I have noticed that oak tend to be one of the last ones that open here for me. The buds on that look super healthy! I hope it does well after that repot! Nice one Tony!!
yeah same here mate, but the buds on this one have not changed in over three weeks which is quite worrying. Hopefully it will pull through but I'm far from confident
I could be wrong (not everything is easy to see on video) but that soil looked quite wet and compact. You've done all you can now to save it and I really hope it will come through, it not only has great sentimental value for you but it's also a great looking tree. Keeping my fingers crossed for you, Tony and keep us updated🤞
Yes, your eyes did not decieve you. The soild was very compact and wet, so hopefully it will love this new free draining substrate. I'll let you know in a few weeks how it's doing
I have two oaks and here in the north of Italy they opened in early April, it is definitely a bad sign it didn’t open yet and the soil…well it was really bad. I had the same problem with an elm and I have tried the Peter Chan of herons bonsai method, replacing the soil with 100% moss, + bagging and it worked (but it was an elm..). Granular soil should work, I would try some fungicide as well. Long story short, I’m rooting for this nice oak!!
i think you should have made a couple more drainage holes in the pot Tony ..what a cracking bonsai tree hope it makes it i give it a 70% chance of survival now its been freshly potted in much better draining soil .
Your free draining mix is great but if there is nowhere for it to drain out, it kind of becomes moot. i think you may need to put more drainage holes in the pot. It would be a real shame to lose such a nice tree.
A lot of pots very wet from this winter and the trees have suffered a lot oaks this spring are about a month late thanks Tony keep up the good work mate thanks
The knife throwing and shorts should shock the tree into leafing out! Just kidding. What a good job on the tree. However, I would have taken the time to drill at least two more large drainage holes. I invested in some diamond crusted hole bits and have been glad to make old small holes larger and more efficient and add new ones. Pretty handy. I look forward to seeing the tree all leafed out from your good care. Thanks for sharing your hard work and strategy.
yeah, I did seriously contemplate that technique David, but I just had a feeling that getting it into some really nice free-draining soil will do the trick
Cheers Tony! Hopefully the oak will pull through. I’ve a JM that is acting the same way. Nothing to do but repot and wait. Well, we’ve all got to go sometime, I guess. Hopefully, not too soon. For us, or the trees! 😅
Alot of people have lost trees this year due to the excessive heat last year including the bigger names in bonsai, Harry Harrington recently lost some amazing looking trees that just didn't open at all. But he has suggested the black bag trick, completely covering the tree to increase the humidity to help the buds opening as you would with newly collected trees, and may be a shout for you, that's a fantastic looking tree and would be a shame to lose it. I look forward to a happy update soon 😁
@@TonysBonsai myself included but luckily a tree that hadn't had much time and work spent, I would say the old oak will be fine with the buds opening a.d after that repot though 👍
Tony put a block on the side of the pot were there is no hole so the water can drain out nicely to keep the tree from being to wet,and don't feed it at all till the new growth has come out hopefully the tree make a full recovery 😊
Fingers crossed Tony. I was thinking that root rot had killed the tree until you showed the buds coming out so there's hope yet. You've given it a good chance now so we hope to see the tree spring forth in the future. Well done. 👍👍
Hey Tony, I’d love a follow up on this tree in a few months... I have a load of oak sapling I’m gonna bonsai so I’d love to see what can be done with a mature one like this...
@@TonysBonsai I just found your channel as I was drinking coffee before work but at the rate I consume bonsai videos and tree videos I’ll definitely be watching more. Thanks for all your work.
I would imagine that oak didnt like the winter we just had frozen in that sodden soil. You did the right thing. Funny year for oaks though. One of mine is sulking.
Hi Tony a lot of trees are late coming into leaf this year or some branches on the trees are still not leafing while other branches are in full leaf, very odd mate my percentage of the oak is 75 % chance of it making it good I reckon. All the best with Tony for your dad’s sake.
Nicely done. I have had fair luck replacing lousy soil with bonsai soil, of course it's the bonsai soil I made so who knows. I was sad you used the same pot because I was going to ask you to send it to me!
