I was almost yelling “stop! stop! Too much root pruning!” but you are the master of root prunings.... I wouldn’t be able to get away with even half that much root pruning! More power to you! Great stuff!
The Kapok grows easily from cutting, so even if you remove all the roots, it has a good chance of survival. It does amaze me that a tree, that grows so quickly doesn't really have a massive root system like the Ficus trees would.
This tree is looking FANTASTIC! Really like how you explain what you are doing and why. Makes it so much easier to understand what is happening with your tree. Kapok trees are fast growers. The flowers are beautiful. Can't wait to see what yours looks like in bloom. Thanks for another GREAT video.
When I have attempted this root over technique I typically use a smaller clay pot and run the roots over it not through it so that you don’t get the same problem of under watering the center.
Hi Nigel... yes I was 20 minutes late... but I’m here now!! Geez never know what’ll find when freeing roots... think this will be a nice group to follow!!! Waiting for part 2 now!!
For that disk issue: Watering from the bottom (setting the pot in a bucket of water) does a good job at ensuring all the soil becomes wet. I do this with house plants and it has been very successful. Just wait until the soil is dry and then let it sit in a bucket of water until the top of the soil line appears wet. You can then remove the pot from the water, knowing that the soil has absorbed just as much water as its capillary system can hold - which should include all the soil since it follows the capillary system.
Please cut this Kapok down to 5-7 or at least 10 inches. This big It'll shoot out just at the top and get higher and higher before you get some decent ramification. Also the trunk has no movement at all. Hope your roof is waterproof now!
I some times cut my trees long and let them branch out and then after the branch that I want gets think enough I cut the top down to that branch. That way I don't get die back were I would like my new trunk.
Great video Nigel! I like using a tile on mine to develop the roots but i might consider a CD for. The next time. I like the hight of that tree and thickens of the trunk.. I hope it develops well.
Very interesting specimen. Thanks That large Yew from your backyard yamadori doesn’t look like it’s going to make it, that’s disappointing, I was really looking forward to watch you work on that one. Oh well,,, that’s bonsai.
I'm very, very new to bonsai. Your videos are so helpful, and I really like your cut and grow philosophy. I have four ficus religiosa trees, and I'm wondering if I could prune the tall growth this time of year. One of them has a three foot tall single stem, others are shorter and branched. Is it okay to root prune them at the same time? I want to do something now, but should I wait until February?
Why doesn't your Kapok have spiny thorns protruding from its trunk? Is it a cultivar with smooth trunk maybe? Here in the caribbean I grow the rainforrest Kapok, which has big spines all over the trunk!
Alot of people say to hard prune tropical during mid summer, but I feel like all summer is when I should be maximizing growth for taper. I have all the space in the world outside, but need them small indoors.
You should have pruned it way lower and put in a bigger pot in my opinion. Iv had kapoks before and they dont do anything if in small pots. Also fairly challenging to get bifurcation on them.
Good luck with that one nigel, can not wait to see it in a few years its got a nice thick trunk ...happy growing.....that could be your new punch line .......
Nigel isn't it a bit late in the day for a root prune? Never heard of a Kapok so learn't something new today looking forward to seeing it in the future. Don't give up on the Yew.
I have found that when I bring the tropical trees inside from the cold, they react like it's spring and put on a good growth spurt, hopefully the Kapok will recover quickly!
The Yew still has green on it and there are some green shoots lower down on the trunk. I'll place it on the ground for the winter and mulch all around the box and then just keep my fingers crossed until spring!
My trees are still outside where it gets very cool at night, when they come inside for the winter, they suddenly get warmer temperatures and they grow like it's spring!
@@TheBonsaiZone Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... I'd not considered that before. We've been getting down into the low 40's (5~7C) here lately, so I've been bringing my various non hardy specimens in every evening. Never looked in to how safe those temps are for some of the smaller Ficus types.
