This is so helpful to us just starting out. Much more helpful than the videos of people turning junipers into pretzels. You provide many things to think on. Thanks for your time and videos!
Clip and grow is a technique that I have got from watching your videos. I started Bonsai just over a year ago and I was going to wire everything. I now really enjoy watching my 20 plus trees just grow freely. Watching the changes everyday. Patience is a virtue I did not have, but now from getting into this beautiful world of bonsai I find I have patience now.
I absolutely LOVE this video. Very thoughtful. It made me think about my life and about my health. Yesterday I turned 72. You can imagine the first several things that came to my mind while watching you talk about the time it takes to create a clip and grow bonsai. I have over 100 trees and I think I'll keep wiring most of them because I love to wire. I will dedicate several to the clip and grow technique. I will insert instructions for their care along with a link to your video in my Last Will and Testament so my progeny will appreciate the gift bestowed on them.
Hello Jim, happy birthday! Sounds like a plan, your collection is a fantastic and some lucky people will inherit your trees far, far in the future I hope! I was checking out your channel, lots of new videos, I see I have some catching up to do!
I do use wire to position branches and also for refinement work. This video is just to get you thinking of using other techniques and that wire is not the only one!
This is one of your best uploads in my opinion. I've watched them all. It gives great insight into your inspirations. Love your approach, and technique..especially the attention to a flowing root system early in the design. This is what I practice. I'm happy to say that I'm a student of yours. Thanks Nigel. Highest Regards!!
Love your approach to Bonsai, probably because it reflects my own. I also love your unconventional techniques and approaches to growing trees. I can see your love of trees as it shows in your plants. This particular episode was enjoyable because it got into philosophy and explained your purpose in growing these Bonsai. Thank you for all you do!
"Clip & Grow". My philosophy. My style. Thank you Nigel for this super video & words of wisdom. I hope many other people follow in your footsteps. I definitely do.
Yeah, I'm brand new to bonsai, but have had the same intuitive feelings about wiring. What appeals to me is watching and waiting and maybe passing it down to my boys. Thanks for all your great vids. They're really meaningful to me.
Here is a really good website with lots of trees grown in the southern Lingnan style..... www.happybonsai.com/bonsai-exhibition-in-hong-kong-flower-show-2011/ I'm glad you enjoy the videos, they are fun to make!
great video! When I started into bonsai last year I was all about wiring but I soon realized how unnatural it felt. I love the wild look of freely growing trees. Clip and grow will be how I develop my trees! keep up the great work!
Love this video, Nigel!!! It didn't occur to me until you mentioned it in this video that you don't really use wire! I've always loved your trees and am inspired to see that you don't use wire to give a tree it's shape and yet they come out amazing! Love it!
I really appreciate your thoughts on this matter Nigel, thank you. I've learned a lot from your videos as I am just getting started with growing and taking care of my bonsai trees/plants.
Thank you for a different, and very inspiring video! I like your philosophy and will aim to follow it myself. I'm bored to death by all those perfectly styled junipers and japanese pines I see all the time... I currently have over 100 seedlings of different species, planted from seed last year, that I will be using clip and grow on for the next 20-30 years. So, when I reach retirement age I'll have plenty of good bonsai trees to refine 😊
I agree completely with your clip and grow way of growing a tree.. It just feels like working WITH nature instead of trying to make nature work for you..
I love this as this is the approach i have to the trees i'm attempting to grow. Always enjoy your uploads thank you i'm just sorry it took me so long to find this one
Very inspiring, it is amazing I have not found this particular video until today. I share your thought about wiring in general. My impression is that wiring are more connected to coniferous trees than decidious. They are kind of the vision most have about traditional heavily styled bonsai. Lingnan for the win! lol😁 .
Thanks, Nigel! When I've just starting bonsay growing - I had to read many books to get information from this video. But I'd better watch this video :) Sorry for my english
Thank you for passing all this knowledge along to us! Clip and grow is the technique I'm going to try and replicate for my first bonsai. After a long winter, I should finally be receiving my ficus pre-bonsai in the next week or so! I'm excited to get started, but the wait has taught me to be patient. I'll try and keep that up once I pot my tree!
Awesome Nigel!! I agree with you very much. Some of the most famous bonsai have been wired and shaped to something very specific... and yes, those bonsai are beautiful but I just think it becomes boring when they are all like that. I think when a tree is allowed to grow to what it wants, it makes it more natural and interesting. -Thanks for the video!
Hi Nigel I'm a New follower and a new bonsai grower, really liked when you said each tree has there way to grow and can be recognized even without leafs
This is my first time in your blog and I like the way you train a bonsai I like the way that you never use a wire to reposition the branches or to make a form I like the way that you let them grow in a natural way but still you clip and grow thanks for the tips.
