I'm a roofer in Yorkshire and often I pull bonsai from the guttering when cleaning them out. Sometimes the trees can be many years old and a perfect bonsai as the gutter has kept them small. My mum is delighted when I bring them to her house for her.
Well usually I'm doing work.on the roof and they are growing in the drainage channel(gutter) they just lift out as the roots cannot attach to the plastic. Next time you're walking around look up at th old buildings
thank you for the comment man my english when i want to speak is to unreadable but you talk straight out of my heart ! this man is a virtouos a master at work!
Since Ive found Peter on TH-cam a few years ago I have got over 75 different kinds of trees. Both paid and free. Its ALL addictive lol. My life has improved since doing bonsai
@@joedirt2862 thats awesome. Im so glad I got into bonsai. I always wanted to but didn't know it was so easy till I found Peter's videos. Its truly changed my life.
@@julesverne2509Few things are as relaxing and rewarding. I'm going yamadori hunting tomorrow for Hawthorne and bald cypress. I'm curious do you have cold weather where you live . I'm not sure if I could keep 70+ different trees alive thru winter.
"There is no excuse for NOT doing bonsai" is the most inclusive statement ever said about this art form I have ever heard. I am enjoying binging these videos. I used to be into bonsai maybe4 20 years ago, but found information conflicting and hard to come by. I am so glad people like you are here on TH-cam.
@jumsas1049 interesting. Tell me more. Is scratching your butt also a great sin? Im really scared of eternal damnation brother PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY SOUL PLEASE BROTHER
"Almost like collecting from the wild, except in this case the "wild" is in my garden." This is why this man is a master. His honesty and humility generates feelings of hope and inspiration for the future. Thank-you for sharing your desire for learning!
Who needs expensive bonsai books and tools We have @peter on our side. He makes us understand that the only thing needed is passion n paitence for bonsai hobbyists
I'd always thought that when digging up a tree an intact tap-root was essential for the plant's survival. Quite a revelation to see how they are whacked and chopped off as being unimportant in this video. This will definitely change my whole approach to collecting wild specimens in my yard!
@@jeroendutoux216 "Specimen: a part or individual taken as an example of a whole or of a class." So a wild oak or maple or whatever consists of a specimen of a plant that I might try to dig up and cultivate in a pot. What is your problem?
Yamadori is the way. Went on my annual trip with friends a couple of days ago and finally added a nice little oak to my collection. Two days later I watch Peter dig up oaks. :D
This is just like me, wandering around and roughly pulling seedlings out and dreaming of great futures for all of them. Can safely experiment with them, as there is no financial loss to risk. Of course, the emotional attachment starts even before the first green shoots!
I started my bonsai journey rooting willow branches, digging up invasive species from my yard, and sowing seeds. I love videos like this, just extra motivation! 😁
Just add a bit of rooting hormone. I saw another video of a guy using it on a 2’ chunk of fig trunk and 3 months later it had beautiful growth shooting out. From May to August. He just rubbed it on the moistened cambium layer he chipped a few openings to increase the exposed cambium and put it in a pot to do its thing.
Thank you, Peter. I have gotten several seedlings out of my yard and my next door neighbor has a maple tree that has gifted me with seedlings. If it is forbidden to get trees on public lands,perhaps people have friendly neighbors who won’t mind letting them get seedlings.
1 year into my bonsai journey all thanks you to Peter. You have changed my life as now I am always busy admiring and working with nature trees and plants in my free time when previously I never payed any attention to all the Beauty around me. Much love and respect to you and hope to visit herons after this covid eases ❤️
@@akykloforitanow amazing my back garden is now a like a mini forest and love checking it daily to see the growth and change. How is your journey going ?
Peter you a living legend, you are posting at least 1 hour of precious notions FREE for all of us sharing your experience only a very intelligent and loving person can do such to spread their knowledge as usual Tank you very much Giuliano from Verona
There's something poetic about the fact that any random shrub can be a treasure for a Bonsai Enthusiast. It's not the fault of the shrub that most people think it's "just" some random growth. It just needs the right person to look at it. Kinda like finding your significant other or he/she/they finding you.
My partner and I planted some seeds from a novelty bonsai kit, at the beginning of lockdown last March just to do something interesting. I'm so pleased we did it, we have 12 small trees we planted plus three more we dug from nearby forest. It is a fascinating hobby I did not expect to spend so much of my time on. We planted more seeds this year and a plan mapped out to learn from our mistakes and losses last year.
Bonsai forces you to think and encourages a deep sense of thought.....I sometimes wonder if that's why so many people aren't interested....lol I discovered this channel a little over a year ago and I now have 17 trees I'm all in on bonsai!!!!!!
Mr. Peter, undoubtedly, you are the most invaluable artist and of course, a living legend in the field of Bonsai, because, in spite of, being one of the senior most International Bonsai artists n authour of so many Bonsai books, you are far away from ego, complex n proud & so polite, so docile n so energetic. Even in this age, your every video inspires the new crop of Bonsai Lovers. You would remain everlasting TOURCH to the future generations. Wish🙏 you a good health to serve even futher..................................
Peter is such an amazing human being! Teaching us all how to make pots for free and now bonsai tree's for free. I love learning from these video's and we are so lucky to have Peter making these for us!
