Thankyou for a brilliant overview of some key developmental stages I'll need to look at
Ohw, thank you so much! I am so happy you liked it! Did you have a chance to look at some of my other videos? Would be great to hear whether they are also helpfull to you!
great! Hope they work for you. Planting out is one way to speed up growth of your tree in general. there you can still apple each of the methods of course
Hey Jelle/Leatherback. Nice video, the algorithm just got you appearing on my TH-cam feed so your channel must be gaining some traction. I like your style and its nice to put a face to the name! Now I’ll check out the rest of your vids.
Hey!! Good to see you here! One could say it is getting some traction, yes. I am looking with amazement at the power this platform has, once it decides to put your content in front of larger groups of people! Some of my videos are spread around!
Great video Jelle....simple, concise, and common-sense. Question: I once saw a video where an older oriental man said - "You want thick trunk, use big pot! Big pot makes big roots which allows big trunk...." It stands to reason...everyone wants to get their tree into a tiny, shallow bonsai pot as soon as possible which surely inhibits trunk growth. Can you please comment on this Jelle? Thank you so much!
The whole concept of bonsai is based in the idea that smaller containers reduce top growth and thus keep the bonsai with finer grow and smaller for longer. Bigger pots lead to better growth. Tooo big a pot however, can hamper growth because the substrate stays too wet. Maximum growing speed is had by uppootting as soon as the roots have filled the container, and going only one size container up
Great video Jelle - clear and precise. The algo's brought you up in my feed so your chanell is doing well. I will subscribe and watch all your other video's. Its such a shame we live such short lives compared to our bonsai. You are still a young man and have years to enjoy their maturing. I'm 65 and well aware that I will never see my plants grow thick trunks with taper. But I continue on anyway. I daresay they will end up in the dumpster one day, along with most of my belongings, as I don't have anyone to pass them onto. But In the meantime I continue to water, fertilize, repot, and chop....what else is there? Thank you for the channel.
Dear Bary, time is relative. I focus on enjoying the now. I grow from seeds, cuttings, get big trunks and can be tempted to get a nico pot every once in a while. It may sound cheeky, but the journey is more important than the endgoal to me. So in my garden there will always be more projects than finished trees. I am sure you will see many of your projects grow bigger, more beautifull and enjoyable!
Very good and very helpful video Jelle, thank you! I’ll try to apply these techniques to my little plants… too many branches to choose from! I’ll see if I can take a clear picture of them and ask for your suggestions, if possible!
Hi Stefano, would be happy to help. In the end it is not all that dificult, but for the first one or two trees it is nice to have someone walk you through the process & choices! Aim for taper, movement. Low branches thicker than higher branches. Shorter internodes over long internodes.
@@GrowingBonsai hi Jelle! So nice of you, thank you! I’ve just uploaded a video to explain my situation and ask for a few specific suggestions. What else can I do to prune the trees selectively and start them as a bonsai properly? Shall I wait till they grow bigger before pruning? Thank you so much in advance for anything (and apologies for the verbosity)! th-cam.com/video/cjnmPgzONP4/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for the clear and concise explanation. Really wonderful how well you share your knowledge. I would like to ask if it's possible to have a tree under discussion to be shown more separately. Sometimes it's hard to see the outline of the trunk because of other trees in the back. Thank you!
I’m just an amateur bonsai grower. My thickest bonsai trunk is a Japanese maple that I was growing and chopped off the top when it looked like it was dying in my clay soil. I dug it up, plopped it into a container with compost and potting soil and it survived. That was many years ago. It is still in its planter pot and the trunk is quite thick and aged. All my other bonsai attempts are young and have nice little trunks. I like the little trunks too. I also have several Japanese maple trees thriving in my little backyard and giving lots of shade during the summer months.
Again this is another pretty good video , another way for me to learned by making my house plants bonsai , do watching carefully with your video all the way bcoz exactly what I want to do with my house plant later on .
Hi Maya, I am so happy these short videos are helpfull for you! Hearing back from people that they can use some of the content for their own projects is what makes it all worth it :) Thanks!
Are you growing out bonsai trunks? Have you heard anything new in this video? Please do let me know in the comments what you miss, where you would like to explain things in more detail. I will in my next video spend some time! What can I do to make these more interesting for you, what should I skip? Any suggestion, please let me know how you experience this video.
Very informative video👍. I'm only new to bonsai growing. Got my 1st Chinese juniper maybe a month ago & have been struggling to find videos that actually help steer me in the right direction. Keep up the great work mate✌
Atm I'm a bit scared to cut my tree back as it is quite young & very small. Right now it's only about 18cm tall & the trunk less than 5mm wide. How long would you recommend before I start to cut it back or try to shape it? We're about to go into summer here in Australia too if that helps
Winter repotting.. That sounds like southern hemisphere? Where are you located Harley? Have a scroll though my channel.There are a few more videos dealing with repotting, but, granted, those are videos I made at the start of my YT journey and may not be as informative!