Fantastic video as always and I totally agree with you that the beauty of bonsai is not created by mechanical tools or wire but by patient work through years. Regards
Thanks Nigel. This is a great video. I like how you never say 'that's how you must do it', but always say 'this is how I do it'. You bonsai trees are beauties and are outstanding. No question about it. You are a real bonsai artist. This truly is an art. This got me thinking, and I remembered an episode of the Top Gear (if you know the show). In the episode they were looking for the best car in the world if I remember correctly. But they concluded the episode whit a line something like - the most important thing with a car is "that you have fun with it". You are showing the ways of the true art of bonsais, something that is an art and will be eventually kept good looking by other people and admired by many. At some point the art of bonsai should differentiate between professionals (like yourself), who build real cars and the hobbyists who are gluing together models of cars and also enjioy doing it. I'm not sure if this makes sense. I love your work, it got me inspired many times and it became a real hobby for me. But I'm not on the professional side of the spectrum. :) Keep up the good work!
Thanks, I'm a big Top Gear fan (the old top gear)! Bonsai is also a hobby for me, the professionals are in a different league. I just try and learn something new each day and enjoy the trees no matter what they look like or what stage they are in.
Wire is just another tool for the artist.....but for some it seems to be the only tool and I think people need to learn the basics of clip and grow to discover when you really need to use wire on a tree.
Thanks, Nigel. I have a 9-year-old ficus that's less than 18" high, grown in a pot from cuttings. I trim the branches and roots every year and repot. I like the way it looks, but I have not been following any discipline. Thanks to you, I am going to be more deliberate in my approach. I like the Lingan style, it seems to suit me.
Good morning Nigel, once again an excellent video. As I have developed my attitude about bonsai, I have coined the phrase Woodland style for the way I like to see the trees grow. Like you very natural, hoping it will look like it would in nature, but confined to a pot, once again, thanks Jack
thank you so much sir Nigel for the insights. i have some plants that i wired and some that i just let it grow as natural as it is but also trimming it all the way to give it a good look. i didnt know that i was doing the clip and grow and i think its not so punishing to the plant. thanks again for the lessons have a nice day out there!!
Thank you, I do like the naturalistic style that developed from clip and grow. You get branches where the tree wants to place them and it develops into a tree with a lot of visual interest. Nothing predictable!
Nice video Nigel i use both technics wiring and clip and grow, usely the first time i wire mij trees to become a sort of ground form after that i use clip and grow and it works wel!
Hi...first thing is I want to tell you, thanks to share *This* video.....your teaching method is really appreciated..I m trying to make my bonzai plant without wiring..nd I can say..yes without wiring tree has a natural look....sorry for my poor English..🙏
Thanks for this video! I'm new to bonsai (been trying for past 6 years) even though liked this art since I was a little girl. My mum has couple of trees which she never wired/pruned,they got pruned naturally.But With age(20-30 yrs)and for the size and shape of pots they look like they were trained to achieve that look.
what a fantastic video I'm like you Nigel sometimes I wonder am i doing the right thing because there's nothing to do i only got about 25 plants and I'll probably touch them once a season but I love growing them and see them mature in beautiful trees thank you so much for the video
Seeing your video, I thought there are many trees that I did not know, because some trees are not in Japan. Thank you for sharing. Thank you very much.
There are a lot of videos now! I will be making some progress videos showing the changes to the trees over the last 5 years, sort of a quick summary of what was down and also the results.
@@TheBonsaiZone thank you Nigel for replying to my comments.i really enjoy your videos and watching them makes me more enthusiastic ,thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience and I am looking forward to the many more videos to come ...
Good video!. I learn so much whit you, thanks Nigel. When people ask me where I have learned the art of bonsai I answer always the same thing, to the Nigel Sander bonsaï Academy ;)
I have no worries lol, Your approach has helped me, especially as we share the same climate and the same country. (Sorry for my written English, I am from Quebec, I understand English very well but I do not write it very well)
The book in the video from the Montreal Botanical gardens was published in 1985! I wonder how many of the trees are still alive and if they are, what do they look like? I'm going to have to go on a road trip and see for myself, I think David Easterbrook is still their caretaker.
simply the best ! ! ! I have to say i like your vids a lot, and was suprised on the fast cuts you made this time. This is just a grrr8 video, Thanks a lot, so informing. And I`ve got to say inspiring 2 because this was one of the most inspiring video i`ve seen a long time. Greetings from Switzerland, keep the good work up !!!:)
great video I live in Australia have been doing bonsai for 20 years now my main method is cut and grow for that natural look I grow a lot of Eucalyptus trees iron bark,blue gum etc.
Just start your own bonsai academy n published book too..... :-) ..... Really enjoy ur all videos , much detail n clear explanation , I feel like I'm in some bonsai class when watch your videos ..Great work
Thank you Virginia, there is good wiring and there is bad wiring, just as there is good clip and grown and bad clip and grow! I guess the point should have been, good technique will produce a good tree!
Great video Nigel! I didn't know about ling-nang and the history of this method. A great art, as diverse a history as my favourite martial art Aikido. Bonsai is certainly a thinking man's art in comparison to some other botanical pursuits. Just like Aiki compared to some other martial arts. I wish you good budo.
@@TheBonsaiZone I see now what you mean by the movement in trees! Every cut is like another year, so when a tree is really tall and has good movement, you can see the time and effort that went in to making it, rather than just wiring it to get movement.
I was able to sit in on a Penjing seminar in Hong Kong. I was surprised not to see any wiring in any of the exhibition pieces. But they are big on defoliating plants during pruning, but they don't really have deciduous plants down in HK. Different schools too, the Penjing seminars get the crowd involved in pruning the specimen tree, but a bonsai seminar you watch the master work.