I always love it when people can look at something and can see the end result. Doesnt matter which profession or artform. Truly amazing. While looking at the trees he probably is picturing it with leafs already
I really liked this episode. He really does his best to make Bonsai accessible for all. The biggest barrier for me was the cost of entry. My local grower has small Bonsai for $250. I understand that the growers have time invested etc. I do however live on 30 acres of woods and can start my own Bonsai like this. Thank you for putting this together.
Sir, it would be lovely to see these trees in half a year, a year and so on. A few days ago I hardly new what a bonsai is. I am falling in love with them. And I will start from scratch. Thank you very much.
It would be awesome to see these trees in a few months/next year! I started with my bonsai journey last year and I've been learning a lot and a lot thanks to Peter! I absolutely love this channel
Loved this video! I have dozens of trees I am growing into bonsai, and I have never paid for a single one. Nice to see I'm on the right track. Thanks, Peter!
Peter, this video is so perfectly timed for me. I'm actually digging up some young oaks a neighbor of mine has on his yard. 3 to be exact. I'm just waiting for the snow to melt here New York so I can go get them. Haven't spent any money at all yet. I might need to buy some soil though. I also collected a bunch of acorns and maple seeds last fall, and put them small pots with soil. I'm waiting to see how many sprout.
I’m so grateful I’ve discovered your channel. This video (which I’m rewatching thanks to insomnia) inspired me to start my first bonsai project using a native ashe juniper that grows everywhere where I live.
This man is literally the magician of bonsai the way he just digs up and tree snip here snip there hear a snip is there a snip then bonsai brings them to life... truly magical
There’s this very beautiful something growing in my neighbour’s garden. It has nice light, greyish branches and really beautiful tiny little pink flowers throughout spring… I’ve been thinking about stealing a couple of twigs for at least a month by now. It’s a bush now a tree but I really want to try turning it into a bonsai. It’s going to be my first attempt and I’m really excited! Let’s hope this video helps me!
Thanks for this Peter. My favourite bonsai are the ones I have collected as seedlings in the gardens I have had, hazel, a Golden Yew, hawthorn, berberis. All for sentimental reasons and memories of those houses.
I've always wanted a bonsai but could really never afford one. Especially not knowing if I would end up killing it. I so wish I had found this channel years ago. I will now have one and not only that but also have one I designed from the start. It's exciting. Thank you so very much for sharing of your great knowledge.
What a lovely and great video! I loved every minute of it and/because it's exactly how I started the practice of my bonsaï hobby myself, several decades ago. For me, that is what it's all about: start from "scratch" and starting and "building" bonsaï trees, during the seasons and the years. Great! That gives me even more pleasure than maintaining a bonsaï that is "ready" so to speak (of course, they are actually never "ready" and evolving as long as they live). From your words, mr Chan, I learn that this is even for you "back to the roots", isn't it? In this video, you actually proved that bonsaï is really accessible for anyone who would like to give it a try and everybody can find free starting material everywhere so one really doesn't has to be afraid or rich. You can even use simple flower pots, as you showed, and bonsaï pots or (quite expensive) alu wire are not needed immediately. Even today, after a bit of gardening, I found a little box plant seedling: of course I potted it up (in a little flower pot). Perhaps a little tip for those who do not want to wire: soon (or perhaps already) you will be able to find horn beam seedlings almost everywhere. This tree tends to grow most of its branches horizontally and quite often, no wiring is needed (only pruning). A flower pot with a draining hole and some normal potting soil (perhaps mixed with a bit of sand) will do the trick for just starting up. Just give it a try! Thank you, mr Chan and mr Jack, for this most inspiring and instructive video!
@@peterchan3100 My dear mr Chan, I can assure you: the feeling is very mutual...! I never wrote you this but when I started to watch all your videos, I found it highly remarkable that you always and consistently speak in terms of "us" and "we" when you're speaking and telling about Herons. That tells me that you're a truly humble person who respects all your team members and the work they do. I appreciate things like that: they tell me a lot about people and how and who they are. I think that you are a remarkable person and obviously I'm not the only one... Let's hope you can provide us all with instructive, inspiring and nice videos for a very long time!
Mr Chan, you have taught us so much. Thank you for sharing your incredible wisdom and insight with us. I'm amazed how fit you are given your respectable age. You're an inspiration through and through. I wish you a hundred more healthy, long, and happy years!! Much love from the USA.
Im super excited to get this as I am planning this year's garden and wondered what to do with a few saplings I have. Thanks for all your hard work amd patience, Jack!!😁
Sharon here.... this video has inspired me to dig in my yard for small saplings, I know I have holly, maple and oak for sure! Thanks for taking the time to encourage us to try! ❤🙄🇺🇸
I'm so glad I found this video. I'm wanting to try bonsai, and my parents have offered to let me have any of the many seedlings that pop up in their yard. I'm going to go hunting for little trees this weekend.
I love the "bonsai for free"... it's true! I once dug up a wysteria which I trained into a cascading bonsai which was especially beautiful when in bloom. When I moved I gave it to a friend. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I'm continuing to learn. I had not thought of the hundreds of oak seedlings in my yard! I'm sitting on a treasure trove!
I've dug up and planted a young plum tree in a plant pot (we have 4 full grown ones in our garden). Fingers crossed it survives and I can turn it into a bonsai.