Very informative and straightforward. I'm really happy I came across your video. I've been wondering how bonsai's get those thick trunks and the reasoning for how and why you pick specific branches to cut. Thank you for this awesome video!
I was wondering about timelines on the sacrifice branches...do you chop them back every year or do you let them go depending on diameter achieved during the grow season? Is there a rule of thumb/golden ratio for trunk diameter - sacrifice branch diameter?
Hi Rob, I am not aware of a best timeline. I normally want to remove a sacrifice before it gets so thick you get big scars. Which means it can take longer than when you leave them on longer
Nicely done video, friend! I always enjoy seeing more of your trees. I'm really stuck on that Field Maple... I like it's style... The cut of its (Barry) Gibb. I have been training most of my Acers in (somewhat) that amalgamated method discussed on that last Deshojo. But there are a few that are aptly angled that I will be leaving the top on for a few years, and maintenance pruning and wiring the foundations of "the tree" within that first branch for a few years before removing the top. When, at either 3:49 or 8:49, you say, "This is an old Beech." I shouted "YOU'RE an old Beech!" 😂😂😂😂😂
The impression of age is always a matter of the viewpoint of the observer. If you think I am an old beech, one could wonder what that makes you ;) In any case, I am glad you are enjoying these videos so much, and love the enthusiasm of your engagement. Maybe you can share your acers in the crazy forums? Would love to see what you are doing there!
@@GrowingBonsai Most of my work with Acers is from seed.. .. I've been sharing and discussing in my "TinyTree Study Group Subforum".. it's now the most heavily trafficked "Study Group Forum" If you're an "Old Beech"... I'm a "Lil' Fagus" 😂😂😂😂😂 I think I will do a video tour of my "(crappy, post apocalyptic) "garden" for you jelle... If that's something you'd be interested in.
Hi. Random question but why does the pots in the 9:00 minute mark have mesh covering the surface of the soil? I’m new to bonsai and I want to learn the tips and tricks of the trade. Thank you. 👍🏻
Great video. I would like to see you take a standard nursery tree and chop it, with explanations and future plans. Keep your videos coming. Can I chop the same tree each year? When can you chop a nursery tree for the fist time? Spring is usually mentioned, but to buy a tree at a nursery then, the trees have already pushed the new leaves. Do I buy it the previous year and wait? I find very little information on the details of this process. Yamadori are not available to me and the prices of mature specimens is too high, especially given all that can happen to them. This year we have had strong winds blow even tied down trees around, and my lawn service has managed to reek havoc on many of my trees. They even hit my low bench with their equipment, knocking several trees off without mentioning it to me. Yes, the answer should be to get a new lawn service, but they are all too busy in my area. I can't even get ones who will use a push mower. They all just want to sit and weed wack. I have extensive gardens of other flowering plants, trees (container grown Japanese Maples,) and shrubs, too. I have four trees that I have bought and cut down in spring, but I don't know if I'm doing it correctly. Thanks.
Hey Zantlo, lots going on for you I hear! Strange question.. Remove the lawn and let flowers grow? In any case, would love to do a video like that. In fact, I have done a mute video today working a maple. For you, right now: Pruning nursery trees, if healthy, can be done mid spring. I have never understood the obsession with the pruning before leaf-showing. Optimal response by the tree is when it is active, at the height of the growing season. That is when I do big chops! Will look into making one. Guess that means.. Nursery trip?
At 8:45 you show us what sounds like a "yoyo maple". Google failed to find that so I think it must be a subtitle error. What kind of maple is it, please? I like that leaf shape.
Some questions, when can you air layer your maple? Will it work in that smaller one you pointed out? When you chop that big tree, can it survive it just two small branches?
Hi Jose, the deshojo was given a layer maybe 2 weeks ago. I fully expect it to root by late summer. The big beach: Yes, it will survive. The rest of the trunk is not doing anything for the tree but "be there". The tree was put in the pot in winter 2020/2021 so has stabilized. The reason I have not cut it yet is because I want a good foliage mass to power the closing of the cut site.
Growing Bonsai by Jelle 3.62K subscribers When you have a young plant, you need to develop the trunk. How do you get from a seedling to a thick trunk? In this video I will share 3 ways of growing thick trunk! Please do let me know in the comments what you miss, where you would like to explain things in more detail. I will in my next video spend some time! 0:00 Which is the better bonsai? 4:47 The fastest way to a big trunk: chop 6:02 The intermediate fast route to big bonsai trunks: Sacrifice branches 8:08 The high quality route for bonsai trunks: Grow and trim and grow bonsai development
@@GrowingBonsai I have been keeping bonsai now for about 5 years I am still very much a beginner I did try way back in the eighties thanks to the karate kid but failed due to lack of knowledge, but thanks to you and many others I am learning and doing OK. I have grown some from seedlings other I have bought as mature plants and I am training them to become bonsai.