Interesting, I think defoliation is important for the evergreen tropical's, you just have to see the structure before pruning to get a nice flow to the branch structure. It's good to hear that the people watching get to participate. They probably get a good explanation of what they are doing and why also!
Thanks to you. I mean I think not to wire the trees and a really old technique because the Chinese did not have those techniques and is very respectable and wiring the trees are more modern techniques also i prefer first one but i use wire some time and i prefer to get my bonsai from seeds too Where is the work if we only buy large trees ready to be bonsai where the work and the patience of bonsai
Hi, Nigel. I have begun the practice of "clip and grow" and have been enjoying the more naturalistic look and "feel" of my trees. So, thank you very much for introducing this method to me and opening my view. Would Japanese black pines take well to this method? I would think so but since all of then black pine instructions on trunk development that I've run into all involve the use of wires, I thought I would ask first. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to all of my questions!
Great video! I personally wire only about a third of my bonsai trees. The others I shape through pruning striving to keep the most natural look I can achieve. I know my bonsai masters would say to wire all my trees but I took up this hobby to make something that is pleasing to me, not to others. I may not follow the guidelines or teachings of bonsai exactly but the results I achieve are what matter to me, the enthusiast.
Wiring trees is fine, but I don't like when a tree is wired out of it's natural form into something that looks more like a "bonsai" than the tree it is. Bonsai is about creating a tree that appeals to you, and not what style is in fashion this year. Thank you for your comment!
Another good video from you Sir. Would love to know more about your Moringa trees too. Do you have any video on making the temple you used for your Kapok trees. Thanks once again for a thought provoking video.
I was hoping to work on the temple over the holidays, but my plant room is now too full to work on it inside. I'll have to wait until spring and assemble it outside. The Moringa trees are now about 15 cm tall and are growing well. An update will be coming!
Nigel I'll be waiting for your updates. I had always wondered about what style I should give to my trees and this video is of great help. As you said bonsais should be miniature forms of the trees as they grow in nature. That looks more real and interesting. Your videos are so detailed that it really helps viewers understand what you are trying to achieve with your trees and that gives immense informations and ideas to novices like me. I really appreciate your work and commitment. Thanks a lot.
I DID know that there must have been something different, before coming into bonsai; I never liked wiring. Lol. Happy if i can l put this in practice soon. Greetings from Argentina!
While i have nothing against wiring, I do agree with the sentiment of trees looking natural. I went to a bonsai nursey and none of the specimens looked like natural trees. I didn't like any, even the 200 year old hornbeam because it had a corkscrew(!) trunk. Too many are established trees that have been hail-mary-chopped and repotted with a slant on the trunk. To me, none of that captures the beauty of nature! Anyway, you have inspired me to have a fresh closer look at the wild shape of the tree species i have. Keep up the good work.
Best way too grow i dont like the wires also indeed un natural looking aldo sometimes real handy in bonsai i use it maybe 1% wirering aldo in my garden its great in maiking trees or bushes grow fast and ocupie the space i want the trees and Bush too cover i like too make all my greens do as i see fit like im the creator and bonsai takes all my knowlige of plants and all the materie as lichting feeding pruning cloning or what ever knowlige u have bonsai takes it too the core and really make me appreciatie all the knowlige i got and u just helping me and undestand it all easely as i know alot of the knowlige as growinh but i lack the experiance and you putting in lay mans terms in a helpfull video really completes my train idd thought in top actions and my tree and other projects look great thanks top you
Thank you Jeffrey, wire will always be a good tool to use on bonsai trees, but it is not the only tool in the box! Many people rely on wiring as the only tool for shaping trees and they are forgoing all the other important techniques!
2:30 is that a christmas cactus? 😮 I have a very old one thats got some interesting corking. I've always thought theyd make interesting bonsai. That ome looks very plump green and healthy too. Ive met many people eho strufgle with them. They need light but not too much. Too much they go purple. Nice to see one looking very green ❤
My tipu tree hasn't had its leaves fall for winter, do some trees not she'd leaves for winter besides evergreens? it's a year old from seed (first winter). thanks for the videos, big fan.
I have recrently started into the rabbit hole that is bonsai and I think I'll be going with clip and grow to see how I get on. I've always felt that most of the wiring jobs you see are over done and sometimes unnatural where as clip and grow should provide more natural results. That said, sometimes I think wire is still needed for particularly stubborn areas
As usual your video is encouraging for me and the rest of your viewers. Always look forward to your display. Though this is Stan's Gmail I use it instead because the you-tube goes to a default app.
I have a bonsai I’ve grown from seed that’s about 6-7 months old. It’s doing great and the trunk is almost the width of a pencil. Should I trim the branches to keep it small, or wait until it’s bigger before I start trimming??
Torture is enjoyed by some sick culture. I have trouble getting to remove wires and I've been leaving them in my ficus trees and they end up getting devoured by the barks and disappear it's amazing.
Thank you for this video. I thought I was the only one who disliked wiring. I’m new to the hobby and I’ve been watching videos about all sorts of things but wiring never felt.. right. I imagine it like forcing a teenage girl into a corset everyday to try to give her the hourglass figure. Glad to know it isn’t essential!
