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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.พ. 2025
- Eric removes the leaves on a big Valley Oak that he started from an acorn he collected near Sacramento, CA 18 years ago. The tree is just starting to go dormant. It's gone on an interesting journey, as Eric started it in the ground in San Francisco, moved it into a container, planted it back in the ground in Southern California, dug it up a second time, put it in a container again and brought it back up to San Francisco.
00:01:23 Eric needs to see the structure before a branch cutback.
00:02:13 After Eric removes all the leaves, he removes the wire.
00:03:02 Eric discusses his cutback plan to contain the size of the canopy and increase the taper of branching and fine ramification.
00:04:39 Cutting off a lot of small branches that have died and cutting back less useful larger branches.
00:05:15 Eric shares a discussion he had with Peter Tea as they worked together on a different Valley Oak - why you need to cut back the top hard to stimulate growth below, allowing access to light.
00:06:25 "Escape roots" and a look under the bonsai container.
00:07:01 Eric hopes today's work will help the tree continue to development. He won't be wiring it while the tree is dormant; he'll wait until Spring. He also discusses a low branch he doesn't like, and why keeping it for now helps taper develop on the trunk.
00:08:56 Eric might actually put the tree back into a box to drive vigorous growth while also keeping the large Sara Rayner oval pot from getting damaged in the field.
Share your tales of Valley (or other Oaks) with us in the comments below! Thank you for watching; please like and share, and subscribe to our TH-cam channel!
A nice step forward!
I cannot believe how good this looks for only 18 years. Very good looking tree. Thank you for sharing!
I’m working on a few California black oaks. As well as Valley oak, and a few others. Thank you for the tips and advice. We just topped a couple of large oaks and they’re sprouting new shoots everywhere
I work at a botanic garden, and they gave me permission to dig up a valley oak volunteer. I had to cut off probably 60% of the rootmass, but the tree survived. It's just made it to this years dormancy. Leaves were small, probably from lack of vigor. I let the plant grow roots through the bottom of the container, and it hasnt needed that much water this year, maybe 1-2 times a week. I'm going to lift it off the ground and wire it this winter, nothing more. Next year I'll cut it back, maybe re-pot.
I don’t have any experience growing oaks for bonsai but man I had lots and lots of acorns drop this year from all my oaks on my property😅 might give it a try growing some from acorns 🤔
Really adore that pot. It suits the tree very nicely.
It’s not always easy to find good information about various oak species. I have a Turkey oak, perhaps I’m doing something wrong but allowing plenty of light to penetrate to the interior, interior buds seem to remain dormant. The only success seems to come by hard cut back in autumn to 2-3 internodes (being very careful as often the bud nearest to the cut dies off).
This autumn I will cut back much harder, losing some ramification but hoping to create better taper in some of the lower branches.
I quite love your grand old oak. It makes me feel, by looking at it, that I'm not making mistakes on my own selections. The squirrels handed me a pecan in one of my pots, I know they tend to have large leaves. I also have been working on getting a peach and pear that were nursery stock and have been slowly reducing their size. They were in giant half barrel resin pots and the pecan in some terra cotta. With luck, they might turn out to be something as nice a winter frame as your own.
Very awesome Tree Sir . I agree Air Laying would be the Best thing to Do. Before you do Air Laying, try thread Grafting on the Bottom Trunk so you Have Two different Bonsai Trees. Great Work so Far .
Personally I would skip the air layer on this one. Many bonsai oaks represent the "lone field oak", with broad low branches and a stout canopy. But this one feels very reminiscent of an oak from a natural grove, to me. I live near a park with many Oregon Oak and most of them reach aggressively skyward before meandering and branching through the canopy. I feel like this tree really captures that search for light. And the lower trunk still has good taper, subtle bends, and a nice nebari underway. I love it! That's me though, and I have an Oregonian's bias towards tall narrow trees, haha. Regardless, it will be a really pretty tree as the bark continues to ascend the trunk and really sell that age and character.
I never mentioned in the video but the alternate solution is to possibly do a bit of carving. There is a scar at one of the bends, and doing a bit of carving, then allowing parts of the tree to run after that might create a nice bit of added age. If you've never seen the Daimo oak at the Bonsai Garden Lake Merritt, check it out. You can also see it at the 3:45 mark in this video from Jason /Eastern Leaf:
th-cam.com/video/aarv7qKZKwo/w-d-xo.html
Handsome old friend there.
I love my oaks. I’ve a lot in early development and one close to refinement. Not deciduous but I also have a Quercus ilex growing too that’s years to go tho.
i like bonsaify 👍👍
What is the best substrate to plant an oak tree in a garden pot to let grow for a few years befor putting it in a bonsai pot?
Beautiful Oak what soil do you use?
Did you keep it in the ground for a while to help the trunk? I currently have a bunch of valley oak, coast live oak and a few cork oak trees in one gallon pots that I started last year. Most are doing well and I even put a couple into shallow bowls.
Yes, they don't get big in a reasonable amount of time unless they're in the ground.
Bonsai phill I haveoaks
From shoin to large groups andsmallgroups
Thanks for the video
Have you had much luck air layering these? I've had a rough go of it.
Young trees yes, in a greenhouse. Older ones no. But I've only tried a couple. Heat seems to drive air layering success, so consider starting in May (in the northern hemisphere) and / or using a greenhouse or other heat supplementation if you have cool weather.
@@Bonsaify That's reassuring, thanks! I'll just have to keep experimenting and being patient with the process.
From what I know of oaks I don’t think root at all from the stems I know cuttings are impossible and pretty sure the same applies to air layering and wouldn’t suggest it. Valley oaks are pretty I started a few about 2-3 years ago from acorns I also am starting some blackjack oaks this year too and have a handful of water oaks and a willow oak that I started a few years ago too. Oaks are one of my favorite trees
That air layer idea is not so bad I would do it..
I've had similarly poor success in wiring dormant deciduous oaks
Winter or summer dormancy?
@@wabisabi3619 winter