I absolutely love these videos. Did anyone notice that Peter's boots do not match in this video? LOVE that! He makes us all feel so welcome inviting us into his own garden in his no nonsense way-- sticking with his goal of bringing the art of bonsai to all.
Thank you so much Peter for showing me that I can add to my Bonsai collection grown from seed. I have two beautiful Horse Chestnut trees grown from conkers one 20 years ago and another about 30 years ago. I think I have let them do their own thing in their pots which is I am sure is far too big to call a Bonsai, but the fresh leaf that imerges every spring is so delightful. Thank you so much for your generosity and sharing your knowledge on this medium.
I dug up a very nice little downy oak yesterday. It's probably 5 or 6 years old and it has lovely tiny leaves. I was afraid it might not survive because it doesn't have a lot of roots, but I'm glad to see that you actually use oak trees with few roots too. It's going to be my first bonsai! I learn a lot about trees and bonsai thanks to your videos. Thank you!
I recently picked up a 12" wide Kousa Dogwood stump with two 3" branches cut at about 12" long. It is an ugly little mess but in a few years, I believe it will turn into a beauty. My neighbor had removed it from their landscape and put it at the curb.
This is exactly what I've been looking for & SOOooo much wanting to learn how to make a bonsai tree, from scratch. Thankyou so very much my friend. Bless you x🌱🌿☘🍀🍃🌲🌳🍁
Been a tough time in lock down. I’ve stayed positive with new hobbies and craft. Thank you Peter for your wisdom and knowledge. All for free and zero waste. Humanity personified! - Southampton uk.
As a poor grad student, all of my bonsai are foundlings, either as wee seedlings or seeds I planted myself. The only trees I "bought" are the ones that came as seeds in the fruits that I eat.
@@spormlastname267 - Very true - I once visited a sewage works and the supervisor told me that all the tomato plants growing around were from the effluent - you guessed it !!
@@qewfsdsd65445 Nope, I'm a grad student in wildlife behavior! I started growing penjing from seed because I desperately wanted to have my own little trees but couldn't afford to buy any at my local nurseries. I buy pomegranates and citrus fruits, because they're easiest to germinate. Just eat the fruit around them, pop them in a little pot with soil, keep the soil moist but not soggy, and you'll have little trees in no time! I particularly like pomegranates, because you get so many seeds that germinate, so you can try different things and see what the seedlings respond to best. I've also had good luck with keeping them alive indoors during cold periods and putting them outside during the summer.
@@spormlastname267 Strangely enough, I've mastered the difficult technique of "spitting out seeds". See, the concept is very easy; when you eat, say, a pomegranate, instead of crushing the seeds with your teeth and swallowing them, I instead employ the advanced biomechanic tactic of "spitting"! Same thing for fruits like oranges, or cherries, or even apples. It provides me with a bountiful crop of tree seedlings!
My girlfriend got me a little bonsai starting kit and got me very interested in bonsai. After watching the videos from this man I feel like I’ve learned a lot and enough to get started in the process.
I’ve always wanted to grow my own bonsai trees since I was a kid but never felt like I had the money until I saw this video. Couldn’t find seedlings on today’s walk (I live in a city and only have a few spots I can look in) so I have taken cuttings from various trees and I’m hoping they grow roots 🤞🏻 think one of the trees I took cuttings from is a juniper 🤷🏻♂️ and I have one sapling growing in my garden that I’m going to try and use. Thank you for your videos
I just dug out a japanese maple from my garden few days ago. And last year I went to the woods and got some seedlings from there. From my parents garden I got a small spruce 😊
This one is very inspiring, thanks a lot! It encouraged me to look out for a little maple. The problem was, I haven't got a garden with these trees growing, being cut back every year to get a nice taper to start with. So I remembered this little street along the railway, where I used to cycle for several years to bring my daughter to childcare. Once or twice a year the rail workers cut back everything growing on the railway embankment. So I went there and it didn't take me longer than 10 minutes to discover a very nice little maple that had been cut back several times. There was not much room for digging, so in the end the tree had almost no fine roots left. I put it in a pot and hope it can recover until winter comes. It has so beautiful little leaves, I look at it every day and feel fine. If it survives I will begin to shape it next year.
You have inspired me to have a go! I found so many plants this morning 😁 so I’m spending the day making myself bonsi! Thanks so much for your time and instructions, your wonderful! 🤗
My interest in bonsai began with finding small seedlings volunteering in my yard! Would love to see what your silver birch looks like now...5 months later. Thanks for all of your wonderful videos!. They are very informative.
Never seen a bonsai created from English holly before. I would be interested to see an example. Japanese holly bonsai are quite common. The holly was cultivated by farmers to provide winter feed from the young shoots for the cattle.
I just went out into the bush and got one this morning. Too much fun!! I’m in northern Manitoba Canada and I have learned so much from your channel. Thank you sir.
Amazing video. For so many years I have been afraid of damaging the tap roots so would never have thought it possible to bonsai tree like these. Many thanks for this eye opening video
Mr. Chan, you are like a creator who sees the sculpture in every rock. The trees are waiting for your magic touch. Thank you. I love bonsai n hope to create one,free
I'm going to try doing a cottoneaster horizontalis bonsai, I have a large plant that drops loads of berries that grow easy and they grow very fast, I have grown new plants that are 3-4 feet tall after 2 years, they are up against a wall and look lovely
Thanks for making this video. There’s a 5 year old oak growing in my yard I’d like to dig out and your advice on how to handle an oak with little roots was exactly what I needed to hear.