I saw a vide on TH-cam of a guy who grow this very large kapok in a pot for Many years and the trunk it Absolutely insane and huge! And it has two branches growing on ether side of the tree
Hi, Nigel, Can you create a geometrically perfect tree , so much that it looks unreal but at the same time it is real. People would be confused whethr its a real tree or not
I've used large rounded stones for some of my trees, to attempt to create radial roots... I forgot with which trees I did this, so it will be a surprise when I repot my trees... 😬🤞🏻 I'm also thinking about lifting my trees up out of the soil a little bit each time I repot them... Is that a good idea? Or will I risk the tree's health by doing that?
That should be fine raising them a little each year, it will help develop a mature bark on the surface roots. The stones should direct the roots well and get them underway!
Hi Boris, perhaps you don't see the sheer number of plants Nigel has. If he propagated all of trees by airlayer or cutting he would have to have a tree nursery and staff to care for them all. Stay tuned though as he has purchased a commercial sized greenhouse that he will be installing on his property in the near future.
Cool! Yeah, we have snow down now. My evergreens were shedding needles, I put them back outside, I'm so scared to leave them out there. I lost every single one last winter, I'm going to have to figure something out for them. But, I have a question. I pulled my Burning bush out of the ground, mid summer, had no choice. I picked it up and plopped into a cardboard box. I had nothing else at the time. Rabbits and mice eat it down to nothing every winter, and it grew better in this cardboard box than it has in over 10 years in the ground. Tripled in size easy. Can I winter this indoors? I have no real way of protecting this from animals. I would maybe have to build a cage around it. Does a burning bush have to have a dormant period? I guess that's 2 questions buried in there... LOL
The Burning Bush does need a dormant period to remain healthy. The rabbits do like them, I found that out also! I would suggest putting your tree in a large plastic container, the kind used for storing stuff and fill the container with soil or mulch around the tree, put the lid on and then bury the box in the ground for the winter, covering the top. There should be enough moisture that the tree will survive without watering and it should stay warm enough and dormant in the dark for the winter. You would have to dig a large hole and remember where you buried it, maybe a treasure map is needed! Arrrr!
@@TheBonsaiZone That is a great idea!! I better get too it before the ground freezes to hard!!! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!:) I was thinking of putting my evergreens in where my well is and covering with a clear plastic Teepee. The well is open to our service room. Sort of heated. It gets buried completely in snow.
Certain metals are toxic to plants. However cast iron has been used. Infact cast iron bonsai pots used to be used decades ago and antique iron bonsai pots sometimes can still be found on Ebay from time to time. However expect to pay a great deal for them as they are highly collectible these days.
What is your common soil mix? I use perlite as well but can't tell what the grey material is. Thanks for all of your awesome videos! You've inspired me to be more adventurous with my tree varieties.
Some weeds are hard to kill. Besides not all plants survive. Nigel has admitted he has had his failures and trees have died after hard root pruning. It’s all about knowledge and experience: knowing the resilience of the species, the right time of the year, the health of the particular specimen, and so on.
Any plans on doing root work on juniper or conifers, more generally? I seem to have an incredibly difficult time finding info on this. Your videos are great, by the way, and your method is sensible and calming. Wishing you the best.
@@TheBonsaiZone The tropicals are great too and I love seeing you work them, especially some of those wild looking ficus you got. I gifted my wife a ficus that I trained into a bonsai shape. Perhaps someday it'll be worth admiring more like your own. Anyways, just keep doing your thing- I'll keep watching 😊
Those Conner's! Conner actually used a good technique on the tree, Kapok trees don't normally grow a nice radial root system when young, a dominate root seems to take over just like this tree had.
All my Kapok trees died in fall. It must have got too cold for them. I did get some of the original trees that I gave away back so I'm continuing to grow those. They are smaller than the ones I had, but I'll keep working on them!
Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone Sorry to hear that kapok trees always like it to be warm year round next time you grow them find a warm place to put them in the winter so they don’t die
what a beautiful stick
I was almost yelling “stop! stop! Too much root pruning!” but you are the master of root prunings.... I wouldn’t be able to get away with even half that much root pruning!
More power to you! Great stuff!
The Kapok grows easily from cutting, so even if you remove all the roots, it has a good chance of survival. It does amaze me that a tree, that grows so quickly doesn't really have a massive root system like the Ficus trees would.