Hi. Thank you for the video. Can anyone give advice on how to stop the trunks getting very wide and keep them at a certain size? IM afraid of my bonsai trunk getting to large
@@GrowingBonsai I've been thinking, and one thing that would be really insightfull is about Elm cuttings, I've read that there are two moments you can get cuttings from them, Hardwood on Autumn and Softwood on Spring, As my Elm prebonsai was bought last year, I just up-poted and let it grow freely tru' the growing season, and on Autumn I prunned it really low and made a bunch of cuttings, some thinner and some thicker we are almost on winter here, and it seems like at least a few of them rooted, I found a bit hard to find info on the subject...
@@Albanus35 Coincidentally.. I took some 15 hardwood cuttings as I was pruning my elm (I think they feature in the elm styling video already). I also took root cuttings. 80% of the hardwood, and 20% of the root cuttings took. So I am indeed planning to do a follow-up video, just on rooting Elm cuttings. I almost feel as if I started a propagation channel!
This is so cool! I just ordered my first bonsai seeds online. I know you have to be careful with seeds online, but I'm eager to hopefully at least get a few sprouts going!!! Your garden is wonderful. Thanks for the video.
@@GrowingBonsai starter kit for now, but I figure if I don’t have luck with it, I can always just order seeds from a different dealer until I have a result. The kit was pretty inexpensive, so I was willing to roll the dice. I’ll update you on how it’s going. :)
Great video! Clear, concise and proven techniques. I have a random question….. how much sun do you give your Deshojos? I understand that we’re in different places, but I’m curious. I have 2 Deshojos and for me, they seem to prefer morning sun and that’s it. They get maybe 3-4hrs full morning sun and then shade for the rest of the day. Should I be giving em more sun? Thanks, take care and keep them awesome videos coming!! BONSAI!!
Hi Dan, my deshojos is on a lower level of my bonsai table, which stands next to a broad tree so they are somewhat shaded during the heat of the day in summer. Morning and afternoon full sun. Midday.. dappled sun I would say!
Thanks for the explanation. One of the best video out there and has helped me a lot. I wanted to ask you if you could make another video about the third method (frequent cutting) going more in detail and more and clear examples? I have been growing a lot of seedlings and don't want to go the trunk chop route. So that method is ideal. But would love more detail. Also, there is barely any information on the internet about this 😭
Hi Jelle.very useful information I need to watch again when Queen’s Jubilee Air Show finishes roaring around overhead. But while I remember i think you need Magnus’ black backdrop, it’s sometimes difficult to see when plants are behind your subject, but I’m watching on iPhone so pic is small. God bless you 🙏✝️ ✌️🇺🇦🌻✌️
Hi Gaye, I have noticed this myself! Just dificult. I need to make somthing that I can just put where I need it, as my current backdrop is too small to get a good image out!
Very good explanation, and I will definitely put it to practice. In many of the species however, banyan for example, the new branch grows only from the end where it has been cut. Thus, it proliferates at that end, but there are no branches in the lower part of the trunk.
Sometimes species require a bit more overall approach, such as removal of growing tips throughout to be triggered to budd. Many ficus species a full leaf removal and clipping of the growing tips is effective in getting budding. Naturally, one only does this with a very healthy tree!
Best video that explain alot. Usualy the people are just like. "Ok lets cut here and here so its gonna grow on this side" " Im gonna do this, so its gonna be thicker later"
Thank you so much. I did try to get a basic instructional going there, as there is so much that people look for and cannot find. Glad it worked that way to people watching!
Hi Thor, so great to hear from you! I am glad you found it usefull! Always nice to get a response. After producing and posting a video, it is always a bit of a gamble whether people like it!
Hi Karl, I would recommend using airlayering to grow roots on them first. Some species (Elms for instance) are however also amazing at growing roots on thick cuttings.
Thanks for sharing. I was trying to see it slowly, quietly.... Not sure if Im exactly agreed with you. This would be 3 ways to form trunks.... A big chop is a way to get connicity but with no growth. The other two are ways to use growth to get trunk conicity are true. What I really think is that you can grow trunks with a sacrificial branch, a sacrificial apex or everything is sacrificial if you are forming nebari and tachiagari..... thats the way you get trunk growth.... to get trunk form and connicity, you need to cut... I think are related but not exacty the same... What do you think?? Im getting tangled up??
Thank you. My trunk got thicker just watching this video 👍
.
Ayo thats kinda sus😂
📸🤨
@@krisletsplay312 Don't say "sus".
Don't want to know what your browser history looks like... ;)
The idea of each branch contributing to the trunk was a real 'light bulb' moment for me!
Glad to hear there was something new!
Same here.
By far the best explanation of trunk thickening that I've heard. I understand it so much more now! Thank you!
You are very welcome! Please let me know whether you have other topics I should addtess!
My wife said she wants a thicker trunk, this video saved my marriage!!
Ee
@@GrowingBonsai Hi may I know what type of soil can I used?
Tony Hawk doing bonsai now!? Amazing! Great info mate 😅
Don't know Tony, so I cannot tell you whether he is doing bonsai. Guess you were planning to post this somewhere else.
