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Hornbeam Bonsai - taming those Monster Roots! on a European Hornbeam
Рет қаралды 11,585
Күн бұрынThis Hornbeam bonsai has a great trunk, and was at a greatly reduced price from Laos Garden bonsai nursery (€45 in 2018). Little did I know what was lurking under the surface ...
In this video, I tame those massive monster roots; I also:
- convert a plastic pot to a colander-style air pot for better aeration, to encourage more fine root growth for a year.
- I pot the Hornbeam roots with a neat trick called the "Blue Sky root method"
- I wire the branches to give the bonsai its first ever styling.
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@maynardplace121 2 жыл бұрын
My 6 year old loves watching your bonsai videos
@BlueSkyBonsai 2 жыл бұрын
Great, your 6 year old has good taste!!
@peterjohnson3654 4 жыл бұрын
Nice trick spacing the roots
@BlueSkyBonsai 4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Peter! Yes the Hornbeam roots are quite flexible, I'm looking forward to seeing the result next spring.
@bonsaisn 5 ай бұрын
Cách làm cây bonsai thật tuyệt vời, chúc bạn năm mới nhiều niềm vui trong cuộc sống ❤❤❤❤❤❤
@BlueSkyBonsai 4 ай бұрын
Cảm ơn 😊
@BenBSeattle 4 жыл бұрын
This is how you get a good workout. Repot trees at home during the stay at home order. Stay safe and thanks for sharing.
@BlueSkyBonsai 4 жыл бұрын
Hahaha yes it was a work out for the arms and shoulders but unfortunately sitting down for most of the time! :)
@martingriffith-jones5084 3 жыл бұрын
Enjoy your videos. Keep them coming.
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Martin, I will certainly do so. 😊👍🏻
@BonsaiJCan 4 жыл бұрын
Really nice hornbeam 👍 That was neat idea using a peice of wire as spacer with your roots.
@BlueSkyBonsai 4 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Still got a couple of years to go on taming those roots, once I've got more fine feeder roots I can chop back the thick roots further and start thinking about a shallow pot.
@patraup7992 3 жыл бұрын
Especially interested in hornbeams. Keep us updated
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Pat, sure will. I'll give it a winter pruning soon but not sure if there's enough material for a video. Will defintely do more root work in Spring again before buds pop. Cheers!
@SysterYster Жыл бұрын
Wooow, you cut SO much. I'd never have dared. XD
@BlueSkyBonsai Жыл бұрын
It was the right time of year! But has to be done once, to train it to sit in a smaller pot. I also repotted it last year into a smaller pot, it's doing great - almost too vigorous. I will defoliate it in early summer to slow down the vigour. Otherwise the upper leaves completely shade out the lower branches...
@SysterYster Жыл бұрын
@@BlueSkyBonsai My elms are kind growing like crazy too. maybe I'll need to start cutting them back very soon. XD The fattest one (also the smallest in height) is like my thumb in thickness already. Has a very nice base. :) The other two are a bit more stick-like. :P My maples are doing great too. One I cut down to bonsai size a few days ago. Partially because I think it had gotten something on the leaves and I didn't want it to spread. But it looks pretty cute now, and it's got a very nice fat truck that tapers very nicely. :) I think it'll become nice, if perhaps a tad thin/slow growing after this. We'll see. The others are still growing.
@jefsbonsaiandfarming 3 жыл бұрын
Very nice work. Love the how to train your dragon music as well!
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Jef! You got it - I thought that music was so apt for training those monster roots 😊👍🏻
@PumpkinBecki 4 жыл бұрын
Isn't that lovely! You've styled the canopy so well, it's going fill round that trunk chop beautifully!
@BlueSkyBonsai 4 жыл бұрын
Thanks a lot Becki! Yep, the hornbeam is really vigorous, this summer it has been growing like mad and as you predicted, the canopy obscures the ugly chop. In winter I will work on that chop site. I could just do a diagonal chop and hollow it out slightly. OTOH I could do a "Van de Meer" on it - I tried this on another tree last year ( flic.kr/p/2imFW8h ) and it's difficult, to say the least. Plus I would have ugly nails sticking out for the next 2 years. Short term pain for long term gain.. like kids' braces 😁 Undecided as yet. What do you think?
@cherylandrews3195 3 жыл бұрын
looks great! love how you made your own airpot by drilling the holes.
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
🌳👍🏻 thanks!
@howardmckeown7187 Жыл бұрын
pond basket?
