I thought, for a second, I was going to have to add leopard skin handcuffs to my bonsai tool collection

Thank you Tony, I’ve just been watching your video’s for a couple of weeks now to learn about bonsai, since I have started making som of my own. It hurts me to hear you talk about planning your trees for the future after seeing your last video here. I wish you can enjoy your trees mature for a very long time still ❤

Tony, I always like the way you put the health of the tree before anything else. It's paying off for you now; your trees all look healthy, or, as an old orchard saying goes, 'in good heart', which really means everything is in good nick! Thanks for the info in this video 🙂

I've kind of been having a go at bonsai for a couple of years now,not seriously but just growing small trees and chopping them about to look good.Yours is the first video I've watched that has made the light bulb shine in my head,I now know so much more about letting them grow to achieve better strength and health to achieve the end goal. Thanks so much for your clear and very understandable advice

Rest in peace Tony 😢. Loved watching your videos.

All wise words Tony.

Once again you have beaten me to the punchline on this video Tony. 😂 I have in my list of videos to do one about, pruning, growing out and redistributing energy. 😊 I’ll just copy everything you said, standing on the shoulders of giants, etc and overlay a bit of birdsong sfx😂😂😂 Spot on info here 👍

Brilliant yet again. This was really perfect- wish I would have started back a few years with a video like this. Sure to help countless others! - and always love your trees!

A nice succinct little tutorial in a manner that is so easy to understand. Thanks Tony. 👍👍

Advice which I never learned in the bonsai books I’ve studied but thanks to people like you. It all makes sense and ought to teach us patience. Bonsai is as much about strategic growth as it is about pruning and cutting. Very well put together video Tony.

Very well put together video Tony. Thank you👍

What an excellent video Tony, as other people have mentioned, non of the advice you give is in any of the books I own but it is the kind of advice us beginners need to know now. I have really enjoyed listening to and taking in what you are saying. Too many videos are just to show how good the presenter is by confusing the issues, I like that you are not one of these experts !!!😁

Tony, great explanation of growing, shaping, and methodology of cultivating Bonsai. Thank you.

"No, I'm not talking about your leopard skin handcuffs". Hadn't seen that coming 😂

Hi Tony, a very brief, yet a very comprehensive summary of the basics, perfectly presented. I (we) have certainly heard this all somewhere, somewhen, but it’s always good to more internalise these points. Thanks for that. Dirk

wonderful! I never thought of that stages before

Im so jealous of the fact that over on your side of the pond you can very easily get ahold of Southern beech material..i had to order seeds to even think above working on one. I love cotoneaster and European beech, so Southern beech are a species that makes my mouth water 🤤

Again, Thanks so much for all the useful info!!!

Great video Tony, thanks. Really informative and well presented, there's not enough information on primary development

keeping it real its what its all about and you explained this to the tee very good informative video .well done Tony.

Hi, Tony, I watch your videos every now and then and I like them a lot, but this one is truly special! I'm only starting my own bonsai (my first ones are maples pulled from betweeen the pavement stones) and this video might actualy save their lives 😅

Thank you again for sharing your knowledge.

Thanks Tony, some great simple explanation. Hawthorn has its prickly issues for bonsai but between that and birch I have found them the most malleable for tree design.

Great information Tony!

Top tips Tony! The first year i got imto bonsai and there was a local bonsai nursery, the owner said he only pruned his trees twice a year. Once at the start of summer and once in autumn when the leaves have dropped. There are specie variations like willow and birch i dont prune in winter because of dieback but ive kinda lived by that for most of my trees.

Well done Tony. Very informative tutorial. The most difficult concept to practice in bonsai is patience. Thanks, keep growing (patiently)😊

good clear video!

Very informative video, Tony. I wish someone had shown me all this when I started getting interested in bonsai. And - sorry - I don't have any leopard skin handcuffs, and I don't think I'll ever have some. 😄

More like cheetah cuffs....Great tutorial with important information well illustrated by the various trees in various stages. A huge shout-out to you, your trees and sense of humor. We all need to keep the basics in mind. Good to be reminded because I don't always keep these things in my scattered brain, especially the part about letting them grow out. Most of my trees look like they need desperately need a haircut but I have deliberately hidden the pruning scissors.🪴🌳🍃

Great tutorial Tony. Really easy to follow and understand which is exactly what is needed for a newbie like myself. Hopefully, I will get to meet you in person at one of the Association meets so I can learn more.