Respect from India, admire your knowledge and thank you for sharing it. Trust me this is very addictive in a good ways. I have been watching you since last 2 month and I got more than 10 trees. Will start practice in next few months on them.
So very knowledgeable, thanks very much I just purchased my first Bonsai from a local garden centre and found your TH-cam channel whilst looking how to care for it.
I was thinking to myself that it would be impossible for me to use seedlings from the garden because I don't have one-- I live within a homeowners' association, so I have to use grow-bags in place of my vegetable garden. Lo' and behold, a squirrel buried a walnut in one of my growbags... It turned into a vigorous seedling over the course of Spring, about a cubit in length and still supple for wiring. How novel!
@@promugg yet I've lost count of Bonsai lost to people who with even the best intentions fail. I don't need excuses I except I'm no master, I'm human and make mistakes all the time, as long as I learn from my mistakes I'm growing too.
@@kiwibonsai2355 i can accept that nobody's perfect. But saying that to just take care of a bonsai you need to be a rare and special person seems demeaning to amateur bonsai enthusiasts. Some trees will survive when neglected and some trees will die when perfectly looked after. The point of this video is that bonsai is in reach for everyone who chooses to pursue it.
Thank you for the video. Once again you have inspired me to go to the garden and start digging up and Re-potting saplings. I stopped the video half way through, worked my bonsais and then carried on watching it when it got dark. I felt better afterwards....
I'm a roofer in Yorkshire and often I pull bonsai from the guttering when cleaning them out. Sometimes the trees can be many years old and a perfect bonsai as the gutter has kept them small. My mum is delighted when I bring them to her house for her.
Buddlea, Silver birch etc etc grow like weeds in the guttering.
How exactly do you get these bonsai out? Where do they grow?
Well usually I'm doing work.on the roof and they are growing in the drainage channel(gutter) they just lift out as the roots cannot attach to the plastic. Next time you're walking around look up at th old buildings
Me too. Thanks man for sharing same experience.
You just gave me extra motivation to clean my gutters
The amount of selflessness you show when you share your knowledge is admirable. Thanks for being awesome Pete.
In my mind I always say it with his accent too, it makes me happy 😂😂
thank you for the comment man my english when i want to speak is to unreadable but you talk straight out of my heart ! this man is a virtouos a master at work!
*peter
@@mchlbk what you want Tell us with Peter ?
@@thatswhyudie That he's called Peter, not Pete. We don't shorten names like that in Europe. My name is Michael. Calling me Mike makes my skin crawl.
Since Ive found Peter on TH-cam a few years ago I have got over 75 different kinds of trees. Both paid and free. Its ALL addictive lol. My life has improved since doing bonsai
That's awesome. I'm at 11 trees 4 species all free.
@@joedirt2862 thats awesome. Im so glad I got into bonsai. I always wanted to but didn't know it was so easy till I found Peter's videos. Its truly changed my life.
@@julesverne2509Few things are as
relaxing and rewarding. I'm going yamadori hunting tomorrow for Hawthorne and bald cypress. I'm curious do you have cold weather where you live . I'm not sure if I could keep 70+ different trees alive thru winter.
I'm at no trees right now but I've planted 7 seeds 2 weeks ago
How did you learn? I have got 4 trees but don’t know what I’m really doing
"There is no excuse for NOT doing bonsai" is the most inclusive statement ever said about this art form I have ever heard. I am enjoying binging these videos. I used to be into bonsai maybe4 20 years ago, but found information conflicting and hard to come by. I am so glad people like you are here on TH-cam.
Making bonsai from a tree, especially root pruning is a great sin.
@jumsas1049 interesting. Tell me more. Is scratching your butt also a great sin? Im really scared of eternal damnation brother PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY SOUL PLEASE BROTHER
"Almost like collecting from the wild, except in this case the "wild" is in my garden." This is why this man is a master. His honesty and humility generates feelings of hope and inspiration for the future. Thank-you for sharing your desire for learning!
Dude this line got me good the first time and now remembering it the second time 😂
“Bonsai for free” is my new mantra while I scavenge my neighborhood
"Bonsai for Free" I screech at my neighbors as they throw rocks at me and tell me to get out of their yards. ;)
"Bonsai for Free!!" I whisper as I dig up my most hated neighbours' newly planted apple sapling on a cloudy night ;P
All I see when I drive around my city are potential trees to dig up. I also see myself getting into trouble doing this...
“Bonsai for free” I sneer at my wife's boyfriend while i make haste from the wardrobe within!😂😂
@@Rocketogre 😂 it a funny because it s true
You’re the Bob Ross of bonsai, thank you :)
Much love from Los Angeles, California.
AGREED ..BOTH MY HEROES OF THEIR TRADE
This man is a legend
He truly is. I admire his philosophy of life. Truly admirable
Its the odd Wellingtons for me
“There’s no excuse to not do bonsai”
😂😂
Who needs expensive bonsai books and tools
We have @peter on our side. He makes us understand that the only thing needed is passion n paitence for bonsai hobbyists
@@alvoefc801 - I cant afford new Wellies - Beauty in Poverty - All Zen principles !!
