Thanks Nigel, yes it was a great day and I'm really looking forward to seeing how these turn out over the next 5-10 years!

Thanks! Yes it is an incredibly beautiful region of Spain (Northern León) but they seem to keep it a secret or maybe not much appetite for overrunning with tourists, IDK. Made me laugh properly when I read "perineum oaks"!! Sounds like something I should see the doctor about eh? 😂😂

They are indeed very pretty leaves, I'm looking forward to see them in miniature on your Pyreneans in the future!! 😊

Thanks BBI! Loving the word oakcorn! The first time I tried to grow oaks a few years ago I collected some oakcorns from both pyrennean and holm oaks here, most of the holms grew fine but none of the pyrennean even germinated... not one. I decided defeat was not an option, so you saw the results of all the testing I did here. Ah another year I ordered some English oakcorns on ebay... they arrived safely but turned out to be a completely different oak species... "oakay" I hear you say but these grew gigantic leaves on those tiny shoots, about 8 times the size of the pyrenean oaks, so not great for bonsai. This is another reason why picking the from the tree itself is a good idea. 🌱😆😂

Thanks so much! 👍

Thanks J! Really glad you enjoyed it. I nearly put in another 5 minutes of scenic filming but in the end decided not to treat this video as my family vacation video!! 😂

Thanks so much!

Yes, sure is... but it's really fulfilling if you have the time and patience. Thanks for watching and commenting!

Thanks for the tip!

I forgot to add: here is my video on cutting the tap root kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gdBkdrWbnpzLn4k.html

Thanks Isidro!

Thanks so much!

Thanks so much Raymond!

Terima kasih Bro!

Really glad to hear this has helped!

Thanks for your kind words! So glad you have collected them and I share your excitement; this year I collected a load more Holm Oak acorns so I'll plant those as soon as they germinate. Would be great to hear your experience next year!

Thank you!! It's really nice to know when people watch my videos right to the end! Great job with the acorns... just see how quickly you run out of space over the next few years!! PS. one thing to keep in mind: as soon as you repot from a nursery grow pot into a small bonsai pot, you dramatically slow the growth. So if you want to thicken the trunks a bit first, keep them in larger containers until you're ready to slow down their growth...

Hey Skunk Bomb, that's good information, thanks! Yup pests are a real issue especially something as tasty as an acorn nut. So, are you potting up all those contorted trees for future bonsai?

Blue Sky Bonsai I’m just bonsai-curious, managed to get a number of trees this year all young nothing impressive. My favourite has to be the contorted willow

Thanks Mikey! I certainly will do that. In fact I already video'd it, I just need to edit it and upload it. You already saw my video "how to make a bonsai tree from a cutting". The new video will be "how to take cuttings and ensure that they root" or something like that. Thanks again for watching and commenting!

The thing about seedlings is that you have to wait longer for a bonsai-ready tree, but on the other hand it's very satisfying to get a bonsai from a seed you planted with your own hands. Saplings have a couple of years' advantage and are just as satisfying to grow. In your climate, watch out for direct sun on your seedlings and saplings. They can dry out pretty quickly in summer.... that's why I installed an automatic watering system here.

You're right, there is a distinct lack of videos about red maple from seed on YT - which is surprising because acer rubrum is apparently the most abundant tree species in N.America. A search comes up with hundreds of results for Japanese maples, but almost none for acer rubrum from seed. Cheers! 🌳👍🏻

Did you see the follow-up video from spring this year? You can see the bare-root difference between vermiculite and peat, it's a startling difference. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gdBkdrWbnpzLn4k.html If you're growing 10 to 20 acorns, it's cost-effective to use vermiculite, it seems like you're accelerating the growth for the first year. But then after the cold winter in January this year, the vermiculite started to break down, I guess it would have lasted one more year, but I decided to repot in normal bonsai soil (pumice/akadama/pine bark seived mix). If you're doing 50 or more acorns like I did, the vermiculite gets too expensive for that quantity of soil. And the problem is, as soon as you mix peat into the vermiculite you block all the pores in the soil and lose the benefit of using vermiculite. If you are doing 50 or more, try different soil mixes in groups, and label them because after a year it's easy to forget which was which. You might find perlite is cheaper than vermiculite and just as good. But if you do, ideally you should seive the powder out of the perlite and also it's very lightweight so can easily blow off the soil surface if you live in a windy place. I stopped using perlite a few years ago.