Hi Tony, I really hope your oak pulls through mate. I’ve had exactly the same problem with my specimen oak this year and it’s without doubt my favourite tree of mine, it’s in a quality soil too and was full of health last year, but for some reason which I don’t know it’s just not pushed as yet. There is green too under the bark so… who knows??? I’d be proper gutted if it goes. All the best mate. Steve
It is good that you could repot the lovely tree now but it probably should have been done earlier. I have not seen broken pottery being used in a bonsai pot and that too so big and quite a bit of that as well. The poor soil and these pieces were enough to stop free drainage. The tree would have died very soon if you had not acted. Well done Tony and hope it survives.
Yeah, this tree has always been looked after and trained by my dad, and he has never really known much about bonsai soil, but with a bit of luck this tree is going to pull through
I have a few of my oaks looking exactly the same as that. The buds have started to open but nothing more. Unlike yours they were in pretty free draining soil so I'm not sure if it is the same issue. Fingers crossed for yours Tony and can you let me have the risk matrix table you use to generate your percentage survival rate please :) By the way, my son does knife and axe throwing in Grantham once a week - he loves it!
Excellent. Tell your lad if he ever wants any knife throwing tips I'm here! 🤣 To generate the percentage, you take the square-root of the pot diameter. Multiply it by the age of the tree, and divide that by the number of years you have been doing bonsai.
The knife throwing is impressive, as is your physique and your shorts. I would be scared by those alone! I tend to use the wrist rocket slingshot for anything like that. Very quiet and does not reveal your position :) ps I wish I'd watched this video before I consigned my dead dogwood to the compost pile...
@@TonysBonsai we have two 2 years old grown from acorn my wife gathered ( i remember my great aunt chris telling me not to eat apple pips as you'll get a tree growing out of your head,that was 60 years ago and i still smile thinking of her saying that to me !!)
Neighbours looking out of their windows: “Mum!!! There’s a madman with milk white legs throwing knives around his garden!!!” 😂😂😂 My diagnosis would be dense wet soil, needs swapping for something more free draining, and ensure there is drainage in the pot. Place in a shaded spot and hope for the best. And for the tree… 😂
I heard to put in 100 % pumice is best. Tried that last year with my old oak. But I didn't pull true . Did leaf out in august but it was very weak. And I thought I saved it. But it was dead. Probably some stored energy. No new roots
Hi tony,last time I saw legs like that they had a label tied to the big toe.😊😊
🤣🤣absolutely brilliant!🤣🤣
@@TonysBonsai 👍
😂😂😂 It´s raining all the time in UK. That´s must be why 🤣
Every time I watched you anchor your feet, take the stance, and throw the knife at the fence, all I could think was: "damn, nice nebari!"
🤣🤣What a comment! Love it mate!
I have noticed that oak tend to be one of the last ones that open here for me. The buds on that look super healthy! I hope it does well after that repot! Nice one Tony!!
yeah same here mate, but the buds on this one have not changed in over three weeks which is quite worrying. Hopefully it will pull through but I'm far from confident
Hope it makes it Tony. It would be a shame to lose such a sentimental specimen. Thanks, keep growing
yeah it would be a shame to lose this tree, but what will happen will happen. I've done all I can now.
You did that old boy a huge favor. Thanks for sharing and for the entertainment..!
Thanks Guy, hopefully it starts to leaf out in the next couple of weeks mate
I could be wrong (not everything is easy to see on video) but that soil looked quite wet and compact. You've done all you can now to save it and I really hope it will come through, it not only has great sentimental value for you but it's also a great looking tree. Keeping my fingers crossed for you, Tony and keep us updated🤞
Yes, your eyes did not decieve you. The soild was very compact and wet, so hopefully it will love this new free draining substrate. I'll let you know in a few weeks how it's doing
@@TonysBonsai I really hope for you that you'll have good news in a few weeks 🙏
I have two oaks and here in the north of Italy they opened in early April, it is definitely a bad sign it didn’t open yet and the soil…well it was really bad.
I had the same problem with an elm and I have tried the Peter Chan of herons bonsai method, replacing the soil with 100% moss, + bagging and it worked (but it was an elm..). Granular soil should work, I would try some fungicide as well. Long story short, I’m rooting for this nice oak!!
i think you should have made a couple more drainage holes in the pot Tony ..what a cracking bonsai tree hope it makes it i give it a 70% chance of survival now its been freshly potted in much better draining soil .
ooo I like your optimism. I'll take 70% for sure. I'll update in a few weeks when it hopefully has some leaves
Your free draining mix is great but if there is nowhere for it to drain out, it kind of becomes moot. i think you may need to put more drainage holes in the pot. It would be a real shame to lose such a nice tree.