@@GrowingBonsai He’s saying you look like Tony Hawk, most famous skateboarder in the world;)
@@jonathanthomas7059 lmao he does kind of look like Tony Hawk
Just love the simplicity and rawness of the video. Very informative and it actually felt like someone physically present here is trying to explain it.
This was so helpful, i have been struggeling with understanding how to properly trim my bonsai to get it nice and thick but now i feel like i have a much better idea on how to do it
great to hear! Please have a dlip through my videos. There are a few of them on pruning.
Jelle explains completely and has answered many of my questions simply by watching his videos. I can see that time and consideration were used in editing. Thank you, Jelle!
Great to hear! Wish you happy growing!
I'm a beginner, struggling to know where to start with pruning my bonsai. This is such an excellent explanation and very clear, and has changed my whole idea of how to prune and grow my bonsai. Thank you so much Jelle, I'll be keen to watch more of your videos ❤
Glad it was of help! Looking forward to hearing you being successfull
Great job explaining the three methods. Patience is a key ingredient in all of these methods. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching!
Very helpful and informative, 1 year deep so far and feeling alot more confident how to proceed. Thank you
Glad to hear this! Bonsai is not dificult :)
You just keep getting better and better with your explanations of important stuff. One of the biggest challenges I face is stopping myself from forming a bonsai 'before' I have waited long enough for a decent sized trunk!! It is so frustrating making myself wait sometimes. After seeing this video I am going to force myself to rethink some of my intended pruning decisions on my younger maples.
💕Thank you so much for this very nice compliment. I AM trying to get better. When I started this channel 5 months ago, I had never given youtube much thought and never really put a video together. So although I dare say I have pretty decent knowledge on growing bonsai, the learning curve on video making is VERY steep. My workspace is a mess, because I have spent so much time on getting video material together!
Man, this video is great. I've ben growing bonsai for about 8 years and this is the best video on this topic that I've seen. Lots of great advise for any level imo.
Great to hear! Thank you so much!
Honestly the scars add character to the tree just like it nature you can find a lot of scared up trees and I think they look nice
Thank you for imparting wisdom - this puts into perspective shaping trunks in general, but especially for me as a beginner, shaping trunks of collected bonsai from the wild.
I will use these tips to both shape collected bonsai and grow young trees.
Bonsai is more important than videos 😉 Keep it coming tho!!
Bonsai more important than videos, and then you ask for more videos!? :)
THANK YOU for such a concise yet comprehensive overview... It has given me a better understanding of trunk to limb reduction (for trunk taper) ... And also of planned scaring & the healing process
I'm a newbie on the bonsai scene but luckily have access to an old garden to be remodeled
... So I am in the process taking aerial layers from mature plants ( wisteria, jap maple, crab apple, cotoneaster & crepe myrtle thus far)
I was planning to transfer them to large pond baskets once rooted (for root development)
...in the meantime, this video has directed me towards LIMBS for trunk reduction - so BEFORE I cut out upper growth I'll graft new buds IN (as required ) & THEN cut to the newly established branchlets
... Should have some "fair" training specimens in 5 years or so & a lovely bonsai collection in 10
... Again , Thankyou for a brilliant overview of some key developmental stages I'll need to look at
good luck!
Concepts I’ve studied before, but your fine repetition of common ideas was such a huge help.
Great! Good to hear!
This was more helpful than any other video I have seen on how to create tapering
Ohw, thank you so much! I am so happy you liked it! Did you have a chance to look at some of my other videos? Would be great to hear whether they are also helpfull to you!
Very nice way to thicken the trunk of tree & nice way to tell how to do it . Thank you very much
You are very welcome. Glad you liked it!
thank you!
I've have always found the bonzi fascinating. And now I've gotten some time to start a new hobby. I am going to try a rainbow eucalyptus from seed.
Excellent … and makes so much sense. Finally it’s clear how when and what and why. Thank you!
:)
Very Informative. I am a Japanese Maple fan, but not yet experienced in Bonsai or growing seed, layering or trimmings.
:) The first step is to get started :)
Finally a video from what I can start making decisions... Thanks 🤘😎👍
Glad I could help! Do let me know what you decide upon!
Thank this was helpful for my first attempt at bonsai life and growth. I'm starting with a inch trunk in diameter, and hoping for a crooked trunk.
:) Great to hear! Wish you a great bent trunk!
If you get them young you can bend them at an early stage.
@@awalktowardsglory absolutely!
Good explanation of thicken trunk.
Glad it was helpful!
Great work and love how you explain how to do it the long way is the best way to see it grow every year
I am very glad I happened to find this video. It was very interesting and informative.
Great video! Thanks for showing the different ways to thicken bonsai trunks!
you re most welcome
Great information!! Ty for sharing. I learned much! I have several young maples.
great to hear! Good luck. Do watch the creating nebari video too!
Thanks for the video! I shall try all three methods. What has worked for is letting the tree grow in wild for few years
great! Hope they work for you. Planting out is one way to speed up growth of your tree in general. there you can still apple each of the methods of course
Hey Jelle/Leatherback. Nice video, the algorithm just got you appearing on my TH-cam feed so your channel must be gaining some traction. I like your style and its nice to put a face to the name! Now I’ll check out the rest of your vids.