I recently went on a trip and came home to my sticky elm tree did not get enough water at all (we had a nabour coming to water ). Right now there is one spot of green growth and the rest of the leaves are dead. Not sure how to save it
Hi Nigel, thats a thought provoking question you asked about trees in the beginning. I felt the first tree looked like a bonsai tree due to branches pointing down/sideways. The others had them going up and hence didnt look bonsai-ish. The gnarly trunk of the first one vs the straight ones of the rest suggests an age difference visually. With my pomegranate cuttings, I was doing "clip n clip" till i saw one of your videos a few months ago. That was a polite slap for me :-) I agree with the silhoutte concept too. I hate wiring but like the faster results. I love clip n grow but hate its slow speed. Each of us has to find a balance I guess. Nice topic !
Thanks Vinny, I think it's good to discuss bonsai concepts and techniques, even though it usually ends up in a heated debate! I'm always reminder of the fellow in another club who uses no tools, just his bare hands to prune and shape his trees! I always imagine him biting through a thick branch with his teeth. In the end it's all about enjoying the hobby, however you do it!
Ling Nang means south of the five mountain rages in southern China in Guangdong. I question if this style is more suitable for Southern and tropical trees or it can be applied to northern trees with equal success.
My Austrian pine was developed using clip and grow and then wired for the first time, a couple of years ago. I think it can be applied to any tree. I wouldn't say my pine is all that good, but it's not the worst either! Clip and grow can be used on all trees with great success, but the younger the tree is that you start with, the better the results.
This is so helpful to us just starting out. Much more helpful than the videos of people turning junipers into pretzels. You provide many things to think on. Thanks for your time and videos!
Thanks, I have lots of fun making videos!
Clip and grow is a technique that I have got from watching your videos. I started Bonsai just over a year ago and I was going to wire everything. I now really enjoy watching my 20 plus trees just grow freely. Watching the changes everyday. Patience is a virtue I did not have, but now from getting into this beautiful world of bonsai I find I have patience now.
Great to hear and I agree, the daily changes can be amazing if you stop and take the time to see them!
I absolutely LOVE this video. Very thoughtful. It made me think about my life and about my health. Yesterday I turned 72. You can imagine the first several things that came to my mind while watching you talk about the time it takes to create a clip and grow bonsai. I have over 100 trees and I think I'll keep wiring most of them because I love to wire. I will dedicate several to the clip and grow technique. I will insert instructions for their care along with a link to your video in my Last Will and Testament so my progeny will appreciate the gift bestowed on them.
Hello Jim, happy birthday! Sounds like a plan, your collection is a fantastic and some lucky people will inherit your trees far, far in the future I hope! I was checking out your channel, lots of new videos, I see I have some catching up to do!
Am a avid follower of your videos and now I’m using clip and grow influenced by you sir
One of my “favorite” video of yours. Thank you for taking the wire out of the equation.
I do use wire to position branches and also for refinement work. This video is just to get you thinking of using other techniques and that wire is not the only one!
This is one of your best uploads in my opinion. I've watched them all. It gives great insight into your inspirations. Love your approach, and technique..especially the attention to a flowing root system early in the design. This is what I practice. I'm happy to say that I'm a student of yours. Thanks Nigel. Highest Regards!!
Thank you Zuri, it's good to hear, it all begins with the roots!
Love your approach to Bonsai, probably because it reflects my own. I also love your unconventional techniques and approaches to growing trees. I can see your love of trees as it shows in your plants. This particular episode was enjoyable because it got into philosophy and explained your purpose in growing these Bonsai. Thank you for all you do!
I love your views on wiring trees for shape and into pots. Makes complete sense! Cheers Nigel, hope you and your family are doing well!
Thanks David, all systems are go for 2017!
If I could I would give a 2+ thumbs up 👍👍👍. love every new video of yours. 😁
Thanks I'll give your comment a thumbs up!
"Clip & Grow".
My philosophy. My style. Thank you Nigel for this super video & words of wisdom. I hope many other people follow in your footsteps. I definitely do.
Thanks Tony!
Yeah, I'm brand new to bonsai, but have had the same intuitive feelings about wiring. What appeals to me is watching and waiting and maybe passing it down to my boys. Thanks for all your great vids. They're really meaningful to me.
Here is a really good website with lots of trees grown in the southern Lingnan style.....
www.happybonsai.com/bonsai-exhibition-in-hong-kong-flower-show-2011/
I'm glad you enjoy the videos, they are fun to make!
great video! When I started into bonsai last year I was all about wiring but I soon realized how unnatural it felt. I love the wild look of freely growing trees. Clip and grow will be how I develop my trees! keep up the great work!
Good luck with them Geoff!
Love this video, Nigel!!! It didn't occur to me until you mentioned it in this video that you don't really use wire! I've always loved your trees and am inspired to see that you don't use wire to give a tree it's shape and yet they come out amazing! Love it!
I do use wire to re position branches, but I try and do most of the tree development with clip and grow.
Oh i see. Well either way, nice work!!!
Absolutely enjoy your approach in helping and informing a "layman bonsaier" like myself. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Thanks Fanie!