I'd always thought that when digging up a tree an intact tap-root was essential for the plant's survival. Quite a revelation to see how they are whacked and chopped off as being unimportant in this video. This will definitely change my whole approach to collecting wild specimens in my yard!
Wild specimen lol
Collecting specimen? Dude you live in space or what? Give me w/e you are smoking bro it must be gud 😎
@@jeroendutoux216 "Specimen: a part or individual taken as an example of a whole or of a class." So a wild oak or maple or whatever consists of a specimen of a plant that I might try to dig up and cultivate in a pot. What is your problem?
@@jeroendutoux216 explain me what is a specimen for you ?
@@jeroendutoux216 🤨
This is what it's all about. Taking something a bit rough around the edges and investing some optimism in it!
I've never seen anything more Japanese than the "Hiiiiii" battlecry you made when you cut the big root! Very nice content sir!
Inner samurai escaped for a second
23:45
@@Milark He turned 20 yrs old for a sec there. Lol.
He's not japanese though? 😂
@@Ajnav - You don't have to be Japanese to give that cry !!
A quick warning on this technique: it is addictive !
Agree I am obsessed with looking at opertunites when am out and about
@@ssal4699 Haha me too
Yamadori is the way. Went on my annual trip with friends a couple of days ago and finally added a nice little oak to my collection. Two days later I watch Peter dig up oaks. :D
Yeah it always starts with one, and suddenly you run out of space 😅
😂😂😂😂
This is just like me, wandering around and roughly pulling seedlings out and dreaming of great futures for all of them. Can safely experiment with them, as there is no financial loss to risk. Of course, the emotional attachment starts even before the first green shoots!
Very well said.
I started my bonsai journey rooting willow branches, digging up invasive species from my yard, and sowing seeds. I love videos like this, just extra motivation! 😁
Master: cut roots, cut branches -> bonsai.
Me: cut roots, cut branches -> dead log.
No No No - you are better than that.
Just add a bit of rooting hormone. I saw another video of a guy using it on a 2’ chunk of fig trunk and 3 months later it had beautiful growth shooting out. From May to August. He just rubbed it on the moistened cambium layer he chipped a few openings to increase the exposed cambium and put it in a pot to do its thing.
LOL. You are not alone. But let's listen to the master and try again.
I am wondering the same thing…
😂😂😂
Thank you, Peter. I have gotten several seedlings out of my yard and my next door neighbor has a maple tree that has gifted me with seedlings. If it is forbidden to get trees on public lands,perhaps people have friendly neighbors who won’t mind letting them get seedlings.
1 year into my bonsai journey all thanks you to Peter. You have changed my life as now I am always busy admiring and working with nature trees and plants in my free time when previously I never payed any attention to all the Beauty around me. Much love and respect to you and hope to visit herons after this covid eases ❤️
How is it going so far?
@@akykloforitanow amazing my back garden is now a like a mini forest and love checking it daily to see the growth and change. How is your journey going ?
Peter you a living legend, you are posting at least 1 hour of precious notions FREE for all of us sharing your experience only a very intelligent and loving person can do such to spread their knowledge as usual Tank you very much Giuliano from Verona
Thank you Giuliano.
One mans weeding is another mans treasure trove...I absolutely love his attitude :)
Jack, the Jamie of Bonsai. “Jack pull it up” what a fantastic job to have learning from such a master.
All my trees are grown from seed or things people did no longer want, best way to bonsai
There's something poetic about the fact that any random shrub can be a treasure for a Bonsai Enthusiast. It's not the fault of the shrub that most people think it's "just" some random growth. It just needs the right person to look at it. Kinda like finding your significant other or he/she/they finding you.
My partner and I planted some seeds from a novelty bonsai kit, at the beginning of lockdown last March just to do something interesting. I'm so pleased we did it, we have 12 small trees we planted plus three
more we dug from nearby forest. It is a fascinating hobby I did not expect to spend so much of my time on. We planted more seeds this year and a plan mapped out to learn from our mistakes and losses last year.
Bonsai forces you to think and encourages a deep sense of thought.....I sometimes wonder if that's why so many people aren't interested....lol I discovered this channel a little over a year ago and I now have 17 trees I'm all in on bonsai!!!!!!
"Look at that stumpy thing...that's a beauty, isn't it?" Seeing potential in the mundane. :)
I think I found a new hobby. I love how he pictures the potential beauty of things people would normally overlook.
Peter, it's your boundless enthusiasm which makes these videos so fun to watch. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and love for nature. :)
Mr. Peter, undoubtedly, you are the most invaluable artist and of course, a living legend in the field of Bonsai, because, in spite of, being one of the senior most International Bonsai artists n authour of so many Bonsai books, you are far away
from ego, complex n proud & so polite, so docile n so energetic. Even in this age, your every video inspires the new crop of Bonsai Lovers. You would remain everlasting TOURCH to the future generations. Wish🙏 you a good health to serve even futher..................................
Peter is such an amazing human being! Teaching us all how to make pots for free and now bonsai tree's for free. I love learning from these video's and we are so lucky to have Peter making these for us!
I always love it when people can look at something and can see the end result. Doesnt matter which profession or artform. Truly amazing. While looking at the trees he probably is picturing it with leafs already
I really liked this episode. He really does his best to make Bonsai accessible for all. The biggest barrier for me was the cost of entry. My local grower has small Bonsai for $250. I understand that the growers have time invested etc. I do however live on 30 acres of woods and can start my own Bonsai like this. Thank you for putting this together.