It has beautiful structure Tony. Hope it springs back. You’ve done everything you can do. Keep us updated.
Thanks Steve. Even only a couple of days later, the tree appears to be responding really well
A lot of pots very wet from this winter and the trees have suffered a lot oaks this spring are about a month late thanks Tony keep up the good work mate thanks
Cheers philip. I have a couple of other oaks that are also late, so with a bit of luck they all start growing in the next week or two
The knife throwing and shorts should shock the tree into leafing out! Just kidding. What a good job on the tree. However, I would have taken the time to drill at least two more large drainage holes. I invested in some diamond crusted hole bits and have been glad to make old small holes larger and more efficient and add new ones. Pretty handy. I look forward to seeing the tree all leafed out from your good care. Thanks for sharing your hard work and strategy.
I like your thinking. The extra reflected light from my legs should have encouraged the tree to photosynthesize!
Think you're right about the waterlogging. I'd have laid a thick bed of sphagnum under the roots, it's amazing stuff for encouraging root revival.
yeah, I did seriously contemplate that technique David, but I just had a feeling that getting it into some really nice free-draining soil will do the trick
@@TonysBonsai It should be OK, oaks are well hard.
Great video. Hope the oak makes it! Interesting your mix being different and more accessible than others.
Cheers Tony! Hopefully the oak will pull through. I’ve a JM that is acting the same way. Nothing to do but repot and wait. Well, we’ve all got to go sometime, I guess. Hopefully, not too soon. For us, or the trees! 😅
I'm with you there Steve. I want to see my clump style projects fuse before I shuffle off this mortal coil!
Wow Tony, your socks blend into your ankles. Just poking fun. hope the tree makes it, it would be a shame to lose such an old tree
🤣🤣I keep them white to put off my opponents with the glare when I play tennis matches!
@@TonysBonsai I love to see it, Tony. Keep us updated
Looking forward to updated video on this great tree.
Beautiful oak, good luck Tony!
Thank you, It's doing really well which is great news
Nice work Tony, it has a good chance now!!
Thanks Nigel. It's at least got a chance now, so it's all about waiting with my fingers crossed.
Alot of people have lost trees this year due to the excessive heat last year including the bigger names in bonsai, Harry Harrington recently lost some amazing looking trees that just didn't open at all. But he has suggested the black bag trick, completely covering the tree to increase the humidity to help the buds opening as you would with newly collected trees, and may be a shout for you, that's a fantastic looking tree and would be a shame to lose it. I look forward to a happy update soon 😁
As you saay, it's been a really challenging time with lots of people losing trees
@@TonysBonsai myself included but luckily a tree that hadn't had much time and work spent, I would say the old oak will be fine with the buds opening a.d after that repot though 👍
Tony put a block on the side of the pot were there is no hole so the water can drain out nicely to keep the tree from being to wet,and don't feed it at all till the new growth has come out hopefully the tree make a full recovery 😊
Great minds think alike! We put it on a slanting log, so the water is draining out nicely
that pot is beautiful.
Fingers crossed Tony. I was thinking that root rot had killed the tree until you showed the buds coming out so there's hope yet. You've given it a good chance now so we hope to see the tree spring forth in the future. Well done. 👍👍
Cheers Guy. Yeah I think that it at least has a chance now. Just need to get lucky
Hey Tony, I’d love a follow up on this tree in a few months... I have a load of oak sapling I’m gonna bonsai so I’d love to see what can be done with a mature one like this...
Will do Brian. I've got loads of other oaks that are in development from sapplings that I'll be working on too
@@TonysBonsai I just found your channel as I was drinking coffee before work but at the rate I consume bonsai videos and tree videos I’ll definitely be watching more. Thanks for all your work.
It's my pleasure Brian, I'm glad you enjoyed it I love creating videos, and I tend to put quite a few out
Tony on second look at the video do you think planting it in the ground might be best?
No, I don;t theink tht would have worked. Better to get it into a nice free draining soil and then controlling the watering I think
I would imagine that oak didnt like the winter we just had frozen in that sodden soil. You did the right thing. Funny year for oaks though. One of mine is sulking.