I really appreciate your thoughts on this matter Nigel, thank you. I've learned a lot from your videos as I am just getting started with growing and taking care of my bonsai trees/plants.
Your welcome and very nice to hear!
Thank you for a different, and very inspiring video! I like your philosophy and will aim to follow it myself. I'm bored to death by all those perfectly styled junipers and japanese pines I see all the time... I currently have over 100 seedlings of different species, planted from seed last year, that I will be using clip and grow on for the next 20-30 years. So, when I reach retirement age I'll have plenty of good bonsai trees to refine 😊
That's the spirit, now that's proper retirement planning!
To a beginner like me this technique of growing bonsai sounds great.l think I will try this way.thanks again for a great vid.
Thank you, wire does have it's place and I use it when I need to.
You are an inspiration to many of us Nigel :) Thank you.
Thanks Serhan!
I agree completely with your clip and grow way of growing a tree.. It just feels like working WITH nature instead of trying to make nature work for you..
Thanks, that's the way I feel also.
I love this as this is the approach i have to the trees i'm attempting to grow. Always enjoy your uploads thank you i'm just sorry it took me so long to find this one
Fascinating history of "Clip and Grow"...Thanks for sharing this information...
Very inspiring, it is amazing I have not found this particular video until today.
I share your thought about wiring in general.
My impression is that wiring are more connected to coniferous trees than decidious. They are kind of the vision most have about traditional heavily styled bonsai.
Lingnan for the win! lol😁 .
Thanks, Nigel! When I've just starting bonsay growing - I had to read many books to get information from this video. But I'd better watch this video :) Sorry for my english
Thank you Snake!
Thank you for passing all this knowledge along to us! Clip and grow is the technique I'm going to try and replicate for my first bonsai. After a long winter, I should finally be receiving my ficus pre-bonsai in the next week or so! I'm excited to get started, but the wait has taught me to be patient. I'll try and keep that up once I pot my tree!
Awesome Nigel!! I agree with you very much. Some of the most famous bonsai have been wired and shaped to something very specific... and yes, those bonsai are beautiful but I just think it becomes boring when they are all like that. I think when a tree is allowed to grow to what it wants, it makes it more natural and interesting.
-Thanks for the video!
Thanks Elliot, all things have their beauty!
I'm about to start my very first bonsai project and I find your videos very helpful. Thank you so much for share all your knowledge.
You are very welcome Cesar.
Hi Nigel I'm a New follower and a new bonsai grower, really liked when you said each tree has there way to grow and can be recognized even without leafs
Thanks Hakman!
This is my first time in your blog and I like the way you train a bonsai I like the way that you never use a wire to reposition the branches or to make a form I like the way that you let them grow in a natural way but still you clip and grow thanks for the tips.
Thanks and welcome Nylduje!
Fantastic video as always and I totally agree with you that the beauty of bonsai is not created by mechanical tools or wire but by patient work through years.
Regards
Thanks Danuta!
Just getting into bonsai. This video opened my mind. Thanks.
Thank you, it's just something to think about. I do use wire on my trees, just not very often and it is not my only tool for shaping a tree.
thats why this man said that "have a different varieties of trees"
love this video Thanks Idol
Thank you!
from now on i should stop using wires hihi Wires just cost too much but patience are free thanks alot make more videos
Thanks Nigel. This is a great video. I like how you never say 'that's how you must do it', but always say 'this is how I do it'. You bonsai trees are beauties and are outstanding. No question about it. You are a real bonsai artist. This truly is an art.
This got me thinking, and I remembered an episode of the Top Gear (if you know the show). In the episode they were looking for the best car in the world if I remember correctly. But they concluded the episode whit a line something like - the most important thing with a car is "that you have fun with it".
You are showing the ways of the true art of bonsais, something that is an art and will be eventually kept good looking by other people and admired by many.
At some point the art of bonsai should differentiate between professionals (like yourself), who build real cars and the hobbyists who are gluing together models of cars and also enjioy doing it.
I'm not sure if this makes sense. I love your work, it got me inspired many times and it became a real hobby for me. But I'm not on the professional side of the spectrum.
:) Keep up the good work!
Thanks, I'm a big Top Gear fan (the old top gear)! Bonsai is also a hobby for me, the professionals are in a different league. I just try and learn something new each day and enjoy the trees no matter what they look like or what stage they are in.
Nigel Saunders This is a great reply. I hope you know I did not mean any disrespect. I am a huge Nigel Saunders fan. :)
2:56 That is such an amazing forest, VERY atmospheric design!
I love this point of view. Thanks, Nigel!!
Dude,u r a bonsai master,ı watch all your videos,inspiring
Great video. Nice to hear about how you got into bonsai, and about your own philosophy in relationship to a broader discourse on bonsai. Thank you!
Thank you Sam!
once again I've learned something new. Clip and grow. Thanks Nigel.
Thank you James!
I enjoy your videos! Wire or no wire, bonsai can be beautiful. Wire is just another tool for the artist.
Wire is just another tool for the artist.....but for some it seems to be the only tool and I think people need to learn the basics of clip and grow to discover when you really need to use wire on a tree.