This tree is looking FANTASTIC! Really like how you explain what you are doing and why. Makes it so much easier to understand what is happening with your tree. Kapok trees are fast growers. The flowers are beautiful. Can't wait to see what yours looks like in bloom. Thanks for another GREAT video.
When I have attempted this root over technique I typically use a smaller clay pot and run the roots over it not through it so that you don’t get the same problem of under watering the center.
Looking forward to seeing part 2!
Hi Nigel... yes I was 20 minutes late... but I’m here now!! Geez never know what’ll find when freeing roots... think this will be a nice group to follow!!! Waiting for part 2 now!!
For that disk issue: Watering from the bottom (setting the pot in a bucket of water) does a good job at ensuring all the soil becomes wet. I do this with house plants and it has been very successful. Just wait until the soil is dry and then let it sit in a bucket of water until the top of the soil line appears wet. You can then remove the pot from the water, knowing that the soil has absorbed just as much water as its capillary system can hold - which should include all the soil since it follows the capillary system.
Thanks, a good solution!
I would recommend letting them growing really tall through the summer and cut them back in the fall before winter so they can fit indoors
Please cut this Kapok down to 5-7 or at least 10 inches. This big It'll shoot out just at the top and get higher and higher before you get some decent ramification. Also the trunk has no movement at all. Hope your roof is waterproof now!
Yes ,hieght is too long
Maybe he wants it to be the same height that it was but with better ramification, that may be the case
I some times cut my trees long and let them branch out and then after the branch that I want gets think enough I cut the top down to that branch. That way I don't get die back were I would like my new trunk.
Great video Nigel! I like using a tile on mine to develop the roots but i might consider a CD for. The next time. I like the hight of that tree and thickens of the trunk.. I hope it develops well.
Holy crap! Alright, Nigel...you’ve convinced me Kapok it is...(greetings from Durham region by the way!)
Very interesting specimen. Thanks
That large Yew from your backyard yamadori doesn’t look like it’s going to make it, that’s disappointing, I was really looking forward to watch you work on that one. Oh well,,, that’s bonsai.
Thanks Matt, the Yew still has some green on it.. I'll put the box on the ground and mulch all around it and see what happens in spring!
I am always amazed with your root pruning!
Woot!!! Watching NOW!!
I hope you like it!
Thoroughly enjoyed! Check! It sure will be nice having more room by cutting that kapok in half. Thanks for sharing and take care!!
Very interesting technique with the disc. 😶 Nice flair the kapok has, will grow big.
Could this tree have been air layered into 2 tress? If so, why was it not? Interested to hear your take on it.👍
Well we've been waiting on you to make an air layer video so we'll know how to do it. Shouldn't be too hard for a smart guy like yourself.
Another nice video. Here in South America we are in the oposit moment, excited with the spring and the start of the growing season of the Plants!
I think I need to travel from the North to the South every year so it's always the growing season!
I'm very, very new to bonsai. Your videos are so helpful, and I really like your cut and grow philosophy. I have four ficus religiosa trees, and I'm wondering if I could prune the tall growth this time of year. One of them has a three foot tall single stem, others are shorter and branched. Is it okay to root prune them at the same time? I want to do something now, but should I wait until February?
Should it not be in a bigger pot until it is more developed? I've always done this to a large pot.
i did this and my tree died. please help! Can i trunk chop my English Oak without any lower branches?
Why doesn't your Kapok have spiny thorns protruding from its trunk? Is it a cultivar with smooth trunk maybe? Here in the caribbean I grow the rainforrest Kapok, which has big spines all over the trunk!
Alot of people say to hard prune tropical during mid summer, but I feel like all summer is when I should be maximizing growth for taper. I have all the space in the world outside, but need them small indoors.
You should have pruned it way lower and put in a bigger pot in my opinion. Iv had kapoks before and they dont do anything if in small pots. Also fairly challenging to get bifurcation on them.
Good luck with that one nigel, can not wait to see it in a few years its got a nice thick trunk ...happy growing.....that could be your new punch line .......
Thanks Mike, this will be an interesting almost experimental tree for a bonsai, I'm hoping to learn this trees secrets!