@BlueSkyBonsai Жыл бұрын
Do you mean like in this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rrB2lJCV2LSzaX0.html
@howardmckeown7187 Жыл бұрын
@@BlueSkyBonsai yes, 😘
@HAJUBONSAI 3 жыл бұрын
Good
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@mattbrennan647 Жыл бұрын
Happy New Year Dave. 🎉 How’d I miss this one? Fantastic tutorial as usual. How’s it doing? Thanks, keep growing
@BlueSkyBonsai Жыл бұрын
Thanks Matt, Happy new year too! All okay here, but no bonsai work happening at the moment, will do some winter pruning over the next few weeks. Not sure what video to do next. Plenty of ideas, so little spare time!! Btw, the hornbeam in this video is now in a smaller pot, if you're interested you can see it here: www.flickr.com/gp/davidhseymour/h27380s2d1 Hope you're well and enjoyed the holiday season.
@mattbrennan647 Жыл бұрын
@@BlueSkyBonsai ,, wow! Great pictures. I’ve got to research that technique to address the trunk chop. Thanks
@BlueSkyBonsai Жыл бұрын
@@mattbrennan647 thanks! Matt, maybe you missed this video where I explained the technique a year ago: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rs6ngpCfzNjInqs.html Commonly known as the Hans Van Meer Technique. A few people commented to say the technique doesn't work for them, but this is the second one I've tried and the first (experiment on a less important tree) seemed to work quite well, with scarring over the chop wound in only two years. And.... even if the technique doesn't work on this Hornbeam, I figured it would not actually be any worse or slower than just carving away all that bark and cambium, so worth trying. Anyway, will be keen to hear your thoughts on it if you think you might go ahead and try it! Cheers..
@michaeleber4752 2 жыл бұрын
Wonderful video yet again. I find it interesting you are an Enlishman in Spain and I'm an American in Colombia. Still learning Spanish. Uff. But retirement has allowed me to jump back into bonsai after leaving it back in the late 90's. By the way, love the music you played with this video. I just did a porticula afra what was grown in a root ball wrapped in coconut husk. Had lots of large roots to cut on that one as well. I hate the weeks you have to wait and see if it lives or dies.
@BlueSkyBonsai 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! I am still ten years off retirement but looking forward to it for the more time to do bonsai work. Music in this video was from three kids' films, I thought very suitable for this monster root system. Btw, I just repotted this hornbeam again a few weeks ago, I filmed the work but probably won't publish the video.. just don't have enough time. But this is how it looks now: flic.kr/p/2ndbUJ1 Yep, portulacaria afra can sulk for a few weeks after root pruning but they usually pull through ok.
@michaeleber4752 2 жыл бұрын
@@BlueSkyBonsai Looking at that picture I feel so much better! My portulacaria alfra ended up as such that all of my root wiring was visible. I see I'm not the only one occasionally stuck with that situation. :)
@BlueSkyBonsai 2 жыл бұрын
@@michaeleber4752 in recent years I've been leaving the wire above soil, or at least at surface level. Then it's much easier in 3-4 months' time when I remove the wire to avoid it cutting into the nebari as the new roots grow and start pushing the tree upwards.
@knowfear100 3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for uploading - you sir, need a work bench !!!
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
Hahaha thanks for your suggestion, yes indeed a workbench would be of great help! Working on the cold patio floor is not good for my health. cheers 😊👍🏻
@BuzzLiteBeer 5 ай бұрын
As a beginner, I was told you shouldn't prune off more than about 1/3 of the roots at a time, but here it looks like you removed more than 3/4 of the roots. Is this tree getting along well right now?
@BlueSkyBonsai 5 ай бұрын
In early Spring you can remove over 90% roots off a healthy deciduous tree. Also in Spring you can remove up to 70% roots off a healthy evergreen tree. The rest of the year, don't try it. That's my experience. It's because in Spring all the sap is rising up the trunk and branches, and isn't needed in the roots. Hope that helps.
@BlueSkyBonsai 5 ай бұрын
I should add, this Hornbeam is doing very well now. I haven't photographed it this year but this is how it looked last year 2023 in its new pot - flic.kr/p/2opuvtf (the video of monster roots was in 2020 )
@wolfwolf-sr6he 6 ай бұрын
Is this tree still alive ? This radical treatment was very extensive and maybe a little bit too late in the season ? I thought it woul be better to cut the roots, before the first green buds have pushed...It looks good so far at the end. Would like to see it how it looks today
@BlueSkyBonsai 6 ай бұрын
This hornbeam is alive and well! The video of the root puning here was in 2020, I had no worries at all because carpinus is a resilient deciduous species that can take a severe root pruning in spring without issue. The buds were only just starting to unfurl, so it's still the right time. Maybe 1 month later might have been too late. In January 2022 I did this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rs6ngpCfzNjInqs.html That spring I repotted it into a smaller ceramic pot and Aug 2022 it looked like this: flic.kr/p/2nChza5 Then March 2023 I repotted it again: flic.kr/p/2opsnqM HTH.