Thanks, Nigel. I have a 9-year-old ficus that's less than 18" high, grown in a pot from cuttings. I trim the branches and roots every year and repot. I like the way it looks, but I have not been following any discipline. Thanks to you, I am going to be more deliberate in my approach. I like the Lingan style, it seems to suit me.
Sounds good David, have fun!
Good morning Nigel, once again an excellent video. As I have developed my attitude about bonsai, I have coined the phrase Woodland style for the way I like to see the trees grow. Like you very natural, hoping it will look like it would in nature, but confined to a pot, once again, thanks Jack
I like that term "woodland" style, sort of the english version of penjing!
I bought all 4 books immediately after watching this video last night!
You'll enjoy them, thanks again for the Ficus pictures you sent!
Hi Nigel. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful video.
Thanks Anita!
thank you so much sir Nigel for the insights. i have some plants that i wired and some that i just let it grow as natural as it is but also trimming it all the way to give it a good look. i didnt know that i was doing the clip and grow and i think its not so punishing to the plant. thanks again for the lessons
have a nice day out there!!
Thanks and have a good day also!
I want to grow trees as good as you Nigel I think your way is the best way ..
Thank you, I do like the naturalistic style that developed from clip and grow. You get branches where the tree wants to place them and it develops into a tree with a lot of visual interest. Nothing predictable!
Nice video Nigel i use both technics wiring and clip and grow, usely the first time i wire mij trees to become a sort of ground form after that i use clip and grow and it works wel!
Sounds good, I think a combination of both techniques is best!
Hi...first thing is I want to tell you, thanks to share *This* video.....your teaching method is really appreciated..I m trying to make my bonzai plant without wiring..nd I can say..yes without wiring tree has a natural look....sorry for my poor English..🙏
Sounds good Hir, good luck with your trees!
Thank you.😃
Thank you for this video Nigel, it really struck chord with me xx
Thank you Becki! I like your thumbnail.
Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone Thank you 😊 That's my Phoebe with a dandelion leaf 😄
Thanks for this video! I'm new to bonsai (been trying for past 6 years) even though liked this art since I was a little girl. My mum has couple of trees which she never wired/pruned,they got pruned naturally.But With age(20-30 yrs)and for the size and shape of pots they look like they were trained to achieve that look.
Sound like nice trees! Thanks.
I'm so glad to know there is some one out there think as I am about letting the natural beauty of nature ! thank you
Thanks Etienne!
what a fantastic video I'm like you Nigel sometimes I wonder am i doing the right thing because there's nothing to do i only got about 25 plants and I'll probably touch them once a season but I love growing them and see them mature in beautiful trees
thank you so much for the video
Waiting is the hard part, but taking good care of your trees speeds up the process!
Thanks Nigel. Your best video yet! Like you I will use wire (or clamps and guy wires etc) when necessary but prefer not to. Cheers.Sid.
Thanks Sid, have a great 2017 season!
Thanks for pointing me towards this video Mr. Saunders. Really helpful
Just one technique of many you can use!
Seeing your video, I thought there are many trees that I did not know, because some trees are not in Japan. Thank you for sharing. Thank you very much.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
thanks. great foundation in the emergence and development of the unique identity of North American bonsai
Thanks Robert, there are lots of really good native trees in North America!
Working my way through all your videos Nigel getting there slowly ..
There are a lot of videos now! I will be making some progress videos showing the changes to the trees over the last 5 years, sort of a quick summary of what was down and also the results.
@@TheBonsaiZone thank you Nigel for replying to my comments.i really enjoy your videos and watching them makes me more enthusiastic ,thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience and I am looking forward to the many more videos to come ...
Nature is wonderful and perfect and all we need is to imitate it ... angry my friend friend Nigel. hug
I agree, I'm always amazed at the beauty!
Good video!. I learn so much whit you, thanks Nigel. When people ask me where I have learned the art of bonsai I answer always the same thing, to the Nigel Sander bonsaï Academy ;)
Thanks Shany, it's nice to hear, I hope my advice doesn't kill your trees!
I have no worries lol, Your approach has helped me, especially as we share the same climate and the same country. (Sorry for my written English, I am from Quebec, I understand English very well but I do not write it very well)
The book in the video from the Montreal Botanical gardens was published in 1985! I wonder how many of the trees are still alive and if they are, what do they look like? I'm going to have to go on a road trip and see for myself, I think David Easterbrook is still their caretaker.
fantastic video! I applaud your dedication!
simply the best ! ! !
I have to say i like your vids a lot, and was suprised on the fast cuts you made this time. This is just a grrr8 video, Thanks a lot, so informing. And I`ve got to say inspiring 2 because this was one of the most inspiring video i`ve seen a long time.
Greetings from Switzerland, keep the good work up !!!:)
I thought I'd try a typical TH-cam style video. Kind of weird I will admit! Glad you liked it, did I tell you I was born in Winterthur?
great video I live in Australia have been doing bonsai for 20 years now my main method is cut and grow for that natural look I grow a lot of Eucalyptus trees iron bark,blue gum etc.
