paying attention to your work is like watching a work of art in progress. its always something new for me. God Bless people like you. good day more power!
What a beautiful job Nigel. The tree in front of the rocks along with the moss and the red clay road is excellent. Thankyou for the video. Very inspiring..
Love the African Kopje landscape. The main Serissa has a wonderful trunk line. Nigel you explain the whole process very clearly, which make it really easy to a novice to understand.
Really love this, love watching these videos, you're inspiring to watch!! I'm only 19 and I'm becoming more connected to nature and am trying to grow my own bonsai from both juniper seeds and young plants. Thankyou for being a mentor, it's hard to find people as passionate about their plants as you.
Thank you and good luck in your journey through life. Bonsai will definitely help connect you with nature and may even change your outlook on life in a positive way!
Hi there Nigelyes : finally the african landscape is on !!! Great job, so happy the zebra's back !!!thank you for sharing and please please keep posting the gooood stuff !!!
Wow, that turned out great! Your group plantings and landscapes showcase your creativity and affinity for nature in ways that styling a tree simply can't display. I focus much more on the landscape as a result of being one of your remote disciples - such a great way to establish a scale for the tree/s; not to mention all the additional hours of obsessive immersion!
Hi Nigel, great landscape. You really have a good feeling for composition. And you inspired me again for making a new landscape. Keep up the good work..!
I envy the big space u owe the club and all the time u hv got. But still I love the child in you who likes to play! :) Thanks fr d nice video and inspiration!
Very nice landscape and video as always. Lots of information, tips and tricks. Very helpful video for when I'm going to create my Liquidambar styraciflua landscape/forest. Thank you Nigel
It looks really nice ! It was a great idea in the first place to train your Serissa into African Acacia trees :) I really enjoyed the thoughs process, it's really inspiring me for future projects. And it's nice to see one of your advanced projects getting there. It proves that even though sometimes, your tree has to look like a stick planted in the ground, with patience and good care, you can have them look proud just like the big boys out there. I only have a few trees for now, it really makes me want to grow some more ! Thank you Nigel !
Thank you Francois, landscapes can make good use of trees that might not look by themselves, but when arranged in a landscape or forest, can look fantastic! I'm glad you are inspired to grow more trees!
I recently discovered your posts and I am just amazed at what you are able to do. This is just an amazing landscape. I am on my first adventure with bonsai by growing from seed what I hope are Bolivian Rainbow Peppers. They are currently thriving and after the first harvest near the end of the year I hope to prune them back and replant them in bonsai pots for the winter and then keep them indoors after that.
Thank you Ray, but I'm actually an Australian. I have lived in Canada for much of my life and my wife and kids are Canadian. I am very proud of Canada and am lucky to be living here!
I like the set up that you did! But for me I would put the two small trees on the left side along the road not too close together! And as far as the rocks goes, I place it around the big tree and some towards the road! As always loved your work Nigel!
Beautiful work Nigel. You have a great 'eye' for naturalistic detail. Your videos are some of the most entertaining and instructive online. Can't wait to see what treats you have in store next ! P.S. Looking forward to the next update on the P afra forest :-)
Can't wait!!! Also, I don't mind at all the little advertising videos you're starting to use. You should get something out of all the time you spend putting together these videos. GARY
I actually wired the branch on the right hand side to raise it up into the canopy better. Thanks and I see you have just published a video that I must watch!
Sir I am really amazed to see your works... It really inspired me to start bonsai practice as well.... I am planning to start with a lemon tree, right from the seedling. Kindly post a video on the soil preparation and a video on moss culturing and other small plants that you use to give small details.... I made a small terrarium inside a light bulb out of moss. I would like you to see it. Thank you... And hats off again!!
I suppose the aloe is your favorite bonsai - not only give you the pleasure of working on a bonsai, but also provide you food! )))) P.S. I like the new landscape, is looking great!
awwwww....... so pretty and lovely... amazing video Nigel. .. as always, loved you attention to details. (just my thought, you could have made the pathway more visible, broader towards the front and immediately narrowed and as a thin line towards the back to make it even more 3d look from the front) over all... damn excellent video... super inspiring!!!
I started using drywall repair mesh to cover my drainage holes and I find it's really easy to use and inexpensive. it even holds itself in place as long as the pot is clean when you put it down. about 1/8inch size squares.
Nigel Saunders me gustan muchisimo. ademas de saber de bonsais ,sabes de paisajismo. es genial. perdoma,podias poner una actualizacion del ficus en las ruinas , que hicistes con espongas, tiene que estar impresionante . gracias. y gracias de nuevo por el esfuerzo de la traduccion. gracias
He decidido usar ladrillos de arcilla en lugar de las esponjas cubiertas de cemento. Me preocupaba que las raíces y el musgo no crezcan en el cemento y que el cemento no parezca realista en el futuro. Estaré trabajando en el proyecto de nuevo pronto!