Yeah, they defeinitely seem to be sulking after the cold weather, but I still have hope for this tree
I have enough faith in your bonsai skills and that there was no rot smell that I'd bet your tree has an 92% chance at living.
That's a high percentage Alan, but I'll take it! I went round thie morning and the buds appear to be greening up even after only a couple of days
Hows the oak looking now Tony, any signs of it bouncing back
Very good signs Rayond. I'll be updating next week
This oak is certainly taking us on a journey. Hope this is the fix it needed
Hi Tony a lot of trees are late coming into leaf this year or some branches on the trees are still not leafing while other branches are in full leaf, very odd mate my percentage of the oak is 75 % chance of it making it good I reckon. All the best with Tony for your dad’s sake.
My percentage is lower, but my dad is one of those really lucky people, so you are probably right Joe
Nicely done. I have had fair luck replacing lousy soil with bonsai soil, of course it's the bonsai soil I made so who knows. I was sad you used the same pot because I was going to ask you to send it to me!
Yeah it's a big substantial pot, and at least if the oak dies, I've got a nice pot 🤣
Hi Tony, I really hope your oak pulls through mate.
I’ve had exactly the same problem with my specimen oak this year and it’s without doubt my favourite tree of mine, it’s in a quality soil too and was full of health last year, but for some reason which I don’t know it’s just not pushed as yet.
There is green too under the bark so… who knows???
I’d be proper gutted if it goes.
All the best mate.
Steve
yeah it's been such a weird year for trees Steven. I personally think it was that very cold spell we had. I hope your oak makes it!
🤞 hopefully the repot will wake it up, keep us updated 😁
Will do. I think I'll know within a few weeks
I’ve got hope for this oak!! Thanks to you!!
Thanks Sarah. I checked it out this morning, and it seems to be responding well to the re-pot which id great news
Wishing you the best! Hope the oak makes it!
Thanks George I hope it does pull through
I came for the bonsai, I stayed for the knife-throwing 😂
🤣🤣World class technique mate!
Have you considered black bagging the tree to get it warm and humid to invigorate root growth?
I did consider it, but I think this tree should be happy in the shade with a bit of luck
innit lovely when all the old pot bits are removed and your tree is half the weight it was?
You're right there. It weighed around half afterwards
Hopefully it pulls through Tony, fingers crossed 🤞.
Did you consider adding some spagnum moss around the roots?
Hi Neil. I did consider that yes, but I decided to go with my my instinct that the tree will like this new soil
That pot looks like an old wood kiln saggar. What’s the story on it?
No idea Mark. My dad picked it up for a song at some garden center
It is good that you could repot the lovely tree now but it probably should have been done earlier. I have not seen broken pottery being used in a bonsai pot and that too so big and quite a bit of that as well. The poor soil and these pieces were enough to stop free drainage. The tree would have died very soon if you had not acted. Well done Tony and hope it survives.
Yeah, this tree has always been looked after and trained by my dad, and he has never really known much about bonsai soil, but with a bit of luck this tree is going to pull through
black bag trick tony.. i had an elm the same but its starting to bud out now
I have a few of my oaks looking exactly the same as that. The buds have started to open but nothing more. Unlike yours they were in pretty free draining soil so I'm not sure if it is the same issue. Fingers crossed for yours Tony and can you let me have the risk matrix table you use to generate your percentage survival rate please :) By the way, my son does knife and axe throwing in Grantham once a week - he loves it!
cold spring.
Excellent. Tell your lad if he ever wants any knife throwing tips I'm here! 🤣
To generate the percentage, you take the square-root of the pot diameter. Multiply it by the age of the tree, and divide that by the number of years you have been doing bonsai.
@@TonysBonsai Is that 'real bonsai' or 'pretend bonsai' years :)
In my house if you want to hide something permanently just put it on the bottom of a pot where I plant
Sounds ominous Tim! 🤣
I would have drilled 3 more holes for adequate drainage since you only have one drainage hole on the side.
Yes. That would be a smart thing to do. Or if the pot is sentimental, I would pot it to some other pot.
it seemed to be draining ok, so I think it will do alright, but I may consider it in the future thanks
@@TonysBonsai I really hope this tree makes it. 40 years is a lot of years. Keep us updated please.