I'd love to see your trees! If you have any pics, you can send to...
thekwbonsaisociety@gmail.com
Just start your own bonsai academy n published book too..... :-) ..... Really enjoy ur all videos , much detail n clear explanation , I feel like I'm in some bonsai class when watch your videos ..Great work
Thank you Sumeet, very nice to hear, maybe a book some day?
great books! ill have to check those out, Thanks!
excellent video Nigel, love your work!
If you can find those ancient things called books!
100% this! Love the idea, the format and the presentation. I'm sure the editing was a bear, but the results are great.
It was fun making it, sort of a TH-cam style at the start!
I appreciate your balanced view!!! You help me feel at ease🙏🏻☺️🙏🏻
Thank you Virginia, there is good wiring and there is bad wiring, just as there is good clip and grown and bad clip and grow! I guess the point should have been, good technique will produce a good tree!
wow thanks for a wonderful video nigel
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Really enjoyed this video. Food for thought
Great video Nigel! I didn't know about ling-nang and the history of this method. A great art, as diverse a history as my favourite martial art Aikido. Bonsai is certainly a thinking man's art in comparison to some other botanical pursuits. Just like Aiki compared to some other martial arts. I wish you good budo.
Thanks Peter, I bet your not a fan of Meryl Streep! I have seen some martial art demos that are more artistic than ballet.
Excellent explanation of clip and grow!
Thanks Adam, it's just one style/technique of the many out there, I think all are good, but I like clip and grow the best!
@@TheBonsaiZone I see now what you mean by the movement in trees! Every cut is like another year, so when a tree is really tall and has good movement, you can see the time and effort that went in to making it, rather than just wiring it to get movement.
..... and that is the reason I love your channel. Thank you.
Thank you, I love woodworking, I made three violins. Lots of fun!
great video. I agree completely with the clip and grow technique for the natural look.
Thanks Rajesh!
I was able to sit in on a Penjing seminar in Hong Kong. I was surprised not to see any wiring in any of the exhibition pieces. But they are big on defoliating plants during pruning, but they don't really have deciduous plants down in HK. Different schools too, the Penjing seminars get the crowd involved in pruning the specimen tree, but a bonsai seminar you watch the master work.
Interesting, I think defoliation is important for the evergreen tropical's, you just have to see the structure before pruning to get a nice flow to the branch structure. It's good to hear that the people watching get to participate. They probably get a good explanation of what they are doing and why also!
a beginner here... a not so avid to use wiring ;)
thank nigel... now i can do bonsai treet...
will just work out on my patience ;)
You can create a really nice tree with just pruning!
Could I use the clip and grow method on aerial roots?
A very good reflection, Niegel!
A video, just to get people thinking!
I agree with you mister nigel...
exelent video.....
Thanks Elihu!
Thanks to you.
I mean I think not to wire the trees and a really old technique because the Chinese did not have those techniques and is very respectable and wiring the trees are more modern techniques also i prefer first one but i use wire some time
and i prefer to get my bonsai from seeds too Where is the work if we only buy large trees ready to be bonsai where the work and the patience of bonsai
Hi, Nigel. I have begun the practice of "clip and grow" and have been enjoying the more naturalistic look and "feel" of my trees. So, thank you very much for introducing this method to me and opening my view.
Would Japanese black pines take well to this method? I would think so but since all of then black pine instructions on trunk development that I've run into all involve the use of wires, I thought I would ask first.
Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to all of my questions!
Great video! I personally wire only about a third of my bonsai trees. The others I shape through pruning striving to keep the most natural look I can achieve. I know my bonsai masters would say to wire all my trees but I took up this hobby to make something that is pleasing to me, not to others. I may not follow the guidelines or teachings of bonsai exactly but the results I achieve are what matter to me, the enthusiast.
Wiring trees is fine, but I don't like when a tree is wired out of it's natural form into something that looks more like a "bonsai" than the tree it is. Bonsai is about creating a tree that appeals to you, and not what style is in fashion this year. Thank you for your comment!
Another good video from you Sir. Would love to know more about your Moringa trees too. Do you have any video on making the temple you used for your Kapok trees. Thanks once again for a thought provoking video.
I was hoping to work on the temple over the holidays, but my plant room is now too full to work on it inside. I'll have to wait until spring and assemble it outside. The Moringa trees are now about 15 cm tall and are growing well. An update will be coming!
Nigel I'll be waiting for your updates. I had always wondered about what style I should give to my trees and this video is of great help. As you said bonsais should be miniature forms of the trees as they grow in nature. That looks more real and interesting. Your videos are so detailed that it really helps viewers understand what you are trying to achieve with your trees and that gives immense informations and ideas to novices like me. I really appreciate your work and commitment. Thanks a lot.
what was the tree at 8:20 minute
schefflera tree
Thank Shawn, I haven't shown it before, a video will be coming of a re pot soon.
Food for thought. Thank you, Nigel.
Thanks Dawid, yes just something to think about!
I DID know that there must have been something different, before coming into bonsai; I never liked wiring. Lol. Happy if i can l put this in practice soon. Greetings from Argentina!
You and me both!
@@TheBonsaiZone Haha. Great honor you're there, Nigel.
While i have nothing against wiring, I do agree with the sentiment of trees looking natural. I went to a bonsai nursey and none of the specimens looked like natural trees. I didn't like any, even the 200 year old hornbeam because it had a corkscrew(!) trunk. Too many are established trees that have been hail-mary-chopped and repotted with a slant on the trunk. To me, none of that captures the beauty of nature!