Really enjoyed watching how you build this landscape. The sand roadways were a nice touch but I wanted to ask if there was any need for concern about the sand working its way down into the root system and causing problems with roots/drainage
I have done this technique before and when I re potted the tree, the sand stayed as a nice layer on top of the bonsai soil. When the sand dries out it is a little more difficult to water, you need to wet the sand first and then you can water as per normal. The sand will actually draw moisture out of the bonsai soil up to the top layer of sand, it seems to keep your bonsai soil at a nice humidity level.
Great idea and even better execution. I feel that as this landscape grows and you get the chance to refine it, it may soon become a real showpiece. On a side note, do you think that using worm 'wee' will be beneficial and sufficient fertilisation for my bonsai trees. I have a worm farm and have been wondering about it.
The worm castings are very good for the garden and may be of benefit to the bonsai as well. The fine particles may tend to clog up the air spaces in the bonsai soil, but I'm sure a layer on top of your planting wouldn't hurt. Some people put organic matter in tea bags and place these on top of the soil as a natural fertilizer. I would try it and see how it goes!
Are you going to keep the land rover in the landscape? if you did, you could always roll it along a little to get some tire tracks in the dirt for effect
Nice video Nigel! Love the layout. For what its worth, your pronunciation of koppie at 2:33 is pretty close. The o-sound is closer to the o in core than in copy.
great landscape Nigel. how small is too small when it comes to drainage mesh? if the mesh is fine enough to hold a bit of water, will that prevent airflow to any noticeable degree?
Nigel, thanks so much for posting. Recently watched your update on this one which was great. Where do you get your pots? I'm in central Ohio and wondering if online is best.
Most of the pots I have are used pots from other club members. I always check the sales tables at the bonsai shows for good deals on pots. I have only bought two new pots and they were on sale at half price from a store that was going out of business. I get a lot of my smaller pots at second hand stores, but these are usually very low quality. Nice pots can be ordered on line, but I'm not sure where I'd go, maybe someone can help out?
Very beautiful landscape, I love the way you prune the big serissa (probably didn't spell that right). Have you had any experience with Hinoki cypress or false cypress? I just bought a young hinoki and from what I'm reading it seems like a finicky tree.
Thank you, I don't have any of those trees so I have no practical experience with them. All I can suggest is to try and find good articles on line. Good luck.
Looking good! But a slight nitpick: I think that maybe the feeling of the savanna might be improved if it was slightly more arid looking, because that yellow, dry looking grass is so tightly linked with savanna imagery.
awesome job. every step was great ... but what did you do in 17:20 ? I'd say that is not the way you should cut it. these half leaves make it look nonnatural, and you easily destroy its habitus doing so. I'd prefer seletive pruning taking out bough for bough for a nice-ass look. Best wishes from Germany
The tree grows really fast after pruning, I have to prune it about 6 times a year. The hedge type pruning gets the profile in check and if the tree were to go in a show, I would carefully prune each branch, watching that I didn't cut through leaves.
Wow....it's wonderful...one thing I want to ask you that do you make bonsai soil of your own or use a ready made one, coz. it looks different.......is there any special ingredient for bonsai soil.....
I mix my own soil up. The mix I use is half turface and half perlite, To this I add 10 to 20 percent shredded fir bark or composted pine bark. All materials are sifted to get a particle size of around 3 .5 mm or 1/8". This mix requires a lot of watering and misting, but I find the trees grow really well in it. It is great in the greenhouse!
Hi Nigel! I really appreciate your videos, they are very inspiring! I have a question for you: do you think it is fine to use stones collected from the sea side, or is it bad because of the salt?
I had a koi at one point, but it quickly out grew the aquarium. It went into a neighbors pond and lived a good long life. I got a bunch of aquariums at an auction and just use them as benches.
You have very beautiful serissa! I have a question about cuttings, have you had success with large serissa cuttings, I am thinking about doing a trunk chop and rooting the top. My trunk is about 1cm think. Do you think this would be successful?
Nice scenery :) I wonder, are you interested also in suiseki? With all those bonsai trees, I wouldn't be surprised If you have a collection of rocks in bowls in your house :)
I do like rocks and I collect any interesting ones I find, but there just aren't many good ones around my area. I don't have any formal displays.....yet!
It is a plastic pot. They call them mica pots, they are 80% mica, 15% polyethylene and 5% graphite.... www.micamafco.com/micaplasticfiller17c64.html?nm=micaplastic
It is half turface and half perlite, To this I add 10 to 20 percent shredded fir bark or composted pine bark. All materials are sifted to get a particle size of around 3 .5 mm or 1/8". This mix requires a lot of watering and misting, but I find the trees grow really well in it.
hello from s.e Queensland nigel,lovely winter we are having here. i have some more dumb, off topic questions for you- i have some tropicals on my verandah at moment ( ficus- benjamina i think?, jade and dessert rose, they get about 5 hrs good sun this time off year. the days are still warm (20-25 degrees) but it is dropping to 7 degrees at night. should i bring them inside. also, i trunk chopped one yesterday, prob wrong time of year but it was annoying me, foliage on top was all yellow and trunk to long n skinny anyway. how should i treat it now? outside in sun? outside in shade or bring inside. thenk u, your help is always appreciated, love your vids, keen to see how your plumeria is progressing, kinda embarrassing as i planted mine about same time as yours but mine hasnt done much, seems you have more luck with tropical s in canada than i do in queensland, haha.
