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Hi, It's all about the time of year. If you prune the roots in early spring when the new leaf buds are swelling or starting to open, then all the sap is surging up the trunk and branches so deciduous trees can take a very severe root-pruning at that moment, and they bounce back no problem. Any other time of year and you risk all kinds of complications and problems. More Information in this video: ruclips.net/video/eFdWy-MfFrs/видео.html

@@BlueSkyBonsai thank you!

Thanks Dood! Yes it's a lot of work but it's enjoyable to do. . . when I have the time. Hoping to do some more videos later in summer.

Try here: www.laosgarden.com/gb/new/2128-bonsai-pot-y2008ab.html

Thanks! 🙏

Thanks! Here's one I found with a quick search: irunbonsai.com/platos-y-bandejas/1646-hydrobonsai-8422844937007.html

Hi and welcome! Sorry to hear about your eyes, but it certainly sounds like you've chosen the perfect hobby! Regarding brushing off the top soil: One year later I did it in this video about "pot refresh"- hope this helps: ruclips.net/video/HqoS2kaBQfQ/видео.htmlsi=5efIMC4kEOwBej1E&t=331

You can even freeze them if you want, but why not plant them now? Growing from seed is a long slow process so the sooner you start, the better. Keep them indoors for their first winter with a grow lamp to speed up the process.

Great! Glad you found it helpful.

I know I can't change your perception, but it's really not at all violent. The key is to try it first on a small tree (preferably an elm) that's not valuable to you and you'll see it's a lot easier than you expected. There's a more friendly version of this story with a lot more details here: ruclips.net/video/c1nasUQCRiM/видео.html

You're welcome! Thanks for watching.

Portuguese Oak seems to be the hardest wood I've sawed... it took ages

Yes! The broom is unique for that in bonsai styles. Take a look at the whiteboard in this video: ruclips.net/video/eglDMHcQDtE/видео.html at around 2:20 is your answer.

@@BlueSkyBonsai thank you very much. I love the broom style and I'll start one really soon

The main thing to worry about in summer is that the roots must never get dry. So, moving into larger containers could be a healthy plan as long as you know they'll sill get watered sufficiently.

Thank YOU!

If you try it with an easy rooter like a Chinese elm, an olive or a banyan ficus, you can achieve good results without using synthetic rooting hormone. Auxins are natural hormones created in the branch tips, they move down stems and stimulate root growth. If you want to give it a try, see this video: ruclips.net/video/c1nasUQCRiM/видео.html

Hi, I prefer large pots to ground planting. You can move pots around, and you can check the roots easier after a few years. While ground planting has the advantage of limitless root growth, unfortunately that comes at the cost of flexibility and convenience.

Hehehe sorry about that! Never thought that message sound would have such an impact!!

It's also sometimes advantageous to do some branch pruning in late spring/early summer. Having less foliage reduces the amount of watering required in the hottest summer months.

@BlueSkyBonsai my dawn redwood and some of my evergreens I have been pruning, but mostly just small stuff. I haven't the other deciduous trees yet as most are either seedlings, or going to need major chopping for reshaping from the bonsai nursery near me that seems to like broom style.

Hi and thanks! Have fun with your first bonsai! And never forget about watering, come what may!

Thanks! And welcome!

Yes maples are not easy to root from hardwood cuttings, and softwood cuttings are easier but take a lot longer. Elms, olives and ficus seem to be the easiest to root. If you're really keen on propagating maples, an air layer could be more successful. I did an air layer at ground level in this video: ruclips.net/video/c1nasUQCRiM/видео.html , but I would recommend further up the tree so you don't risk losing the tree.

@@BlueSkyBonsai That's helpful. Thanks. I'll try Willow using the techniques shown and softwood from Japanese maple. I was also unsuccess cloning a skinny Benjamin Ficus. I'll keep at it.

@@TomHutchinson5 use plenty of water for the willow cuttings. Their roots seem to cope with (and demand) much higher water saturation than most trees.

Mid-spring! So, now is really your last chance, assuming you are in the northern hemisphere. If you do it in summer you risk the heat drying the leaves before it has a chance to grow new roots in the layer. Also, I wouldn't risk this on a valuable tree. Here is the more detailed version of this video: ruclips.net/video/c1nasUQCRiM/видео.html

@@BlueSkyBonsai I’m in north east PA. It’s around 70 degrees right now. I understand what you’re saying thank you. I wish there were nice Bonsai stores around. Closest one is around 1 1/2 to 2 hours away.

I like sedums but personally I wouldn't put them in a pot with my bonsai because they might end up needing more attention than the tree. For soil coverings it's best not to use plants that root into the soil, so that the roots aren't competing for space with your tree's roots. Maybe in a forest scene or penjing it could be a great addition.

You're welcome! Glad you're enjoying them, thanks for your kind words

Good luck! Spray a small amount of plant-friendly anti-fungal inside the bag to prevent a buold up of mold.