Well, living on 30 acres of woods you could even start your own bonsaï nursery...!
Sir, it would be lovely to see these trees in half a year, a year and so on. A few days ago I hardly new what a bonsai is. I am falling in love with them. And I will start from scratch. Thank you very much.
Unless of course they get sold - so many people ask to buy the trees I make on YT.
It would be awesome to see these trees in a few months/next year!
I started with my bonsai journey last year and I've been learning a lot and a lot thanks to Peter! I absolutely love this channel
Loved this video! I have dozens of trees I am growing into bonsai, and I have never paid for a single one. Nice to see I'm on the right track. Thanks, Peter!
It's time to go (late Feb) and do just this!! If the ground is moist the plants pull up nicely, sometimes without digging!!
Great fun video Peter! You're so fortunate to have all those seedlings ❤
Peter, this video is so perfectly timed for me. I'm actually digging up some young oaks a neighbor of mine has on his yard. 3 to be exact. I'm just waiting for the snow to melt here New York so I can go get them. Haven't spent any money at all yet. I might need to buy some soil though. I also collected a bunch of acorns and maple seeds last fall, and put them small pots with soil. I'm waiting to see how many sprout.
Maples and acorns can take up to 2 years to sprout, dont thrown them out if they havent done anything next year :)
@@zoutewand Really is that true? I checked and most of them have roots already.
They can take up to 2 years, doesnt mean they always need that long :)
@@zoutewand thanks for the heads up though I'll give them time if needed
30+ years ago I worked in a Japanese garden and got interested in Bonsai and now you're bringing it all back with more. Thank you.
I’m so grateful I’ve discovered your channel. This video (which I’m rewatching thanks to insomnia) inspired me to start my first bonsai project using a native ashe juniper that grows everywhere where I live.
This man is literally the magician of bonsai the way he just digs up and tree snip here snip there hear a snip is there a snip then bonsai brings them to life... truly magical
This man is so amazing and welcoming into the world of Bonsai. Thank you Herons Bonsai!
If youre new to bonsai. This is the best channel trust me.
I smiled through this whole video! What a generous, life-affirming gift to all of us who aspire to create bonsai plants. Thank you for forever!
There’s this very beautiful something growing in my neighbour’s garden. It has nice light, greyish branches and really beautiful tiny little pink flowers throughout spring… I’ve been thinking about stealing a couple of twigs for at least a month by now. It’s a bush now a tree but I really want to try turning it into a bonsai. It’s going to be my first attempt and I’m really excited! Let’s hope this video helps me!
Just dig it out Jack!
"Its free. No excuse for doing bonsai." Recently found your channel, and I love listening to your knowledge on bonsai. Happy Growing!!
Thanks for this Peter. My favourite bonsai are the ones I have collected as seedlings in the gardens I have had, hazel, a Golden Yew, hawthorn, berberis. All for sentimental reasons and memories of those houses.
I've always wanted a bonsai but could really never afford one. Especially not knowing if I would end up killing it. I so wish I had found this channel years ago. I will now have one and not only that but also have one I designed from the start. It's exciting. Thank you so very much for sharing of your great knowledge.
What a lovely and great video! I loved every minute of it and/because it's exactly how I started the practice of my bonsaï hobby myself, several decades ago. For me, that is what it's all about: start from "scratch" and starting and "building" bonsaï trees, during the seasons and the years. Great! That gives me even more pleasure than maintaining a bonsaï that is "ready" so to speak (of course, they are actually never "ready" and evolving as long as they live). From your words, mr Chan, I learn that this is even for you "back to the roots", isn't it?
In this video, you actually proved that bonsaï is really accessible for anyone who would like to give it a try and everybody can find free starting material everywhere so one really doesn't has to be afraid or rich. You can even use simple flower pots, as you showed, and bonsaï pots or (quite expensive) alu wire are not needed immediately. Even today, after a bit of gardening, I found a little box plant seedling: of course I potted it up (in a little flower pot). Perhaps a little tip for those who do not want to wire: soon (or perhaps already) you will be able to find horn beam seedlings almost everywhere. This tree tends to grow most of its branches horizontally and quite often, no wiring is needed (only pruning). A flower pot with a draining hole and some normal potting soil (perhaps mixed with a bit of sand) will do the trick for just starting up. Just give it a try!
Thank you, mr Chan and mr Jack, for this most inspiring and instructive video!
Thank you for your comments - as they say in English - you are a man after my own heart - ie -you are on the same wavelength.
@@peterchan3100 My dear mr Chan, I can assure you: the feeling is very mutual...!
I never wrote you this but when I started to watch all your videos, I found it highly remarkable that you always and consistently speak in terms of "us" and "we" when you're speaking and telling about Herons. That tells me that you're a truly humble person who respects all your team members and the work they do. I appreciate things like that: they tell me a lot about people and how and who they are. I think that you are a remarkable person and obviously I'm not the only one... Let's hope you can provide us all with instructive, inspiring and nice videos for a very long time!
Mr Chan, you have taught us so much. Thank you for sharing your incredible wisdom and insight with us. I'm amazed how fit you are given your respectable age. You're an inspiration through and through. I wish you a hundred more healthy, long, and happy years!!