Hello Michael, I would leave your tropical's outside unless you are going to get frost. A rest period will do them good. You will get better growth when the weather starts warming up in your spring. I leave mine outside, right until we are about to get frost. They have seen many cold nights down to about 5 C. The tree that got chopped would do best if you bring it in at night and then back outside when it warms up in the late morning. I would give it full sun and mist it frequently. My Plumeria is just starting to put out its second group of leaves, just a little higher up from the first ones, very exciting!
Nigel Saunders thank you. did u see my question in your last vid about my lava rock cave? i really not sure how to go about it, any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks again mate. i just planted some cuttings from a variegated benjamina, looks cool, are they same to look after as regular benjamina?
Nigel Saunders cheers, i sent those photos plus my usual long winded ramble to kwbonsai, not sure if it made it. as is probably typical my ideas have since completely changed, haha, funny how the mind works. anyway have a good one and keep those vids coming!
Hello Mr Nigel. I feel fortunate (every time you upload a video) that you upload all your work on this platform, and that I'm able to continue my hobby by plagiarising you in my garden! By the way, what is the temperature like when you see the wild saplings of fruiting trees ( specifically apple ) arising from the ground(in the spring)? Regards from Hindustan
Now is a good time to plant seeds here. It is usually about 23 C in the afternoon and it goes down to about 13 C at night. It will be getting warmer as July approaches.
Hey Nigel, I just had a quick question for you. Im really interested in getting more into bonsai, but I just moved into an apartment that doesnt have very good lighting. Do you have any suggestions on tress that handle low light well? Thanks!
Check out LA Nolan's youtube channel. All his trees are growing indoors with grow lights. th-cam.com/channels/UPnojoIz0Nrjet9XzGBD3Q.html Most trees should have 4 hours of daylight per day, from a sunny window. If you don't have a window, you might have to use grow lights. You can get LED ones now that are a little cheaper to run.
Me again, thanks for your previous comment and sites provided. I had some questions and sorry that they don't all really relate specifically to this video, but I watch a bunch and get questions that I would rather ask once off. 1) I tried to do some research, but couldn't find anything specific. Why are you Sir Nigel Saunders? 2) Thank you so much, in your one video you spoke about your Asparagus fern, I have seen it in many videos, but only recently you mentioned the name. How did you train them to all "stick together"? Like it looks like one tree with many many roots coming down and I really like the look and would like to mimic it. I come from South Africa and didn't even know they were from here. I don't know why, but I get really giddy when I hear about people from other countries talking about South African stuff. I have an eastern white cedar which i believe is native to Canada. I am still looking for some maples though. Anyway back to the question, do you just clump a bunch of individual plants and "rubber band" train them? Do you have any videos where you talk about them in more detail? The one I recently watched you spoke about pruning it down from a very bushy looking plant. 3) I like how you often mention how it's nicer to grow bonsai from seeds as you get to choose what you want to do with it right from the beginning. I jumped in heads first with hundreds of seeds that are now currently in various stages of germination/ stratification/ growing. I do however have a few established bonsai, some very young/ small ones and some nursery stock I have been practicing on since it will be many many years before I can do anything with any of the trees that grow from the seeds I have. What I would like to know though, is how long should I wait before starting with any root work on the trees grown from seedling? Like removing the tap root and getting the root base to be radial? 4) Lastly, I am going on a hiking trip next week to try and collect some younger trees. I have the permission to dig out what I would like, but have never been on an actual dig. What would you recommend I take with to ensure a successful trip? What should I be weary of when digging out trees? I will only be going for trees which have a trunk thickness of the average human forearm +-. Sorry for the really long comment and thanks in advance for all your help.
1) I am not a Sir Nigel Saunders, just regular Nigel Saunders. 2) The Asparagus "fern" started out life as a tiny plant that I was going to use as an accent plant with one of my bonsai trees. Little by little it grew over the 20 years and is now getting quite large. It is just one plant and as they get older, they grow multiple shoots off of the woody part on top. 3) The training of the seedlings can start after they get their first few sets of leaves. If you are careful, you can trim the tip off the tap root and start to grow your radial root base. Good aftercare is important. If you have many seedlings, you can experiment with them to find the best methods for that tree type. Always be on the lookout for a chance to experiment and learn! 4)I would start by collecting trees that are very young. You will have a better chance of having them live. The older the tree, the more the roots spread out and the more you will have to remove. I think of collecting as gathering genetic material sometimes. Once you have the tree, you can grow it and create cuttings from it for future trees. It is better to collect a small tree and have it live, than collect a larger tree and have it die. Some of the older collected trees have many faults in them as bonsai and I would rather spend my time developing a small seedling to be a really nice bonsai, than living with the faults of an older collected tree.
paying attention to your work is like watching a work of art in progress. its always something new for me. God Bless people like you. good day more power!