Anyway, you have inspired me to have a fresh closer look at the wild shape of the tree species i have. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Brandon, keep studying the natural forms of the trees around you, it is the most important task in growing bonsai!
Great share Nigel. You always keep me thinking :)
Thanks Jim!
Great video Nigel.
Thanks Michael!
Best way too grow i dont like the wires also indeed un natural looking aldo sometimes real handy in bonsai i use it maybe 1% wirering aldo in my garden its great in maiking trees or bushes grow fast and ocupie the space i want the trees and Bush too cover i like too make all my greens do as i see fit like im the creator and bonsai takes all my knowlige of plants and all the materie as lichting feeding pruning cloning or what ever knowlige u have bonsai takes it too the core and really make me appreciatie all the knowlige i got and u just helping me and undestand it all easely as i know alot of the knowlige as growinh but i lack the experiance and you putting in lay mans terms in a helpfull video really completes my train idd thought in top actions and my tree and other projects look great thanks top you
Thank you Jeffrey, wire will always be a good tool to use on bonsai trees, but it is not the only tool in the box! Many people rely on wiring as the only tool for shaping trees and they are forgoing all the other important techniques!
great informative video like most videos.. thanks for sharing.
Thanks Phuc!
2:30 is that a christmas cactus? 😮
I have a very old one thats got some interesting corking. I've always thought theyd make interesting bonsai. That ome looks very plump green and healthy too. Ive met many people eho strufgle with them. They need light but not too much. Too much they go purple. Nice to see one looking very green ❤
oho!
i salute your vision for BONSAI
Thank you Aghori!
My tipu tree hasn't had its leaves fall for winter, do some trees not she'd leaves for winter besides evergreens? it's a year old from seed (first winter). thanks for the videos, big fan.
They suggest they are cold hardy to about 25 F (-4 C) It is possible that they keep their leaves, sort of like a boxwood. They are a cool tree!
Daniel Field aren't they an evergreen? If so it won't drop all of its leaves during colder months.
I have recrently started into the rabbit hole that is bonsai and I think I'll be going with clip and grow to see how I get on. I've always felt that most of the wiring jobs you see are over done and sometimes unnatural where as clip and grow should provide more natural results. That said, sometimes I think wire is still needed for particularly stubborn areas
As usual your video is encouraging for me and the rest of your viewers. Always look forward to your display.
Though this is Stan's Gmail I use it instead because the you-tube goes to a default app.
Thanks!
muchas gracias por el video Sr. Saunders.
Me alegra que te haya gustado, gracias!
I have a bonsai I’ve grown from seed that’s about 6-7 months old. It’s doing great and the trunk is almost the width of a pencil. Should I trim the branches to keep it small, or wait until it’s bigger before I start trimming??
Interesting Video Nigel! Thanks!
Thanks Basti V
I always felt like wiring was a form of torture for some reason... as always thank you for the video!
Sometimes it's torture for the person putting it on and taking it off!
Torture is enjoyed by some sick culture. I have trouble getting to remove wires and I've been leaving them in my ficus trees and they end up getting devoured by the barks and disappear it's amazing.
Hey, I am wondering if you have any video on grafting using ficus or any other tree.
Thank you for this video. I thought I was the only one who disliked wiring. I’m new to the hobby and I’ve been watching videos about all sorts of things but wiring never felt.. right. I imagine it like forcing a teenage girl into a corset everyday to try to give her the hourglass figure. Glad to know it isn’t essential!
I recently went on a trip and came home to my sticky elm tree did not get enough water at all (we had a nabour coming to water ). Right now there is one spot of green growth and the rest of the leaves are dead. Not sure how to save it
Hi Nigel, thats a thought provoking question you asked about trees in the beginning. I felt the first tree looked like a bonsai tree due to branches pointing down/sideways. The others had them going up and hence didnt look bonsai-ish. The gnarly trunk of the first one vs the straight ones of the rest suggests an age difference visually. With my pomegranate cuttings, I was doing "clip n clip" till i saw one of your videos a few months ago. That was a polite slap for me :-) I agree with the silhoutte concept too. I hate wiring but like the faster results. I love clip n grow but hate its slow speed. Each of us has to find a balance I guess. Nice topic !
Thanks Vinny, I think it's good to discuss bonsai concepts and techniques, even though it usually ends up in a heated debate! I'm always reminder of the fellow in another club who uses no tools, just his bare hands to prune and shape his trees! I always imagine him biting through a thick branch with his teeth. In the end it's all about enjoying the hobby, however you do it!
+Nigel Saunders Ha Ha :-)
Ling Nang means south of the five mountain rages in southern China in Guangdong. I question if this style is more suitable for Southern and tropical trees or it can be applied to northern trees with equal success.
My Austrian pine was developed using clip and grow and then wired for the first time, a couple of years ago. I think it can be applied to any tree. I wouldn't say my pine is all that good, but it's not the worst either! Clip and grow can be used on all trees with great success, but the younger the tree is that you start with, the better the results.
Good to know Nigel. I enjoy seeing all your trees.