Hey!! Good to see you here! One could say it is getting some traction, yes. I am looking with amazement at the power this platform has, once it decides to put your content in front of larger groups of people! Some of my videos are spread around!
Did enjoy this video and seeing some of your trees!
Hey David, I know. @Clicio has some great trees!
Great video Jelle....simple, concise, and common-sense.
Question: I once saw a video where an older oriental man said -
"You want thick trunk, use big pot!
Big pot makes big roots which allows big trunk...."
It stands to reason...everyone wants to get their tree into a tiny, shallow bonsai pot as soon as possible which surely inhibits trunk growth.
Can you please comment on this Jelle?
Thank you so much!
The whole concept of bonsai is based in the idea that smaller containers reduce top growth and thus keep the bonsai with finer grow and smaller for longer. Bigger pots lead to better growth. Tooo big a pot however, can hamper growth because the substrate stays too wet. Maximum growing speed is had by uppootting as soon as the roots have filled the container, and going only one size container up
@@GrowingBonsai thank you for your consideration Jelle. Noted....
Great video Jelle - clear and precise. The algo's brought you up in my feed so your chanell is doing well. I will subscribe and watch all your other video's.
Its such a shame we live such short lives compared to our bonsai. You are still a young man and have years to enjoy their maturing. I'm 65 and well aware that I will never see my plants grow thick trunks with taper. But I continue on anyway. I daresay they will end up in the dumpster one day, along with most of my belongings, as I don't have anyone to pass them onto. But In the meantime I continue to water, fertilize, repot, and chop....what else is there?
Thank you for the channel.
Dear Bary, time is relative. I focus on enjoying the now. I grow from seeds, cuttings, get big trunks and can be tempted to get a nico pot every once in a while. It may sound cheeky, but the journey is more important than the endgoal to me. So in my garden there will always be more projects than finished trees. I am sure you will see many of your projects grow bigger, more beautifull and enjoyable!
Very Good video , in explain , how to thicken plant trunk and eventual proportion of Bonsai.
Great video in a slow and thorough manner with many good examples on how to make thick trunks.😀
Thank you for your feedback
Very good and very helpful video Jelle, thank you!
I’ll try to apply these techniques to my little plants… too many branches to choose from! I’ll see if I can take a clear picture of them and ask for your suggestions, if possible!
Hi Stefano, would be happy to help. In the end it is not all that dificult, but for the first one or two trees it is nice to have someone walk you through the process & choices! Aim for taper, movement. Low branches thicker than higher branches. Shorter internodes over long internodes.
@@GrowingBonsai hi Jelle! So nice of you, thank you!
I’ve just uploaded a video to explain my situation and ask for a few specific suggestions.
What else can I do to prune the trees selectively and start them as a bonsai properly? Shall I wait till they grow bigger before pruning?
Thank you so much in advance for anything (and apologies for the verbosity)!
th-cam.com/video/cjnmPgzONP4/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for making this video. Very well explained for us new bonsai gardeners.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the clear and concise explanation. Really wonderful how well you share your knowledge.
I would like to ask if it's possible to have a tree under discussion to be shown more separately. Sometimes it's hard to see the outline of the trunk because of other trees in the back.
Thank you!
Hi, thank you so much. In other videos I use a black backdrop more frequently as I realized the challenge you describe!
@@GrowingBonsai thank you so much for responding. I am definitely a fan of your channel now
@@alinakostina3182 Hey Alina, Welcome! :). Do let me know if there are topics you hope I could cover.
I’m just an amateur bonsai grower. My thickest bonsai trunk is a Japanese maple that I was growing and chopped off the top when it looked like it was dying in my clay soil.
I dug it up, plopped it into a container with compost and potting soil and it survived.
That was many years ago. It is still in its planter pot and the trunk is quite thick and aged.
All my other bonsai attempts are young and have nice little trunks. I like the little trunks too.
I also have several Japanese maple trees thriving in my little backyard and giving lots of shade during the summer months.
Hey, nice to hear from you! Lovely collection you must be building there!
Again this is another pretty good video , another way for me to learned by making my house plants bonsai , do watching carefully with your video all the way bcoz exactly what I want to do with my house plant later on .
Hi Maya, I am so happy these short videos are helpfull for you! Hearing back from people that they can use some of the content for their own projects is what makes it all worth it :) Thanks!
Very interesting. I’ve known bonsai for years but not much about how it’s achieved. Thanks.
Very nice video with examples. Excellent for beginners like I am
Glad it was helpful!
Great lesson for me, would like more info from the start! Thank you.
What sort of information are you after Navi?
Have you tried supercropping the trunk with some pliers? How about grafting the pruned branches back parallel the trunk?
I feel fresh look up your plant sir...good job
So nice of you
You explain things so well. thank-you and subscribed.
Are you growing out bonsai trunks? Have you heard anything new in this video?
Please do let me know in the comments what you miss, where you would like to explain things in more detail. I will in my next video spend some time!