Thank you Vic, all the best to you!
Perfect composition with all combinations, jeep or zebra ... whatever ... a hug and congratulations Nigel.
Thanks, I'm sure I'll have fun adding even more details to it!
Said the keyword my friend, have fun, just so worth it
big hug
Awesome job ! I liked your idea with using the pottery dust on the trail. Thank you for taking us with you on yet another amazing bonsai journey!
Thank you bonsai J, I now have a use for broken terra cotta pots!
What a beautiful job Nigel. The tree in front of the rocks along with the moss and the red clay road is excellent. Thankyou for the video. Very inspiring..
Thank you Bob!
Love the African Kopje landscape. The main Serissa has a wonderful trunk line. Nigel you explain the whole process very clearly, which make it really easy to a novice to understand.
Thank you Christine, I'll be doing some more detail work in future.
good morning Nigel it's 6am in Australia and I'm watching your fantastic video again what a way to start the day thank you
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it Fred and good morning!
Very cute ! And it's just the start,
Learned a lot again , Thank you very much Nigel.
Thank you, yes I'm sure I'll be adding more detail to it in future!
Really love this, love watching these videos, you're inspiring to watch!! I'm only 19 and I'm becoming more connected to nature and am trying to grow my own bonsai from both juniper seeds and young plants. Thankyou for being a mentor, it's hard to find people as passionate about their plants as you.
Thank you and good luck in your journey through life. Bonsai will definitely help connect you with nature and may even change your outlook on life in a positive way!
What a fun project! I just love it! The addition of the Land Rover and the moss make it really cute!
Thank you Patricia, I'm going to look for a better Land Rover or paint the current one.
Very beautiful Nigel. You inspire me.
Thank you Djordje!
I love your work, mate. Inspiring and wonderful attention to detail.
Thank you!
this is how adult men can still be little boys and impress the entire world at the same time. Love this video.
This is so natural looking. ❤
I beats most of the other penjing style that i see mostvof the time
Nigel I love your work and the fact that you do diy ideas al the time
Thank you very much!
Hi everyone, new in Bonsai. Just love the way you explain everything in detail Nigel. Your such a big help.
All the best to you.
Thank you Robert!
You are a Nature and a Perspective Master Nigel! Love your intuitive work and as always the peaceful energy you share :)
Thank you Zoran!
Hi there Nigelyes : finally the african landscape is on !!! Great job, so happy the zebra's back !!!thank you for sharing and please please keep posting the gooood stuff !!!
Thank you Sophie, the zebra is safe in the nature reserve!
Wow, that turned out great! Your group plantings and landscapes showcase your creativity and affinity for nature in ways that styling a tree simply can't display. I focus much more on the landscape as a result of being one of your remote disciples - such a great way to establish a scale for the tree/s; not to mention all the additional hours of obsessive immersion!
Thank you Mark!
Hi Nigel, great landscape. You really have a good feeling for composition. And you inspired me again for making a new landscape. Keep up the good work..!
Thank you Ben, they are really fun !
you put so much work into these videos, we love you Nigel!
Thank you!
Your landscaping is just unbelievable! Keep up that really great ambition and skill!
Thank you Antony, more to come!
I envy the big space u owe the club and all the time u hv got. But still I love the child in you who likes to play! :) Thanks fr d nice video and inspiration!
Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks!
Very nice landscape and video as always. Lots of information, tips and tricks. Very helpful video for when I'm going to create my Liquidambar styraciflua landscape/forest. Thank you Nigel
Thank you and good luck with your landscape!
Absolutely beautiful. The zebra was a nice touch.
Thank you Mel!
You are amazing Nigel, your imagination surprises me every time..... I wish if I could even do 10 percent of what you do....
Thank you Himanshu, glad you enjoy the videos as much as I do making them!
Just what I needed to see to wind down and start the weekend. Thanks for the great video Nigel.
Thank you Tony, have a great weekend!
So inspirational! You are truly talented and I enjoy all your videos. Thank you for taking the time to make them
Thank you Elena, I have a lot of fun making the videos!
It looks really nice ! It was a great idea in the first place to train your Serissa into African Acacia trees :) I really enjoyed the thoughs process, it's really inspiring me for future projects. And it's nice to see one of your advanced projects getting there. It proves that even though sometimes, your tree has to look like a stick planted in the ground, with patience and good care, you can have them look proud just like the big boys out there. I only have a few trees for now, it really makes me want to grow some more ! Thank you Nigel !