Hi and Thanks! Correct, no need to fertilize these the whole first year. I started to fertilize in spring of the second year. I also did some taproot work in spring of the second year, arguably too late as some of the leaves were already growing big. If you're interested you can see that work here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gdBkdrWbnpzLn4k.html This spring they're all looking great, I'll leave them in their grow pots until next spring and then inspect the roots again.

Gracias! Curiosamente este video recibió críticas por la mala camera work y malos cortes de edición y tenían razón! 😊 Pero lo importante, mi guión era correcto, de mi punto de vista.

@@BlueSkyBonsai sale un descapotable, es perfecto. ¿Dices que adquiriste un terreno allí o entendí mal?

@@papa-bonsai mi cuñada vive en Matallana, pero nuestro pequeño terreno está a 15km en La Robla. El paisaje en León es hemoso verdad?

@@BlueSkyBonsai muy bonito. Ya habrás puesto árboles a engordar en el terreno, supongo bien?

@@papa-bonsai todavía no, ahora mismo tenemos un lío de excavadoras y escombros de la obra en marcha ahí. Los arboles tendrán que esperar para un futuro proyecto... una vez terminada la casa, haré unos videos ahí. Si tenemos suerte para el verano que viene.

Thanks! Yes it is possible to grow an oak from a cutting but not as easy as some other species like elms and olives. Give it a try! I do recommend to grow a few from acorns because there is a definite satisfaction knowing that you have grown a tree from its seed.

Thanks, yes darkness and a bit of moisture will do it.

Hi Vasco Jacob, Thanks! Yes I do feed them, but not in the first few months. These seedlings germinated in December, and in June or July I started giving them some generic liquid fertiliser once every two weeks, approximately. I stopped feeding all the deciduous trees in November. Hope that helps! 👍🏻

@@BlueSkyBonsai Mine are a little smaller but in smaller pots and no fertilizer, now i know what to do. Thanks.

Thanks! Yes akadama is best but quite expensive for seedlings so its up to you. You could mix it with some garden centre substrate (seived to remove the fine particles) and that well help your akadama stretch further. No fertiliser needed at all yet. You could start fertilising in summer but the first year it gets enough nutrients from the acorn still.

Thanks for the quick reply, it's great as I'm going to pot them up this afternoon!

@@stevenvitali7404 Have fun!

Where in the world are you? I recommend put it outside in the sun, and preferably morning sun and afternoon shade so the soil doesn't dry out in the hot afternoon sun. You could also slip pot it into a deeper pot without pruning the roots. If the top growth gets vigorous it sometimes buds back on the lower trunk. HTH

@@BlueSkyBonsai Thank you! I'm in northern England, and it's on a windowsill where it gets mostly late afternoon sun (not a lot of other options to be honest!). I can see some buds forming lower down the trunk but they're not coming through just yet.

@@saskiadunn7482 English oaks have that habit - they grow upwards first and have latent buds on the trunk that can activate sometime in the future. I think I'll do an update video this season on all my oak shoots. 🌳👍🏻

Excellent! Oaks often grow in clumps and spinneys in nature so it should be a very nice bonsai project.

Good question! In 10 years time I see myself maybe 4 or 5 of them. Between now and then, who knows?!

Hi Gerard, glad to help! What type of oaks do you have? I'm also developing english oaks, holm oaks (encinas), portuguese (faginea), and cork oaks (alcornoque), all with the same techniques, even though some of these are evergreen. Cheers from Madrid!

@@BlueSkyBonsai Alcornoques, como yo! 😂 Va bien saber que con las mismas técnicas, puedo trabajar tranquilamente con los míos. Gracias una vez más. Liked and subscribed. 👍🏼

@@BlueSkyBonsai también estuve buscando entre tus vídeos, alguno que tratara de pinos. No lo encontré, ¿tienes? Gracias y un saludo

@@gerardmartinez4919 Gracias - buena pregunta! No, no tengo videos de pinos. Tengo dos pinos, ambos relativamente jovenes (4 y 6 años), todavia estoy experimentando y aprendiendo sobre ellos. Aunque, he visto un pino de tamaño 50 o 60cm creciendo en un prado cercano, quiero adoptarlo como Yamadori. Tendré que pedir permiso al ayuntamiento, pero, si lo hago entonces seguramente haré un video. Supongo que tendrá que ser a finales de septiembre ya por el calor ahora no sobreviviría. Saludos 🌳👍

@@BlueSkyBonsai yo tengo varios pinos ibéricos de 1 año. Los rescaté de mi huerto después del barbecho y los tengo en macetas. Te regalaría alguno para verte trabajarlo. Seguro que aprendería un montón 😊.