All the tropical trees are indoors by mid-autumn. The rest of my trees stay outside all winter. You can see in this video if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/_wsGWXRfhNA/видео.html But here in Madrid it only stays frozen for a few days at most. This year there was no freeze at all. It's probably equivalent to a US zone 8, but here we just call it a Mediterranean climate.

@@BlueSkyBonsai thanks I'll check it out. Also how do you make sure your trees don't dry out during summer heat? Do you water every day?

@@IceManOregon great question! And guess what, I did a pair of videos on watering too 😊 In summer here it normally exceeds 38°C / 100F for several weeks. During those months I need to water three times a day - about 11am, 2pm and 5pm. That's impractical to do by hand so I have installed automatic irrigation for those times. I also hang a 50% shade sheet over the benches May through August, and that has helped enormously. You can see the shade sheet in this video: ruclips.net/video/E2dBOrA7tOs/видео.html And detailed recommendations for automatic watering in this video: ruclips.net/video/MNCYVpaHpfQ/видео.html HTH

Congrats on the amur! For styling, you could try broom style: ruclips.net/video/B6wGeUdM44Q/видео.html Or you could create a triple trunk: ruclips.net/video/PBOT9B7AkII/видео.html (And this is how it looks now: ruclips.net/user/shortsy-ZbmA2a5sU?feature=share ) Or you could turn it into a small forest: ruclips.net/video/XJzK02HGUAs/видео.html Or you could separate the trees and make three separate styles? E.g. informal upright can be created by a series of trunk chops over about ten years: ruclips.net/video/_wsGWXRfhNA/видео.html Or you can form the bends much quicker by wiring the trunk, but I don't like doing that because it usually leaves horrible wiring scars.

Take a look at www.certre.it - they are in Italy and ship internationally. My favourite pots are the Pisa, the Roma and the Treviso. If you decide to purchase, use the promotional code BLUESKY and they give you an immediate discount. (They don't pay me! But they might decide to, if enough people use this promotion code 😊 ) The pots are very high quality.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks so much!

By the way did you see the longer version of this with more details? Hopefully you'll like that too: ruclips.net/video/c1nasUQCRiM/видео.html

@@BlueSkyBonsai no I will watch now

I don't have any Sharp's Pygmys, so can't say from personal experience. By limbs, do you mean all the branches? How old and thick are the branches? It could be a natural trait of new softwood branches in their first year. They all grow red on a Deshojo maple in their first year before they thicken and develop bark. But like I said, I don't know about the Sharp's Pygmy.

3-5 years. Not blooming this year

@@treyrawley409 uh-oh. You could try the plastic bag trick: ruclips.net/video/F7o8z5eT_Uw/видео.html But keep in mind that all bonsai enthusiasts have lost trees at some stages. I still lose one or two each year for one reason or another (usually under-watered, but also lost one over winter to frozen roots)

I do live in a zone 3 in NH but put it in my basement for the winter. Watered ever 3-4 weeks for about 5 months. Was green at the base just before I brought out for the season.

Is the plastic bag trick for humidity control on it?

Thanks! I suppose an independent water pump also allows you to go away for a couple of weeks without worrying about bust mains pipe. That's always my worry. Greenhouse system sounds like a good plan.

⁠@@BlueSkyBonsaiI hadn’t thought about that actually but you are right. I use a water tank not the mains water. I was thinking about the individual watering requirements of each bonsai, particularly with different pot sizes and possibly as well locations if it’s going to be really hot.

@@MK-hz8du there is another trick I do when it gets really hot out, that I didn't show in this video. For the pots with gardena drippers, to slow down the drainage out of the pot so that the water soaks all the soil, not just the soil under the dripper nozzle. I squeeze a bit of sponge into each drainage hole so they still drain, but slower. As soon as the summer heat is less intense in late August I remove the sponges. I suppose it's a bit like temporarily having more retentive soil, just for the hottest period.

Thanks! In theory you could do this on a much thicker trunk, as long as you get it right (clean cut, don't let it get dry, use sphagnum and rooting hormone etc.) But in practice, if it's a valuable tree I wouldn't risk it. An air layer on a thick branch is much lower risk because you're not risking the whole tree- only the branch. I can't tell you the exact success rate on JMs but they usually work if you get everything right. If it's a valuable tree you could instead tie on a wire tourniquet where you want the new root plane, and plant it deeper for a couple of years. If you decide to use a tourniquet, use a thick enough wire and wrap it double or triple so that the lower trunk doesn't bulge and engulf the whole wire.

otherwise it wouldn't fit in a shallow pot. Here you can see me putting it in a shallow pot a few weeks ago: ruclips.net/user/shortsy-ZbmA2a5sU

Hi!

I would have done if I could. The bark had receded a long way, so there was not enough skin to cover the whole wound.

Thank you!