Thank you Francois, landscapes can make good use of trees that might not look by themselves, but when arranged in a landscape or forest, can look fantastic! I'm glad you are inspired to grow more trees!
Wow
What an excellent job. I enjoy every second of your videos. My favorites are landscapers. I missed them already
Thanks
Thank you Norma, I really enjoy the landscapes also!
Wow that landscape really turned out great, especially after adding the moss and sand! I think putting the rocks in the back was a wise idea!
Thank you LA, hope your trees are growing well after some of the "slightly risky" re pots! Looking forward to more videos!
Well done ! Thx for the upload of another relaxing video.
You are very welcome.
I love this arrangement. fantastic job.
Thank you!
I love landscapes, i want to make one myself. Nice little desert!
Thank you, I hope you do make one!
l just love this landscape. it already looks settled and mature.
Thank you Rajesh!
I recently discovered your posts and I am just amazed at what you are able to do. This is just an amazing landscape.
I am on my first adventure with bonsai by growing from seed what I hope are Bolivian Rainbow Peppers. They are currently thriving and after the first harvest near the end of the year I hope to prune them back and replant them in bonsai pots for the winter and then keep them indoors after that.
Thank you Jereme and all the best with your Peppers!
That kopje landscape is so beautiful, inspiring
Wow! It's so beautiful! You really do wonders Nigel. Thanks for such a wonderful video.
Regards.
Thank you Anita!
I'm sure you've heard every compliment in the book, just wanted to say I'm proud your a fellow Canadian.🇨🇦
Thank you Ray, but I'm actually an Australian. I have lived in Canada for much of my life and my wife and kids are Canadian. I am very proud of Canada and am lucky to be living here!
Crikey,blimey I'm sorry,who doesn't love an Aussie!
Nice work Nigel, love the natural view
Thank you Steven!
I like the set up that you did! But for me I would put the two small trees on the left side along the road not too close together! And as far as the rocks goes, I place it around the big tree and some towards the road! As always loved your work Nigel!
Beautiful work Nigel. You have a great 'eye' for naturalistic detail. Your videos are some of the most entertaining and instructive online. Can't wait to see what treats you have in store next ! P.S. Looking forward to the next update on the P afra forest :-)
Thank you Todd, an update will be coming soon!
Wooowwwww very nice 😉😃👌thank you sir, for me it's so inspiring 😃.
Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did making it!
Excellent Nigel, As someone else said, I like the thought process ..... it really turn out to be pretty cool
Thank you, I like the way it turned out also, I never know what it will look like when I start making the video!
This looks amazing.., I do love your pots as well
Thank you Pratapa!
It looks great! And I love the pot that you've used for this!
Thank you, I do like the final arrangement, I'll have to do some fine detailing for this years club show!
You are inspiring us with your cool ideas! Thanks for the great video!
Thank you!
excellent work Nigel ,very inspiring....
Thank you Chris!
Wow amazing landscape miniatur African style , I like it
Thank you Setiawan!
As always an impressive result!
Sometime in one of your videos I'd be interested in hearing you talk about fertilizing all your beautiful bonsai.
I will do that, coming soon!
Can't wait!!!
Also, I don't mind at all the little advertising videos you're starting to use. You should get something out of all the time you spend putting together these videos.
GARY
That Serissa is getting better and better..
I actually wired the branch on the right hand side to raise it up into the canopy better. Thanks and I see you have just published a video that I must watch!
It's scary don't watch it!
Beautiful. I am glad that you included the decision making process of this one.
Lots of decisions, I hope I got most of them right!
Congratulations! You are a great child whom you follow with pleasure, I subscribe!
Thank you Jossrun, great to have you on board!
Nice landscape👍🏽looks amazing
Thank you Carlos, good to hear!
Sir I am really amazed to see your works...
It really inspired me to start bonsai practice as well.... I am planning to start with a lemon tree, right from the seedling. Kindly post a video on the soil preparation and a video on moss culturing and other small plants that you use to give small details.... I made a small terrarium inside a light bulb out of moss. I would like you to see it. Thank you... And hats off again!!
Thanks Shivang, I'll try and get videos out on these subjects. Good luck with your trees and happy growing!
I suppose the aloe is your favorite bonsai - not only give you the pleasure of working on a bonsai, but also provide you food! ))))
P.S. I like the new landscape, is looking great!
Thanks, the Aloe sure grew more in a year than I expected!
Glad to hear it!
very inspiring. thank you for your awesome videos..
Thanks John, I like your thumbnail pic!
A really interesting and entertaining video, nice one 🌴
Thanks Gary!
awwwww....... so pretty and lovely... amazing video Nigel. .. as always, loved you attention to details.
(just my thought, you could have made the pathway more visible, broader towards the front and immediately narrowed and as a thin line towards the back to make it even more 3d look from the front)
over all... damn excellent video... super inspiring!!!