Great work, you will love those oaks for many years to come, especially because you started them from acorns and nature!

Also, light is important as soon as the first bud sticks its head above the soil. But roots need darkness.

I also have too many seedlings and cuttings now, and not enough time to tend to them all! Btw a few years ago I bought some "English oak" acorns online and they turned out to be American red oak acorns. And their leaves grew enormous - way too big for bonsai, and not lobed, so I gave them away. In summary. get white oak, or a European oak species if possible in Canada...

@@BlueSkyBonsai Canada doesnt have a lot of bonsai enthusiasts compared to a lot of other countries, so I am finding it hard to get supplies and such. But. I am having a blast with all my little trees. Have you done a "tour" of all your trees? I just found your channel so you may have done one already but if not I would love to see a video showing off your trees :) I ordered cork oak as I have heard it gets gorgeous bark (eventually haha) but I have definately been burned with ordering seeds. A few times now I have gotten different seeds than I ordered... in fact I have some adenium (desert rose) seeds growing right now that definately arent adenium :( sorry for rambling, I love talking about bonsai :)

@@cherylandrews3195 hehe maybe you should start your own YT channel! I guess you've found Nigel Saunders, he's in Ontario. Very enthusiastic and publishes videos almost every day. He's wonderful, problem is I just don't have enough time to watch all his videos.. There's another Canadian called Bonsai J, he's very calm and relaxing to watch.

@@BlueSkyBonsai do you sell your seedlings/trees? If you keep propagating your trees you will need a nursery soon :)

@@BlueSkyBonsai There is also a guy in BC Kootenay Bonsai. Nigel doesnt believe in wiring really and Kootenay does mostly yamadori which I dont really have access to without a LOT of driving. But I will check out Bonsai J. I have only been doing Bonsai for just over a year and so even though I have watched tons of videos I dont have the practical knowledge yet. All my videos would be the 2 year old twins fighting in the background....

That is fantastic! Now you'll have 72 potential future oak bonsai! With that many, each year you can throw away any that look weak or unpromising. You can also gift future trees to all your friends and family!! Keep the strongest growers and the most interesting trunk lines for yourself 👍

Yes, don't let the soil get dry, and don't let it get waterlogged either. The ideal watering period depends on your soil, and your weather. If you have the pots in a propagator with near-100% humidity, you probably don't need to add any extra water until the seedlings have a several leaves.

@@BlueSkyBonsai thank youu so much

Thanks so much! Unfortunately the import and export of seeds and plant matter between U.S. and Europe is heavily restricted, regulated and closely monitored. I can't receive any plant matter in Spain sent from outside the EU. In recent years I have tried and failed. Sorry!

Same process should work fine - first soak, then put in paper towels in sealed bag. I have seen some people sand the shiny surface off the seeds, but I'm not convinced that's necessary. Maybe you could do two batches, one sanded and the other raw, to see if sanding affects the outcome?

@@BlueSkyBonsai Thank you very much! I'll try and see what happens. :) They're bathing now. :D

@@SysterYster will be interested to heaf your results in a few months time 👍🏻

@@BlueSkyBonsai I'll tell you. :) I seem to be sticking around your channel anyway. :P It's my new past time it seems.

@@SysterYster hehehe that's fine with me! Enjoy the music 😊

Thanks a lot for your feedback! I completely agree with the shaky camera work. I know exactly why it was, so I can make sure that is much better in future videos. Didn't want to exclude that scene even though it had bad shake and tilt. About the mountain scene... it was indeed chucked in there in the middle. When I added it, I knew it wouldn't be to everyone's taste, but I wanted to put in something other than just trees, leaves and acorns, to show the natural environment of the pyrenean oaks. But sure, the juxtaposition was possibly too harsh! It's good to have some constructive review feedback, so thanks again!

Hi man, no worries. I'm glad your info is good and clear. I've still got an acorn in the fridge at the moment. Keep it up man.