What can I do to make these more interesting for you, what should I skip? Any suggestion, please let me know how you experience this video.
One of the most helpful and informative videos I've ever watched, thankyou.
Wow! One of the most biggest compliments I have gotten! Thank you!
Very informative video👍. I'm only new to bonsai growing. Got my 1st Chinese juniper maybe a month ago & have been struggling to find videos that actually help steer me in the right direction. Keep up the great work mate✌
great to hear! Anythjng you need info on in. particular?
Atm I'm a bit scared to cut my tree back as it is quite young & very small. Right now it's only about 18cm tall & the trunk less than 5mm wide. How long would you recommend before I start to cut it back or try to shape it? We're about to go into summer here in Australia too if that helps
Been watching bonsai videos for a few years now and NEVER understood this until now
So glad to hear this made a difference!
Great vid Jelle! You have some really nice materials for the future there.
Ohw thank you! Yes, some nice materials, although I need to start thinning out! Too many trees to keep up with!
@@GrowingBonsai save some for me to pick up for the trophy.😀👍
@@greenmachinesweden No problem.
Timely video as I'm just doing my winter re-potting and pruning
Winter repotting.. That sounds like southern hemisphere? Where are you located Harley? Have a scroll though my channel.There are a few more videos dealing with repotting, but, granted, those are videos I made at the start of my YT journey and may not be as informative!
Very informative and straightforward. I'm really happy I came across your video. I've been wondering how bonsai's get those thick trunks and the reasoning for how and why you pick specific branches to cut. Thank you for this awesome video!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you! I am a beginner and had been searching for a video explaining this!!!
You are very welcome. I hope it helps you!
I was wondering about timelines on the sacrifice branches...do you chop them back every year or do you let them go depending on diameter achieved during the grow season?
Is there a rule of thumb/golden ratio for trunk diameter - sacrifice branch diameter?
Hi Rob,
I am not aware of a best timeline. I normally want to remove a sacrifice before it gets so thick you get big scars. Which means it can take longer than when you leave them on longer
Great simple advice! Thank you for putting this together!
Glad it was helpful!
Nice video, very helpful! The many different examples were great to see and show the techniques.
Glad it was helpful!
Great information, enjoyed it .Used to have about 3 bonsais , but all died .Think too much cutting back and maybe not enough roots .
Steep learning curve with rootwork..Maybe try again?
Nicely done video, friend!
I always enjoy seeing more of your trees.
I'm really stuck on that Field Maple... I like it's style... The cut of its (Barry) Gibb.
I have been training most of my Acers in (somewhat) that amalgamated method discussed on that last Deshojo. But there are a few that are aptly angled that I will be leaving the top on for a few years, and maintenance pruning and wiring the foundations of "the tree" within that first branch for a few years before removing the top.
When, at either 3:49 or 8:49, you say, "This is an old Beech."
I shouted "YOU'RE an old Beech!"
😂😂😂😂😂
The impression of age is always a matter of the viewpoint of the observer. If you think I am an old beech, one could wonder what that makes you ;)
In any case, I am glad you are enjoying these videos so much, and love the enthusiasm of your engagement. Maybe you can share your acers in the crazy forums? Would love to see what you are doing there!
@@GrowingBonsai
Most of my work with Acers is from seed..
.. I've been sharing and discussing in my "TinyTree Study Group Subforum".. it's now the most heavily trafficked "Study Group Forum"
If you're an "Old Beech"... I'm a "Lil' Fagus"
😂😂😂😂😂
I think I will do a video tour of my "(crappy, post apocalyptic) "garden" for you jelle... If that's something you'd be interested in.
@@aldoushuxley3704 Aaahh is that where you have been hiding your treasures! Always interested in seeing what people surround themselves with!
Thanks for the clear explanation! Just started with tree seeds this week. ✊️
Welcome to the new addiction Nicolas!
Nice vid. Lots of genius ideas. I will do it my Disoho. Thanks J.
Hi. Random question but why does the pots in the 9:00 minute mark have mesh covering the surface of the soil? I’m new to bonsai and I want to learn the tips and tricks of the trade. Thank you. 👍🏻
Good question! I have inquisitive birds in my garden that like to dig in my pots. This way I reduce their impact!
@@GrowingBonsai oh woah. Never had that as an issue. Must be a bother. Anyways love your bonsai! They look fantastic regardless. ✌🏻
@@itssheyfr Thank you so much. here it is a few times per year for 2-4 weeks each. It is annoying, yes!
Great video. I would like to see you take a standard nursery tree and chop it, with explanations and future plans. Keep your videos coming. Can I chop the same tree each year? When can you chop a nursery tree for the fist time? Spring is usually mentioned, but to buy a tree at a nursery then, the trees have already pushed the new leaves. Do I buy it the previous year and wait? I find very little information on the details of this process. Yamadori are not available to me and the prices of mature specimens is too high, especially given all that can happen to them. This year we have had strong winds blow even tied down trees around, and my lawn service has managed to reek havoc on many of my trees. They even hit my low bench with their equipment, knocking several trees off without mentioning it to me. Yes, the answer should be to get a new lawn service, but they are all too busy in my area. I can't even get ones who will use a push mower. They all just want to sit and weed wack. I have extensive gardens of other flowering plants, trees (container grown Japanese Maples,) and shrubs, too. I have four trees that I have bought and cut down in spring, but I don't know if I'm doing it correctly. Thanks.