Thank Helen, great suggestions, I'm sure I'll be adding more detail in future! I was thinking of maybe a sign post also.
Wow... that will be cute...!!!
Como siempre maravillosoooo, buen trabajo felicitaciones
¡Muchas gracias amigo!
wow...wonderful penjing mr nigel
greetings from italy
Thank you Ronald!
I like much the land scape you created after so many exercises
Thank you, it was fun putting it all together, I have separated the trees now, but I'll be creating a different version of this in the future.
Very very nice Nigel and funny !
Thank you, I should have driven the Land Rover around with my hand and made truck noises....maybe not!
I started using drywall repair mesh to cover my drainage holes and I find it's really easy to use and inexpensive. it even holds itself in place as long as the pot is clean when you put it down. about 1/8inch size squares.
That sounds like a good idea!
Awesome! As always 😍
O'Neil 🌴✌🏾
Thanks O'Neil, lots of fun putting it all together!
eres el rey de los mini paisajes .enhorabuena
Gracias, son muy divertidos de crear, voy a estar haciendo más en futuros videos!
Nigel Saunders me gustan muchisimo. ademas de saber de bonsais ,sabes de paisajismo. es genial. perdoma,podias poner una actualizacion del ficus en las ruinas , que hicistes con espongas, tiene que estar impresionante . gracias. y gracias de nuevo por el esfuerzo de la traduccion. gracias
He decidido usar ladrillos de arcilla en lugar de las esponjas cubiertas de cemento. Me preocupaba que las raíces y el musgo no crezcan en el cemento y que el cemento no parezca realista en el futuro. Estaré trabajando en el proyecto de nuevo pronto!
Nigel Saunders ok. me parece bien .gracias de nuevo.😉
Really enjoyed watching how you build this landscape. The sand roadways were a nice touch but I wanted to ask if there was any need for concern about the sand working its way down into the root system and causing problems with roots/drainage
I have done this technique before and when I re potted the tree, the sand stayed as a nice layer on top of the bonsai soil. When the sand dries out it is a little more difficult to water, you need to wet the sand first and then you can water as per normal. The sand will actually draw moisture out of the bonsai soil up to the top layer of sand, it seems to keep your bonsai soil at a nice humidity level.
Very nice nigel!! "The Art of bonsai" right here thank you
Thank you Ryan!
*"Koppie"* means *hill* for those of you who weren't sure
Thanks Mitch!
you never disappoint
Thank you, this one was a lot of fun putting together!
Great idea and even better execution. I feel that as this landscape grows and you get the chance to refine it, it may soon become a real showpiece. On a side note, do you think that using worm 'wee' will be beneficial and sufficient fertilisation for my bonsai trees. I have a worm farm and have been wondering about it.
The worm castings are very good for the garden and may be of benefit to the bonsai as well. The fine particles may tend to clog up the air spaces in the bonsai soil, but I'm sure a layer on top of your planting wouldn't hurt. Some people put organic matter in tea bags and place these on top of the soil as a natural fertilizer. I would try it and see how it goes!
Are you going to keep the land rover in the landscape? if you did, you could always roll it along a little to get some tire tracks in the dirt for effect
Good suggestion, I'm going put some wheel ruts in the road and paint and detail the Land Rover better. I think I'll add a sign post also.
Nice video Nigel! Love the layout. For what its worth, your pronunciation of koppie at 2:33 is pretty close. The o-sound is closer to the o in core than in copy.
Thanks, I was looking it up how to pronounce it, nice to know!
nicely arrange.... beautiful
Thank you Hir Goghari. it took me a while to get it sorted out, but I am happy with the result!
great landscape Nigel. how small is too small when it comes to drainage mesh? if the mesh is fine enough to hold a bit of water, will that prevent airflow to any noticeable degree?
Yes, too small and the water won't drain through it well. I wouldn't go any smaller than the window screen size.
Nigel, thanks so much for posting. Recently watched your update on this one which was great. Where do you get your pots? I'm in central Ohio and wondering if online is best.
Most of the pots I have are used pots from other club members. I always check the sales tables at the bonsai shows for good deals on pots. I have only bought two new pots and they were on sale at half price from a store that was going out of business. I get a lot of my smaller pots at second hand stores, but these are usually very low quality.
Nice pots can be ordered on line, but I'm not sure where I'd go, maybe someone can help out?
Nigel Saunders I actually ordered a few 6 and 8 inch plastic training pots on amazon. I was really happy with the quality and the price.
Very beautiful landscape, I love the way you prune the big serissa (probably didn't spell that right). Have you had any experience with Hinoki cypress or false cypress? I just bought a young hinoki and from what I'm reading it seems like a finicky tree.
Thank you, I don't have any of those trees so I have no practical experience with them. All I can suggest is to try and find good articles on line. Good luck.
Amazing work and imagination! I enjoyed watching this and all of your videos. Any suggestion where to find those beautiful shallow pots?
