Can we please get a garden tour video?

@@rikdah he he I have one that shows a part of the garden. Check last November! Cheers!

Thank you John! I have a belief that if this cultivar of the species was known and available to the Japanese back 200 or 300 years ago, it would be one of the most popular and celebrated species for bonsai. Plus we would have a so much detailed guide for styling and caring. Anyway, have a great weekend!

Thank you! It was just observation of how Picea abies and a few other species.of Picea behave in maturity. I'm glad you got it! Have a great week!

Thank you mate! Cheers!

Try it! It works great if you are able to keep adequate humidity in the pot. Cheers!

Great time kit just good! And they are everywhere. Just check the base, dig out a bit of the top soil, before purchase, to make sure you get a good nebari. Thank you!

Thank you Havard! I appreciate it!

Thank you mate!

@@ArkefthosBonsai 🌳🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Thank you Christophe! I really appreciate it!

Do they grow dwarf Alberta spruce as landscape trees where you live? I would guess low elevation California would not be ideal for a high elevation spruce. Unless you live in higher elevation. So, it might not be overwatering, just hot prolonged summer.

Yes it is quite balanced for most species of conifers. Thank you Fabian!

Thank you Jimmie! Cheers!

I can imagine 11 - 15 Picea glauca "Conica" would be a whole lot of work. Just pruning and wiring take the best part of a week! If those 5 trees have a variety of heights, I would go for a 5 tree forest. Cedrus libani airlayers sound very interesting. Love to know how this goes! Thank you, Yevhen!

@@ArkefthosBonsai Thanks for the advice. 😅 I tried to make 7 spruce trees forest (with 2 bigger additional trees), but stopped at 5 because those additional trees (actually, one double trunk tree) appeared too big comparing to the rest. Just a too big step in sizes (6 eur vs 12 eur, and height of trees bound to their height in garden centers). However, got 2 more pinus peaces with potentially cool forms: one is suitable for semi-cascade with almost equal still flexible double-trunk with wide base; and the other one has a nice taper at the bottom, suitable for semi-cascade too or informal upright. As for the cedar air-layerings - hardly, but still possible (as a few KZfaq videos suggest that). However, if it succeeds, this should take a while. Those videos mentioned that it was 1-1,5 years 🤔 or at least 2 growing seasons. I'm just at the early stage of my bonsai journey, so still gonna do a lot of mistakes and experiments.😁

Yes, 2 seasons sounds about minimum, plus some really strong rooting hormone. Good luck, hope to see your creation at some point!

@@ArkefthosBonsai I can definitely see a strong white root in one of the cedar's moss ball (air-layer) through the film. I bought them and made cuts in May or June this year. Others cedar air-layerings - not sure. Will check in a couple of months. But so far, trunks above air-layer cuts are alive. We'll see. 🤞

Very cool! Do you have Instagram or somewhere where you post your progress??

Thank you! Yes it is, for some genus and species. But there are many out there, quite strong that really don't mind, with proper after care. This is Picea glauca "Conica", a mutation of Picea glauca that keeps it's foliage in immature state (unless it reverts). Trees with immature foliage are more resistant to difficult conditions. "Conica" are relatively strong and can't take abuse. This tree is looking great, it is all summer in full (Greek) sun, even in heatwaves and does not care at all. It even grew more than I would like and it needs pruning in 2 months. Cheers Marco!

That's great Omar! Do you have instagram?

2 1/2 bigger. Must be a beast. Tall, slender kabudachi is really cool. Soil is 50% perlite (bright white) and 50% zeolite (Grey - white) .

@@ArkefthosBonsai How durable is this substrate? What is the watering schedule? Is it possible to use such a substrate in all conifers? Thanks in advance.

Excellent question. Exactly, that's the maon advantage of this. It does not break down. Zeolite could stay like this for decades and has excellent water retention and better cation exchange capacity than acadama. Since I cover the soil with moss, watering is normal. Full sun, and extreme heat I might do 3 times a day but this summer I never went more than 2 times in heatwaves. Most days once during noon. I use similar mix in all conifers. For maples I use a little bit more organics.