Nigel isn't it a bit late in the day for a root prune? Never heard of a Kapok so learn't something new today looking forward to seeing it in the future. Don't give up on the Yew.
I have found that when I bring the tropical trees inside from the cold, they react like it's spring and put on a good growth spurt, hopefully the Kapok will recover quickly!
The Yew still has green on it and there are some green shoots lower down on the trunk. I'll place it on the ground for the winter and mulch all around the box and then just keep my fingers crossed until spring!
I've always been under the impression that work this intense was supposed to happen late winter / early spring ... please advise
My trees are still outside where it gets very cool at night, when they come inside for the winter, they suddenly get warmer temperatures and they grow like it's spring!
@@TheBonsaiZone Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... I'd not considered that before. We've been getting down into the low 40's (5~7C) here lately, so I've been bringing my various non hardy specimens in every evening. Never looked in to how safe those temps are for some of the smaller Ficus types.
When is part 2 coming please would love to see the update
not sure I like the disk technique 🤔. I’m always amazed at how much roots can be pruned, almost 90 % of it is removed
I use metal skewers or straws to poke holes so the water get all through the soil
What is update of your kapok trees nigel please share
Love that kapok tree!!! How old is it? It looks amazing😀
How old is it today?
I saw a vide on TH-cam of a guy who grow this very large kapok in a pot for Many years and the trunk it Absolutely insane and huge! And it has two branches growing on ether side of the tree
th-cam.com/video/nwMiyNb312E/w-d-xo.html
Cool James, I hope my last few Kapok's grow into something nice. I'm working hard on keeping them warm this year!
Hi great reporting video, will love to see the progress video in a few years.
Hi, Nigel, Can you create a geometrically perfect tree , so much that it looks unreal but at the same time it is real. People would be confused whethr its a real tree or not
Its art try for your self but being a living thing I think you'll find that they will do what they want. Like loss a branch u need or what not.
Great video thank you. Is it possible to air layer the top portion of the tree to save it or is there a way to get it to root?
Hope it'll branch nicely to become a beautiful kapok tree. Waiting for the second part.
All of his kapok trees died 😞
I've used large rounded stones for some of my trees, to attempt to create radial roots... I forgot with which trees I did this, so it will be a surprise when I repot my trees... 😬🤞🏻
I'm also thinking about lifting my trees up out of the soil a little bit each time I repot them... Is that a good idea? Or will I risk the tree's health by doing that?
That should be fine raising them a little each year, it will help develop a mature bark on the surface roots. The stones should direct the roots well and get them underway!
thanks for being you . mr in the zone SAI - BONSAI NIGE.
Thank you Peter!
Beautiful fan leaves
They can be made into a very interesting bonsai, but they are not an easy tree to develop!
3:35 it was sad seeing that beautiful top of that kapok tree getting cut off
I eventually killed the trees because of the cold, they can only go down to 8 degrees above freezing, any lower and they die.
Why not airlayering?
Hi Boris, perhaps you don't see the sheer number of plants Nigel has. If he propagated all of trees by airlayer or cutting he would have to have a tree nursery and staff to care for them all. Stay tuned though as he has purchased a commercial sized greenhouse that he will be installing on his property in the near future.
Cool! Yeah, we have snow down now. My evergreens were shedding needles, I put them back outside, I'm so scared to leave them out there. I lost every single one last winter, I'm going to have to figure something out for them. But, I have a question. I pulled my Burning bush out of the ground, mid summer, had no choice. I picked it up and plopped into a cardboard box. I had nothing else at the time. Rabbits and mice eat it down to nothing every winter, and it grew better in this cardboard box than it has in over 10 years in the ground. Tripled in size easy. Can I winter this indoors? I have no real way of protecting this from animals. I would maybe have to build a cage around it. Does a burning bush have to have a dormant period? I guess that's 2 questions buried in there... LOL
The Burning Bush does need a dormant period to remain healthy. The rabbits do like them, I found that out also! I would suggest putting your tree in a large plastic container, the kind used for storing stuff and fill the container with soil or mulch around the tree, put the lid on and then bury the box in the ground for the winter, covering the top. There should be enough moisture that the tree will survive without watering and it should stay warm enough and dormant in the dark for the winter. You would have to dig a large hole and remember where you buried it, maybe a treasure map is needed! Arrrr!