Thank you!, I think the internet is the best place.
www.mecobonsai.com/Catalog/category/grove-tray-mica-pots-1
Looking good! But a slight nitpick: I think that maybe the feeling of the savanna might be improved if it was slightly more arid looking, because that yellow, dry looking grass is so tightly linked with savanna imagery.
I'll see what I can do, I know the image you are thinking of!
awesome job. every step was great ... but what did you do in 17:20 ? I'd say that is not the way you should cut it. these half leaves make it look nonnatural, and you easily destroy its habitus doing so. I'd prefer seletive pruning taking out bough for bough for a nice-ass look. Best wishes from Germany
The tree grows really fast after pruning, I have to prune it about 6 times a year. The hedge type pruning gets the profile in check and if the tree were to go in a show, I would carefully prune each branch, watching that I didn't cut through leaves.
Belo trabalho,um abraço do seu fã brasileiro!!!!!
Obrigado, foi muito divertido colocar a paisagem em conjunto!
Nigel Saunders adoro seus vídeos mesmo entendo pouco o inglês rsrs,para mim você é o melhor em penjing landscape parabéns!!
Wow....it's wonderful...one thing I want to ask you that do you make bonsai soil of your own or use a ready made one, coz. it looks different.......is there any special ingredient for bonsai soil.....
I mix my own soil up. The mix I use is half turface and half perlite, To this I add 10 to 20 percent shredded fir bark or composted pine bark. All materials are sifted to get a particle size of around 3 .5 mm or 1/8". This mix requires a lot of watering and misting, but I find the trees grow really well in it. It is great in the greenhouse!
Thanks for the information.....
Hi Nigel!
I really appreciate your videos, they are very inspiring!
I have a question for you: do you think it is fine to use stones collected from the sea side, or is it bad because of the salt?
I think if you washed the stones well, they would be fine to use. Thanks Aleksej!
Thanks for the response!
Beautiful arrangement Nigel. You've a lot of aquariums used as benches and work tables. Do/did you keep fish at some point?
I had a koi at one point, but it quickly out grew the aquarium. It went into a neighbors pond and lived a good long life. I got a bunch of aquariums at an auction and just use them as benches.
You have very beautiful serissa! I have a question about cuttings, have you had success with large serissa cuttings, I am thinking about doing a trunk chop and rooting the top. My trunk is about 1cm think. Do you think this would be successful?
Nice scenery :) I wonder, are you interested also in suiseki? With all those bonsai trees, I wouldn't be surprised If you have a collection of rocks in bowls in your house :)
I do like rocks and I collect any interesting ones I find, but there just aren't many good ones around my area. I don't have any formal displays.....yet!
Hizo
I love the pot. Can you tell me what it is and whether it is plastic or ceramic
Thanks
It is a plastic pot. They call them mica pots, they are 80% mica, 15% polyethylene and 5% graphite....
www.micamafco.com/micaplasticfiller17c64.html?nm=micaplastic
This is a masterpiece of bonsai. Have you ever given a thought to donating it to the National Bonsai Foundation? They would love to acquire it!
That would indeed be an honor! Thanks.
Great one, Nigel. What is the ratio of your soil? Thanks!
It is half turface and half perlite, To this I add 10 to 20 percent shredded fir bark or composted pine bark. All materials are sifted to get a particle size of around 3 .5 mm or 1/8". This mix requires a lot of watering and misting, but I find the trees grow really well in it.
hello from s.e Queensland nigel,lovely winter we are having here. i have some more dumb, off topic questions for you- i have some tropicals on my verandah at moment ( ficus- benjamina i think?, jade and dessert rose, they get about 5 hrs good sun this time off year. the days are still warm (20-25 degrees) but it is dropping to 7 degrees at night. should i bring them inside. also, i trunk chopped one yesterday, prob wrong time of year but it was annoying me, foliage on top was all yellow and trunk to long n skinny anyway. how should i treat it now? outside in sun? outside in shade or bring inside. thenk u, your help is always appreciated, love your vids, keen to see how your plumeria is progressing, kinda embarrassing as i planted mine about same time as yours but mine hasnt done much, seems you have more luck with tropical s in canada than i do in queensland, haha.
Hello Michael, I would leave your tropical's outside unless you are going to get frost. A rest period will do them good. You will get better growth when the weather starts warming up in your spring. I leave mine outside, right until we are about to get frost. They have seen many cold nights down to about 5 C. The tree that got chopped would do best if you bring it in at night and then back outside when it warms up in the late morning. I would give it full sun and mist it frequently. My Plumeria is just starting to put out its second group of leaves, just a little higher up from the first ones, very exciting!
Nigel Saunders thank you. did u see my question in your last vid about my lava rock cave? i really not sure how to go about it, any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks again mate. i just planted some cuttings from a variegated benjamina, looks cool, are they same to look after as regular benjamina?