Hey Zantlo, lots going on for you I hear! Strange question.. Remove the lawn and let flowers grow?
In any case, would love to do a video like that. In fact, I have done a mute video today working a maple. For you, right now: Pruning nursery trees, if healthy, can be done mid spring. I have never understood the obsession with the pruning before leaf-showing. Optimal response by the tree is when it is active, at the height of the growing season. That is when I do big chops! Will look into making one. Guess that means.. Nursery trip?
What a great job. You are a master. I love your work
Hi Milton, thank you so much! Too kind!
At 8:45 you show us what sounds like a "yoyo maple". Google failed to find that so I think it must be a subtitle error. What kind of maple is it, please? I like that leaf shape.
Very informative and excellent explanation with video footage of your points. Keep up the great work! Thx!
Hi Michael, great to hear! I am happy to hear you find the videos usefull! Spread the word! :)
Some questions, when can you air layer your maple? Will it work in that smaller one you pointed out?
When you chop that big tree, can it survive it just two small branches?
Hi Jose, the deshojo was given a layer maybe 2 weeks ago. I fully expect it to root by late summer. The big beach: Yes, it will survive. The rest of the trunk is not doing anything for the tree but "be there". The tree was put in the pot in winter 2020/2021 so has stabilized. The reason I have not cut it yet is because I want a good foliage mass to power the closing of the cut site.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
My pleasure! Thank you for dropping in!
Very informative and well-presented. Thank You.
Glad it was helpful! Do look around on the channel and discover more videos!
GOOD VIDEO BEST BY FAR,
Wow, thanks! Humbled!
Growing Bonsai by Jelle
3.62K subscribers
When you have a young plant, you need to develop the trunk. How do you get from a seedling to a thick trunk? In this video I will share 3 ways of growing thick trunk!
Please do let me know in the comments what you miss, where you would like to explain things in more detail. I will in my next video spend some time!
0:00 Which is the better bonsai?
4:47 The fastest way to a big trunk: chop
6:02 The intermediate fast route to big bonsai trunks: Sacrifice branches
8:08 The high quality route for bonsai trunks: Grow and trim and grow bonsai development
thx
Fantastic bonsai tips and advice. Planning on working with a couple of bonsai maples here in Missouri ♡
What species do you grow there?
@@GrowingBonsai ...we have two little red maples that were rescued from garden spaces.
This video is wonderful. Thank you.
Thank you so much! Glad you like it. Feel free to look around on the channel!
Loved your video brother! Thank you very much! :)
Thank you for stopping by and letting me know!
Thanks!! Amazing, simple explanation!
glad you liked it!
Thank u for making this video! So inspired!
You are so welcome! Now watch another video of mine, close the computer and go work on your trees ! ;)
Seriously. great to hear! Thx.
You keep giving very informative videos, thank you
Hi Jose, thank you so much! I hope you keep enjoying them!
That red map is amazing. Do you have a video about potting them and finding a good depth and size pot?
Hey Chris, I do not think I have a video about selecting pots to be honest. Good idea to make one though!
Fantastic video thanks for sharing hello from the UK 🇬🇧
Hey Michael, you are very welcome!greetings from Germany!
@@GrowingBonsai I have been keeping bonsai now for about 5 years I am still very much a beginner I did try way back in the eighties thanks to the karate kid but failed due to lack of knowledge, but thanks to you and many others I am learning and doing OK. I have grown some from seedlings other I have bought as mature plants and I am training them to become bonsai.
Great video!
Very useful.
Thank you very much!
You're very welcome!
Hi. Thank you for the video. Can anyone give advice on how to stop the trunks getting very wide and keep them at a certain size? IM afraid of my bonsai trunk getting to large
Once planted in a bonsai container, and kept pruned, trunks do not get much bigger.
Very good video my friend! Very helpfull, and even for those who already know the techniques, it's always good to remind it. Cheers! =]
Hey, good to see you here again! I am so happy that you think this is helpfull! (Making videos just for the sake of making them, is not my thing!)
Any topics you would like me to cover in a next video?
@@GrowingBonsai I've been thinking, and one thing that would be really insightfull is about Elm cuttings, I've read that there are two moments you can get cuttings from them, Hardwood on Autumn and Softwood on Spring, As my Elm prebonsai was bought last year, I just up-poted and let it grow freely tru' the growing season, and on Autumn I prunned it really low and made a bunch of cuttings, some thinner and some thicker we are almost on winter here, and it seems like at least a few of them rooted, I found a bit hard to find info on the subject...