@@TheBonsaiZone That is a great idea!! I better get too it before the ground freezes to hard!!! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!:) I was thinking of putting my evergreens in where my well is and covering with a clear plastic Teepee. The well is open to our service room. Sort of heated. It gets buried completely in snow.
Hi Nigel!
Where you get your s root rake?
I bought it at a second hand store 25 years ago. It was part of a children's indoor gardening kit I think. I haven't seen another like it anywhere.
Are metal pots frowned upon for bonsai?
Certain metals are toxic to plants. However cast iron has been used. Infact cast iron bonsai pots used to be used decades ago and antique iron bonsai pots sometimes can still be found on Ebay from time to time. However expect to pay a great deal for them as they are highly collectible these days.
Might try that plastic disc technique on some of my ficus cuttings
What is your common soil mix? I use perlite as well but can't tell what the grey material is. Thanks for all of your awesome videos! You've inspired me to be more adventurous with my tree varieties.
he almost use 50% Perlite 50% Turface(?)
Every time you remove all the soil from roots.by doing this plants remain survive ! But how ?
Some weeds are hard to kill.
Besides not all plants survive. Nigel has admitted he has had his failures and trees have died after hard root pruning. It’s all about knowledge and experience: knowing the resilience of the species, the right time of the year, the health of the particular specimen, and so on.
Pat Pezzi thank you for the great knowledge
It sure got big !
bonsai J ,,, I especially appreciate the Bonsai J screen cutting technique Nigel has adopted 😉. I use it myself now on every repot. Thanks
Any plans on doing root work on juniper or conifers, more generally? I seem to have an incredibly difficult time finding info on this. Your videos are great, by the way, and your method is sensible and calming. Wishing you the best.
I'll try and get more Junipers and other coniferous trees in the future to try and maintain a 50/50 balance between tropical trees and hardy trees.
@@TheBonsaiZone The tropicals are great too and I love seeing you work them, especially some of those wild looking ficus you got. I gifted my wife a ficus that I trained into a bonsai shape. Perhaps someday it'll be worth admiring more like your own.
Anyways, just keep doing your thing- I'll keep watching 😊
Pronounced KAY-POCK. Or silk floss tree to be sure. Ceiba to be botanically correct. Pronounced SAY- BAH
Thank you Juan!
Very nice
You Could even grow some nice Basebalsticks😁😁😁
It does look very silly at the moment, best stick in a pot ever!
Çok iyi 😊
Çok teşekkür ederim, Kapok benim en sevdiğim ağaç, ancak güzel bir bonsai yapmak zor!
Name of the tree plz
I believe it was "Stickven"
Kapok
We have a friend named Connor who also makes everything more difficult.
Those Conner's! Conner actually used a good technique on the tree, Kapok trees don't normally grow a nice radial root system when young, a dominate root seems to take over just like this tree had.
Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone 😁😁😁😁😁
Do another uplate on your kapok trees
All my Kapok trees died in fall. It must have got too cold for them. I did get some of the original trees that I gave away back so I'm continuing to grow those. They are smaller than the ones I had, but I'll keep working on them!
Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone Sorry to hear that kapok trees always like it to be warm year round next time you grow them find a warm place to put them in the winter so they don’t die
I think the top part could have been great for an air layering maybe
I'm going to try the top as a cutting, a very large cutting!
@@TheBonsaiZone That's indeed very large! Good luck :)
*"kapok" / "karpoke"*
I think pronunciation doesn't matter.
Try to make video little short
I'll be releasing a short one today, just for you!
@@TheBonsaiZone thanx
Kapuk/randu
Thanks Ryan!
Third!🤓
🍂🌦️🇩🇰👍
Foist
MeadClinic scoops up a Foist! Congratulations!
Nice foist
24:43
Best stick in a pot ever!
N
we have same temprature,s 23 celcius in the netherlands ,cloudy and windy
the weather zone !
It's gotten very cold today, 2 C overnight and single digits in the long range forecast. The shorts may have to go!