Nice question! So, this is Picea glauca "Conica" which is a dwarf cultivar that has always juvenile foliage. That makes it back bud much easier and almost impossible to pinch. If you are asking about normal species of Picea, the answer is this. Picea when healthy and treated right, back bud, not as much as pines or junipers, but they do. To slow down growth, you need to pinch new growth, but it has to be done in the right time. That is, as the buds elongate but before the needles start to spread away from the twig. As the shoot is cylindrical, tight and small, you pinch it in half. Mid June, as the candles have extended, you will be able to see new buds forming along the length, small bulges, then you can cut the fresh shoot more, close to a new forming bud (I do that with Cedrus as well). Then full sun and fertilizer and back budding will occur. Big pruning jobs, in mid June as well, helps with back budding. I've got Picea pungens that back budded from 6 year old wood like it was a maple or something. Like, a lot. Thank you!

Thanks for the reply. I have a picea glauca conica. So to reiterate, I should be able to just snip the branches, and there should be back budding created, either on the old wood or the most recent (e.g. last year's) growth? Then pick the buds that support the direction that I want growth to go, and cut the others that don't?

My experience is that the old wood of my picea glauca conica never back buds...

If it is a "Conica" then you have an easier time. Carefully pinch new growth in half mid spring. New buds will come in the cut region. If you let them elongate fully, you can prune back to a new buds that will be green and visible in mid June. Full sun whenever there is no extreme heatwave. Lots of water and fertilizer during the growing season. Full sun and fertilizer will give you eventually back budding. Good luck!

What if you do ruin it? It's cheap, let's go again! Thank you!

@@ArkefthosBonsai very true.

it's a great tree to start with there vurtualy unkillable the last one of these i made was during a heatwave in 2e week of august i did 360 coil bend on the trunk with this tree and the top i made formal upright. it's still alive and kicking. note i did use rafia.

It's true. Even though too much root work during summer it's definatly deadly, with any after care.

@@ArkefthosBonsai Thx for saying, I took of 1/3 of the roots at most, put in a regular flower pot slightly smaller than the nursery one.I should have written with the note.Hope no trees were harmed by leaving it out.🙂

Thank you mate! Subscribed as well! Cheers!

@@ArkefthosBonsai Appreciated fella. You won’t learn Much though 🤣🤣

There is always something to learn. Plus that is not the only point. Entertainment, involvement, conversation... These are always a plus!

@@ArkefthosBonsai I like your thinking dude, snap 👍👍

Thank you! 50% perlite 50% zeolite 2-5mm. Prickly, probably a bit in a very detailed wiring but for this generic I did it was fine. Did not get stung at all...

Hello Sylvia, I probably refered to the soil composition in Tha captions - subtitles. I use a lot of inorganic components that give me a perfect drainage and they don't break down like akadama. So this mix is probably around 45% zeolite, 45% perlite and around 10% organic topsoil from the forest. Zeolite has very high CEC (higher than akadama usually) which means it holds high amounts of fertilizer and releases it slowly to the roots. It is also heavy and doesn't wash out during repot. Cheers!

@@ArkefthosBonsai Thank you for the information 🙏

No need for "forgiveness", that's what the comment section is all about! Kabudachi is the original Japanese name for clump style trees, meaning trees with more than two trunks connected at the base. So go after one or two (or more) trees and have at it! Lots of fun! Thank you Mike!

Apologies for asking so many questions but can you tell me more about how you grow the moss please? You mention clay and fine sand, is this on a tray or do you lay the moss out on something else. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ask away, anything! So, moss. I grow it on shallow trays under complete shade and water them daily asi water my trees. Trays have drainage holes. You can grow moss on anything even just on the tray. I use top soil from the forest and very fine sand which is where they grow in the forest under the trees.

Still growing. Long way to go. Gracias Guillermo!

Hey Kenneth, in the middle of the Peloponnese peninsula, Arcadia, mountain Mainalon. Cheers!

Thank you Tomas! Wait until you get to the video where I've used the Funeral March! Cheers!