Much love from the USA.
Im super excited to get this as I am planning this year's garden and wondered what to do with a few saplings I have.
Thanks for all your hard work amd patience, Jack!!😁
Sharon here.... this video has inspired me to dig in my yard for small saplings, I know I have holly, maple and oak for sure! Thanks for taking the time to encourage us to try! ❤🙄🇺🇸
I'm so glad I found this video. I'm wanting to try bonsai, and my parents have offered to let me have any of the many seedlings that pop up in their yard. I'm going to go hunting for little trees this weekend.
I love the "bonsai for free"... it's true! I once dug up a wysteria which I trained into a cascading bonsai which was especially beautiful when in bloom. When I moved I gave it to a friend. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I'm continuing to learn. I had not thought of the hundreds of oak seedlings in my yard! I'm sitting on a treasure trove!
I've dug up and planted a young plum tree in a plant pot (we have 4 full grown ones in our garden). Fingers crossed it survives and I can turn it into a bonsai.
I absolutely love these videos. Did anyone notice that Peter's boots do not match in this video? LOVE that! He makes us all feel so welcome inviting us into his own garden in his no nonsense way-- sticking with his goal of bringing the art of bonsai to all.
I told you - I can't afford to keep buying new wellies. So have to keep using old ones that dont match.
@@peterchan3100 Heart that! Who needs new wellies when you've got old mismatched ones that do the trick!
Thank you so much Peter for showing me that I can add to my Bonsai collection grown from seed. I have two beautiful Horse Chestnut trees grown from conkers one 20 years ago and another about 30 years ago. I think I have let them do their own thing in their pots which is I am sure is far too big to call a Bonsai, but the fresh leaf that imerges every spring is so delightful. Thank you so much for your generosity and sharing your knowledge on this medium.
I could sit and watch this master all day long. Thank you for sharing your knowledge Peter
Great video. I think its fun to make your own bonsai from next to nothing. Gives a real sense of pride.
Thank you x
]p
“How cute is that?” It is indeed very cute 😊
I dug up a very nice little downy oak yesterday. It's probably 5 or 6 years old and it has lovely tiny leaves. I was afraid it might not survive because it doesn't have a lot of roots, but I'm glad to see that you actually use oak trees with few roots too. It's going to be my first bonsai! I learn a lot about trees and bonsai thanks to your videos. Thank you!
But plant them in deep flower pots first to let them grow more roots- not in bonsai pots straightaway
@@peterchan3100 I did put it in a deep flower pot, and I'll probably put it in a large crate when it's time to repot it.
I recently picked up a 12" wide Kousa Dogwood stump with two 3" branches cut at about 12" long. It is an ugly little mess but in a few years, I believe it will turn into a beauty. My neighbor had removed it from their landscape and put it at the curb.
Bonsai for everyone. I have learned a lot from you for free.
This is exactly what I've been looking for & SOOooo much wanting to learn how to make a bonsai tree, from scratch. Thankyou so very much my friend. Bless you x🌱🌿☘🍀🍃🌲🌳🍁
THANK you Peter or blessing us with another great video! Keep up the marvelous work 🙏🏼
Been a tough time in lock down. I’ve stayed positive with new hobbies and craft. Thank you Peter for your wisdom and knowledge. All for free and zero waste. Humanity personified! - Southampton uk.
As a poor grad student, all of my bonsai are foundlings, either as wee seedlings or seeds I planted myself. The only trees I "bought" are the ones that came as seeds in the fruits that I eat.
Did you digest them and shit them out? That’s the only way, imho.
@@spormlastname267 - Very true - I once visited a sewage works and the supervisor told me that all the tomato plants growing around were from the effluent - you guessed it !!
@@qewfsdsd65445 Nope, I'm a grad student in wildlife behavior! I started growing penjing from seed because I desperately wanted to have my own little trees but couldn't afford to buy any at my local nurseries. I buy pomegranates and citrus fruits, because they're easiest to germinate. Just eat the fruit around them, pop them in a little pot with soil, keep the soil moist but not soggy, and you'll have little trees in no time! I particularly like pomegranates, because you get so many seeds that germinate, so you can try different things and see what the seedlings respond to best. I've also had good luck with keeping them alive indoors during cold periods and putting them outside during the summer.
@@rachelwebber3605 -Thats a wonderful way to start - you can make some very nice bonsai from seed. Especially pomegranate and citrus
@@spormlastname267 Strangely enough, I've mastered the difficult technique of "spitting out seeds". See, the concept is very easy; when you eat, say, a pomegranate, instead of crushing the seeds with your teeth and swallowing them, I instead employ the advanced biomechanic tactic of "spitting"! Same thing for fruits like oranges, or cherries, or even apples. It provides me with a bountiful crop of tree seedlings!
My girlfriend got me a little bonsai starting kit and got me very interested in bonsai. After watching the videos from this man I feel like I’ve learned a lot and enough to get started in the process.
I would love to see these in future years
Same! Especially that potential Cascade and Birch.
I have never watched a video that kept a continuous smile on my face, until this one.
Peter, I hope you know how inspiring you are! Thank you!