@wolfwolf-sr6he 6 ай бұрын
@@BlueSkyBonsai Thank you. I also have a hornbeam and its one of my favorites. But its pretty much a pre bonsai at this point. He is growing 3 years in a larger pot and this year I will prune him a little bit more
@BlueSkyBonsai 6 ай бұрын
@@wolfwolf-sr6heYes hornbeams make great bonsai. Good luck!
@jeffhurst4744 3 жыл бұрын
Did you have fun drilling all those holes. 😊
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
Lol 😂 NO! It's my second least favourite job after seiving soil! later in the year I bought a load of pond baskets/ colanders... much easier 🎅👍🏻
@jeffhurst4744 3 жыл бұрын
@@BlueSkyBonsai Yes, pond baskets and colanders make so much sense. I started using in early 2020 for a number of things. Enjoy your holiday season, and may 2021 be better for us all.
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
@@jeffhurst4744 Cheers! Merry Christmas to you and yours! 🍻🌲👍
@leonardodavidg.2773 4 жыл бұрын
the music its from dinosaur ,disney movie hah,, its so perfect, remind to my infance.
@BlueSkyBonsai 4 жыл бұрын
So glad you liked it! Yes from Dinosaur. And the other music at the start is from How to Train Your Dragon.. i thought also appropriate for this video. Reminds me of my kids' infancy haha showing my age here. Thanks for commenting!👍
@thewrightproductionz4134 Жыл бұрын
Music sounds like it’s from the film dinosaur
@BlueSkyBonsai Жыл бұрын
Yes it is! Also from another film How to Train your Dragon.
@thewrightproductionz4134 Жыл бұрын
Can’t believe I got that right haven’t seen that film in years!
@grahamharlow7471 2 жыл бұрын
Is it OK to defoliate a hornbeam, lots of leaves on mine are crispy and dry altho not all over the tree. Don't. Really know what's happened. They ain't falling off there is resistance there but it looks really untidy... Thanks
@BlueSkyBonsai 2 жыл бұрын
Yes you can remove all the dead leaves, the Hornbeam is marscesant which means it holds on to the leaves even after they die. I wouldn't remove all the live leaves though, if there is a health issue or previous drought that caused some of the leaves to die, it's not a good time to fully defoliate.
@grahamharlow7471 2 жыл бұрын
@@BlueSkyBonsai OK thanks for that.. I will Ave a look at it this next few days
@BlueSkyBonsai 2 жыл бұрын
@@grahamharlow7471 also if you're interested you can see a more recent video of this tree when I defoliated it in winter: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rs6ngpCfzNjInqs.html
@criszf 2 жыл бұрын
🥰
@BlueSkyBonsai 2 жыл бұрын
Lo transplanté otra vez hace unas semanas, flic.kr/p/2ndbAFk la maceta fue solo 8€ de Laos Garden 😊
@Laura-fn7dq 4 жыл бұрын
Hi! I liked ur vid. Btw, can u heart this comment? Bye😁
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
Done! 😘😘😘😍
@craigbootes9618 3 жыл бұрын
What cat litter do you use?
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
I live in Spain and I bought the local supermarket "Al Campo" non-clumping cat litter, about 2 years ago - I bought about 10 large sacks of it. It is very similar to Sanicat Pink if you can get that, or Tesco dust-free cat litter. I tried a few different bags from different shops before I found this one. Other brands disintegrated too easily in water, or clumped together creating a mush. This year I went back to Al Campo to buy more of this pink type, and unfortunately they don't sell it any more so I'll have to go back to akadama+pumice.
@craigbootes9618 3 жыл бұрын
@@BlueSkyBonsai thank you for the quick reply. Unfortunately Tesco has discontinued its dust free cat litter. I will keep an eye out for the Sanicat. I have seen on ebay lava rock and pumice for about a pound a kilo not sure if thats good value. Im in the UK as you may of guessed, thanks for your help.
@BlueSkyBonsai 3 жыл бұрын
@@craigbootes9618 Shame about Tesco's. Guess it's similar to here, the supermarkets try to procure the cheapest goods and sometimes that means they stock a completely different type. I guess cat owners don't care either way!