The knife throwing is impressive, as is your physique and your shorts. I would be scared by those alone! I tend to use the wrist rocket slingshot for anything like that. Very quiet and does not reveal your position :) ps I wish I'd watched this video before I consigned my dead dogwood to the compost pile...
My white pins would scare anyone, especially at night because they glow in the dark! Shame about your dogwood, but we live and learn
Hope you get it sorted 🤞💪
Cheers mate
We need a follow up on this.
Will do. I'll wait 3 or 4 weeks. I should have a decent idea by then
Have you ever pruned the roots on it?
Did it leaf out nicely? Nice video
Maybe instead of planting the tree back into the pot, it would be better to plant it in the ground ?
In my experience this technique isn;t good for re-invigorating a poorly tree, but it could be an option next year
How often is a tree this old repotted??
Fingers crossed: it´s a nice tree.
Grts
Kennet
Cheer mate. It would be a real shame to lose such a lovely tree
Fingers crossed it goes well
Thanks Raymond
So you're as good of a knife thrower as you are a drummer😂
I'm the Ginger Baker of knife throwing mate! 🤣
Fingers crossed it pulls through and leafs up....
Cheers mate, I hope so!
Hope it does okay for you Tony
If not it’ll make a good Tanuki 👍👍
🤣Oak tanuki, I like your thinking dude
@@TonysBonsai it’s a hardwood so will last a while dude, as long as you treat it. Got a good shape. Worth thinking about 👍
Thank you bạn 👍❤️👍
Put it in a clear plastic bag. It will push growth in a week or two
I did consider that, but in this heat I think it would be dodgy without enough attention
@@TonysBonsai early morning sun. Then shade for the rest of day should do it. I managed to save an almost dead picea in one week The buds popped
Good luck with your Dads oak.
Thnks Dorrit. Fingers crossed now!
I bet the chap who made the comment about Tony’s legs 🦵 is sorry now 😢
Good luck !!
Thanks Nerina
Good luck tony
Thanks Mark
did your dad grow from an acorn (the tree i mean lol)
🤣🤣Brilliant!
I'm not sure, but I think He grew it from a small seedling
@@TonysBonsai we have two 2 years old grown from acorn my wife gathered ( i remember my great aunt chris telling me not to eat apple pips as you'll get a tree growing out of your head,that was 60 years ago and i still smile thinking of her saying that to me !!)
Neighbours looking out of their windows: “Mum!!! There’s a madman with milk white legs throwing knives around his garden!!!” 😂😂😂
My diagnosis would be dense wet soil, needs swapping for something more free draining, and ensure there is drainage in the pot. Place in a shaded spot and hope for the best.
And for the tree… 😂
Bahaha
I don't think putting Tony's legs in free draining soil is gonna help 😂😂😂
🤣🤣The police were called and I've now got an asbo!🤣🤣
@@andrewclack4881 Maybe an air layer?
@@TonysBonsai 😂😂😂
maby it have spider mites? i see a lot off web's around. i am just saying this becuse 90% off my tree's die usely off pest's.
h yes, they did look like spiders web, but they are actually seeds that float in the air at this time of year and get everywhere
@@TonysBonsai ohh i never seen somwthing like that so i don't know. i hope it makes it!
Oh no!
root rott,watering with fungicide
Interesting idea. I might try that thanks
Godluck. Hope it pulls true
Cheers mate. I hop it does
I heard to put in 100 % pumice is best. Tried that last year with my old oak. But I didn't pull true . Did leaf out in august but it was very weak. And I thought I saved it. But it was dead. Probably some stored energy. No new roots
Yeah, you can never tell the health based on a few fresh shoots. As you say they csn be stored energy. I hope my tree has some stored!
👍👌👌
Finger crossed !
Thanks Anikum
Gently teasing roots: Are those your roots, or are you sitting on a chicken?
Just throw rocks. 😂 You’ve got plenty
🤣It would be a lot safer too!
😂 at knife throwing. You need to adjust distance if knife over or order rotating. 😉 we throw knives for fun (knife throwing style not real).
Put it in a plastic bag to get it leave.
Yeah, I might do that, cheers
Gro tree gro 🙏
Thank you. I Hope it does!
well at least you would have beaten him to death!
🤣Blunt force trauma!🤣