I’ve always wanted to grow my own bonsai trees since I was a kid but never felt like I had the money until I saw this video. Couldn’t find seedlings on today’s walk (I live in a city and only have a few spots I can look in) so I have taken cuttings from various trees and I’m hoping they grow roots 🤞🏻 think one of the trees I took cuttings from is a juniper 🤷🏻♂️ and I have one sapling growing in my garden that I’m going to try and use. Thank you for your videos
Excellent tutorial, as always Peter. Please show us the deciduous ones after they leaf out.
Thank you for posting these videos. They are helpful to my budding hobby and relaxing to watch.
I just dug out a japanese maple from my garden few days ago. And last year I went to the woods and got some seedlings from there. From my parents garden I got a small spruce 😊
This one is very inspiring, thanks a lot! It encouraged me to look out for a little maple.
The problem was, I haven't got a garden with these trees growing, being cut back every year to get a nice taper to start with. So I remembered this little street along the railway, where I used to cycle for several years to bring my daughter to childcare. Once or twice a year the rail workers cut back everything growing on the railway embankment. So I went there and it didn't take me longer than 10 minutes to discover a very nice little maple that had been cut back several times. There was not much room for digging, so in the end the tree had almost no fine roots left. I put it in a pot and hope it can recover until winter comes. It has so beautiful little leaves, I look at it every day and feel fine.
If it survives I will begin to shape it next year.
Thank you for this video Peter, there’s not many saplings left near me now 😂
Thank you Master! I'm 53 and just started learning bonsai, thanks to you! Much Blessings
You have inspired me to have a go! I found so many plants this morning 😁 so I’m spending the day making myself bonsi! Thanks so much for your time and instructions, your wonderful! 🤗
My interest in bonsai began with finding small seedlings volunteering in my yard!
Would love to see what your silver birch looks like now...5 months later.
Thanks for all of your wonderful videos!. They are very informative.
Never seen a bonsai created from English holly before. I would be interested to see an example. Japanese holly bonsai are quite common. The holly was cultivated by farmers to provide winter feed from the young shoots for the cattle.
Ditto! All of the hollys I've seen have been in hedges, pots for hedges, or as Christmas decorations. XD Would love to see one as a bonsai!
I just went out into the bush and got one this morning. Too much fun!! I’m in northern Manitoba Canada and I have learned so much from your channel. Thank you sir.
I found 8 seedlings of Camellia underneath one of the trees in my parents garden. They have several both japonica and the williamsii hybrid.
Amazing video. For so many years I have been afraid of damaging the tap roots so would never have thought it possible to bonsai tree like these. Many thanks for this eye opening video
He’s loping that shrub without mercy knowing in his heart it will live. And here I am unable to keep crab grass alive...
Mr. Chan, you are like a creator who sees the sculpture in every rock. The trees are waiting for your magic touch. Thank you. I love bonsai n hope to create one,free
I'm going to try doing a cottoneaster horizontalis bonsai, I have a large plant that drops loads of berries that grow easy and they grow very fast, I have grown new plants that are 3-4 feet tall after 2 years, they are up against a wall and look lovely
Thanks for making this video. There’s a 5 year old oak growing in my yard I’d like to dig out and your advice on how to handle an oak with little roots was exactly what I needed to hear.
Thank You for your gift of knowledge to everyone for free. God bless you
He is the steve earwin of plants and trees. Such a Inspiration. Love your work
Peter, always impressed with your energy n inspiration, keep it coming 👍🏼
Respect from India, admire your knowledge and thank you for sharing it. Trust me this is very addictive in a good ways. I have been watching you since last 2 month and I got more than 10 trees. Will start practice in next few months on them.
Mister Chan is da coolest teacher ever! Thankyou😎
So very knowledgeable, thanks very much I just purchased my first Bonsai from a local garden centre and found your TH-cam channel whilst looking how to care for it.
"some VERY VERY rich people can afford it" hilarious but true XD
I was thinking to myself that it would be impossible for me to use seedlings from the garden because I don't have one-- I live within a homeowners' association, so I have to use grow-bags in place of my vegetable garden. Lo' and behold, a squirrel buried a walnut in one of my growbags... It turned into a vigorous seedling over the course of Spring, about a cubit in length and still supple for wiring. How novel!
Time to do some digging up. I have some candidates and I already planned to do so. Thanks for the reminder.
Please update this bonsai you’ve got on your garden. Excited to see what they’re look like now. Thanks
Anyone can own a Bonsai but looking after them takes a rare special type of person.
Nahh, anyone can bonsai, no excuses!
@@promugg yet I've lost count of Bonsai lost to people who with even the best intentions fail.
I don't need excuses I except I'm no master, I'm human and make mistakes all the time, as long as I learn from my mistakes I'm growing too.
@@kiwibonsai2355 i can accept that nobody's perfect. But saying that to just take care of a bonsai you need to be a rare and special person seems demeaning to amateur bonsai enthusiasts. Some trees will survive when neglected and some trees will die when perfectly looked after. The point of this video is that bonsai is in reach for everyone who chooses to pursue it.
Never forget to water your bonsai in Summer. 95% of bonsai die because the owner forgot to water them.
@@peterchan3100 😊 every evening, had a lovely summers day with the trees today here in NZ.
Thank you for the video. Once again you have inspired me to go to the garden and start digging up and Re-potting saplings. I stopped the video half way through, worked my bonsais and then carried on watching it when it got dark. I felt better afterwards....