I'll check for your comment. Yes the variegated can be cared for in the same manner.
Nigel Saunders cheers, i sent those photos plus my usual long winded ramble to kwbonsai, not sure if it made it. as is probably typical my ideas have since completely changed, haha, funny how the mind works. anyway have a good one and keep those vids coming!
The terra cotta was a nice touch
Thank you, it really matched the rock colour and helps give the feeling of being in Africa.
Is that three on the right-hand side of the window-sill dead? Maybe I missed a camera-perspective showing some.
No, the leaves are just starting to come out now, I defoliated the tree before I placed it in the greenhouse. It is a Ficus religiosa .
Beautiful!
Thank you Sally!
Hello Mr Nigel. I feel fortunate (every time you upload a video) that you upload all your work on this platform, and that I'm able to continue my hobby by plagiarising you in my garden! By the way, what is the temperature like when you see the wild saplings of fruiting trees ( specifically apple ) arising from the ground(in the spring)?
Regards from Hindustan
Now is a good time to plant seeds here. It is usually about 23 C in the afternoon and it goes down to about 13 C at night. It will be getting warmer as July approaches.
Nigel Saunders Thank you!
Hey Nigel, I just had a quick question for you. Im really interested in getting more into bonsai, but I just moved into an apartment that doesnt have very good lighting. Do you have any suggestions on tress that handle low light well? Thanks!
Check out LA Nolan's youtube channel. All his trees are growing indoors with grow lights.
th-cam.com/channels/UPnojoIz0Nrjet9XzGBD3Q.html
Most trees should have 4 hours of daylight per day, from a sunny window. If you don't have a window, you might have to use grow lights. You can get LED ones now that are a little cheaper to run.
Nigel, have you try drywall joint tape, work well for me for drainage holes.
Thank you, great tip, I'll try it out!
This is incredible
Thank you!!
Sir will u please tell me the bigger bonsai name use for this landscape
Was that the yucca in the background of the pine? It's looking lush!
Yes, I'm going to wait until mid summer before working on it.
Good video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Me again, thanks for your previous comment and sites provided. I had some questions and sorry that they don't all really relate specifically to this video, but I watch a bunch and get questions that I would rather ask once off.
1) I tried to do some research, but couldn't find anything specific. Why are you Sir Nigel Saunders?
2) Thank you so much, in your one video you spoke about your Asparagus fern, I have seen it in many videos, but only recently you mentioned the name. How did you train them to all "stick together"? Like it looks like one tree with many many roots coming down and I really like the look and would like to mimic it. I come from South Africa and didn't even know they were from here. I don't know why, but I get really giddy when I hear about people from other countries talking about South African stuff. I have an eastern white cedar which i believe is native to Canada. I am still looking for some maples though. Anyway back to the question, do you just clump a bunch of individual plants and "rubber band" train them? Do you have any videos where you talk about them in more detail? The one I recently watched you spoke about pruning it down from a very bushy looking plant.
3) I like how you often mention how it's nicer to grow bonsai from seeds as you get to choose what you want to do with it right from the beginning. I jumped in heads first with hundreds of seeds that are now currently in various stages of germination/ stratification/ growing. I do however have a few established bonsai, some very young/ small ones and some nursery stock I have been practicing on since it will be many many years before I can do anything with any of the trees that grow from the seeds I have. What I would like to know though, is how long should I wait before starting with any root work on the trees grown from seedling? Like removing the tap root and getting the root base to be radial?
4) Lastly, I am going on a hiking trip next week to try and collect some younger trees. I have the permission to dig out what I would like, but have never been on an actual dig. What would you recommend I take with to ensure a successful trip? What should I be weary of when digging out trees? I will only be going for trees which have a trunk thickness of the average human forearm +-.
Sorry for the really long comment and thanks in advance for all your help.
1) I am not a Sir Nigel Saunders, just regular Nigel Saunders.
2) The Asparagus "fern" started out life as a tiny plant that I was going to use as an accent plant with one of my bonsai trees. Little by little it grew over the 20 years and is now getting quite large. It is just one plant and as they get older, they grow multiple shoots off of the woody part on top.
3) The training of the seedlings can start after they get their first few sets of leaves. If you are careful, you can trim the tip off the tap root and start to grow your radial root base. Good aftercare is important. If you have many seedlings, you can experiment with them to find the best methods for that tree type. Always be on the lookout for a chance to experiment and learn!
4)I would start by collecting trees that are very young. You will have a better chance of having them live. The older the tree, the more the roots spread out and the more you will have to remove. I think of collecting as gathering genetic material sometimes. Once you have the tree, you can grow it and create cuttings from it for future trees. It is better to collect a small tree and have it live, than collect a larger tree and have it die.
Some of the older collected trees have many faults in them as bonsai and I would rather spend my time developing a small seedling to be a really nice bonsai, than living with the faults of an older collected tree.
Thanks so much for the comments and insight! Have a great day.