@@Albanus35 Coincidentally.. I took some 15 hardwood cuttings as I was pruning my elm (I think they feature in the elm styling video already). I also took root cuttings. 80% of the hardwood, and 20% of the root cuttings took. So I am indeed planning to do a follow-up video, just on rooting Elm cuttings. I almost feel as if I started a propagation channel!
This is so cool! I just ordered my first bonsai seeds online. I know you have to be careful with seeds online, but I'm eager to hopefully at least get a few sprouts going!!! Your garden is wonderful. Thanks for the video.
Wow, i wish you lots of luck growing from seed. Did you get one of those starter kits, or seeds from a treeseed dealer?
@@GrowingBonsai starter kit for now, but I figure if I don’t have luck with it, I can always just order seeds from a different dealer until I have a result. The kit was pretty inexpensive, so I was willing to roll the dice. I’ll update you on how it’s going. :)
@@briguy91 OK, wish you best of luck. I hear varied opinions about the seed starter kit. Maybe I should get one and try & document.
amazing tecnic share with us ..thank you...what is the name of red leave tree.. beautiful colour
So nice of you! I think you mean my deshojo japanese maple?
Great video! Clear, concise and proven techniques. I have a random question….. how much sun do you give your Deshojos? I understand that we’re in different places, but I’m curious. I have 2 Deshojos and for me, they seem to prefer morning sun and that’s it. They get maybe 3-4hrs full morning sun and then shade for the rest of the day. Should I be giving em more sun? Thanks, take care and keep them awesome videos coming!! BONSAI!!
Hi Dan, my deshojos is on a lower level of my bonsai table, which stands next to a broad tree so they are somewhat shaded during the heat of the day in summer. Morning and afternoon full sun. Midday.. dappled sun I would say!
Thanks for the explanation. One of the best video out there and has helped me a lot.
I wanted to ask you if you could make another video about the third method (frequent cutting) going more in detail and more and clear examples?
I have been growing a lot of seedlings and don't want to go the trunk chop route. So that method is ideal. But would love more detail. Also, there is barely any information on the internet about this 😭
probably because it takes a loongg time? Will look into it over winter!
Very nice i always wonder how bonsai got it thick trunk..now i know.ty
:)
Hi Jelle.very useful information I need to watch again when Queen’s Jubilee Air Show finishes roaring around overhead. But while I remember i think you need Magnus’ black backdrop, it’s sometimes difficult to see when plants are behind your subject, but I’m watching on iPhone so pic is small. God bless you 🙏✝️ ✌️🇺🇦🌻✌️
Hi Gaye, I have noticed this myself! Just dificult. I need to make somthing that I can just put where I need it, as my current backdrop is too small to get a good image out!
I just started learning about bonsai and I was wondering what should the soil consist of typically?
:) th-cam.com/video/i1zof0uTyW0/w-d-xo.html
Yes good 👍 explain I don't much English but understood your voice.
thank you so much! Glad you could understand!
Wow, My best friend, Wonderful video dear. I enjoyed watching. Hope to see you soon...
Thanks for visiting!
Love your channel Jelle! 🌳🌲
Very good explanation, and I will definitely put it to practice. In many of the species however, banyan for example, the new branch grows only from the end where it has been cut. Thus, it proliferates at that end, but there are no branches in the lower part of the trunk.
Sometimes species require a bit more overall approach, such as removal of growing tips throughout to be triggered to budd. Many ficus species a full leaf removal and clipping of the growing tips is effective in getting budding. Naturally, one only does this with a very healthy tree!
Best video that explain alot.
Usualy the people are just like.
"Ok lets cut here and here so its gonna grow on this side"
" Im gonna do this, so its gonna be thicker later"
Thank you so much. I did try to get a basic instructional going there, as there is so much that people look for and cannot find. Glad it worked that way to people watching!
Thank you ! Excellent information
Hi Thor, so great to hear from you! I am glad you found it usefull! Always nice to get a response. After producing and posting a video, it is always a bit of a gamble whether people like it!
Very instructive. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Anyone know if you can you plant sacrifice branches? Great video.
Hi Karl, I would recommend using airlayering to grow roots on them first. Some species (Elms for instance) are however also amazing at growing roots on thick cuttings.
Thanks for sharing. I was trying to see it slowly, quietly.... Not sure if Im exactly agreed with you. This would be 3 ways to form trunks.... A big chop is a way to get connicity but with no growth. The other two are ways to use growth to get trunk conicity are true. What I really think is that you can grow trunks with a sacrificial branch, a sacrificial apex or everything is sacrificial if you are forming nebari and tachiagari..... thats the way you get trunk growth.... to get trunk form and connicity, you need to cut... I think are related but not exacty the same... What do you think?? Im getting tangled up??
I would agree in part :). I have been contemplating what I would label the video as. I might do another one, which is more concrete.
@@GrowingBonsai I would love it!!
Hello from Cape Coral. Florida. Us. The tree in the first take is what kind of tree, I loved the shape. Please advise. Thank you
note that the species does not define the shape. It is an eonymous.
this video was very helpfull,thank you very much
Glad it was helpful! Hope it helps