Something I wish I'd known even earlier in my journey then where this video is aimed at is the two most likely things that will be the end your first Bonsai tree are lack of patience and lack of attention. Many people want to get straight into the activities we see in videos like this and start wiring and pruning and shaping and repotting straight away and this has been the cause of the demise of many, many Bonsai trees because one tree just can't handle that much trauma. If you manage to resist that temptation, overwatering (because there's nothing else to do to your Bonsai tree) or underwatering (because you forget about it) are the next biggest risks to Bonsai trees owned by people new to the art. The solution for me and I suspect many of us is to have lots of trees. If you have 20 or 30 Bonsai trees there will be something to do to one of them pretty much every day and you can satisfy your desire to spend time on your hobby without doing too much to one individual tree. Because you're out there every day you won't forget to water them and you'll develop an instinct for how much water they need and avoid overwatering them. Having lots of trees can also help you overcome the fear of killing them. You'll still kill some, that's inevitable, but because you still have plenty left you won't be so scared of killing them that you never try anything.

Really nice overview. As a beginner this is really helpful info, thanks 👍

Great video and great lesson the value of retaining energy

Nice video for some important concepts. Great stuff - now I just have to follow it myself :)

Hi a really good video, always an important reminder. LET IT GROW

T.T. Teacher Tony very professional mate. Taking the long view on growing bonsai all good Tony.

I love the new apostrophe in your channel name! ;) (Now I'm off to watch this video.)

Hey Tony, this is my first year at trying my hand at Bonsai. I've recently planted 6 Elm seeds (I think they're Dutch Elms) of which 4 sprouted. All of them are starting to grow their second set of true leaves and are about 5 centimeters tall. I've put one seedling into a small indoor pot that was gifted to me by my grandma and put it by the sunniest window. The rest are living outside in a medium plastic container with enough room for them to grow roots and leaves. The one inside is more of an experiment to see if it grows as fast as the ones outside. I also want to see if it wants to grow big enough to start a small mame Bonsai after like 1 or 2 years of growing in that little pot without or with little pruning. The tips you gave during the entirety of the video are definitely amazing for beginners as I litterally started my Bonsai journey 3 weeks ago. The end of the tip during part 14:17 - 16:52 put a smile on my face and got me excited to see where my little Elm trees are in a few years time. With your tips I believe they'll become strong and healty Bonsai trees in a few years time! :)

Great video Tony. Helps us all to remember that we need to let thing grow! I can not walk in the garden with my scissors. Please do a video about what you learned about watering. I think I overwatering my trees. All the conifers godt browning the top of the needles . I don't know if it is the harsh winter we had or its me over loving my trees 😢

Great video tony! Its a great understanding of the first stages of a bonsai.

Very well explained.

Tony, in Medicine: ➡️ Primary Care=GPs ➡️ Secondary Care=Hospital Consultants ➡️ Tertiary Care=Leading Specialists in Regional centres You’re now bossing the Tertiary Care in the Bonsai world 👏👏👏

Thanks! Great basics

13:15 “LEAF them be” Tony’s puns again!

Good luck tony it looks like a nice tree

Fantastic video Tony :) spot on !

Great video Tony ! 👍 Patience is probably the most important in creating bonsai. Most of my trees are in their first stage (very few are in their second stage) so now all I can do is waiting while they grow. Luckily we can still water and feed them , at least it's something we can do while we're waiting (patiently) 😉

Excellent vid. Thanks.

10:00 that was a good sacrificial branch at the Wright place

not dodgey audio at all tony. great info. sweet trees too. just got a american elm out of the wooded lot next door to me. lol hopefully i wont kill it like i did the chinese elms i had

Thanks for a beginner video. I really appreciate it. What fertiliser do you suggest?

13:01 moral: leave the leaves on 🤣

Hey Tony what fertiliser do you use ? Great vid m8

Just BTW if you apply wire bend the tree where is your wire not on only bald space.

Very good! Cheers Tony! I’m all for wire. You?

thanks Toni,is high potash feed (tomato)best for young bonsai?

Why does it not matter that the wire bit into the pine tree; does the dent grow out ?

11:58 is that a northiofagus?

My name ls shaun I'll be coming

Hello, I have a quick question that I hope somebody can help me with.. Can a young juniper survive if there is a ring of bark removed from the base of the trunk? I bought a Chinese juniper (Stricta) from a nursery and while wiring it I accidentally managed to strip basically a complete ring around the base of the trunk, it’s about 1cm high and goes around the whole base of the trunk (😳) I didn’t realise quite how delicate the bark would be and I can’t find much online in terms of what to do.. Will it survive? Should I tape up the wound to stop moisture getting in? Any help is much appreciated!

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