Thanks for the feedback Michael! I was wondering if viewers were getting a bit tired of the updates so it’s good to know you find them useful

Interesting, what species do you keep?

@@grobonsai A few ficus, Benjamina, Tiger Bark and Fukien tea. Dwarf Jade and some fruit trees also. Plum and apple.

Thank you 😊

Thanks Matt

Glad you like it!

Fingers crossed 🤞 thanks

Sounds great!

Thanks

Thanks Dave

It’s so useful to compare notes on rosemary there’s very little info on them for bonsai. I thought it was light but if yours are ok in a shed, I wonder if it was staying too wet in the greenhouse - being plastic it suffered condensation when the door was down 🤔 or maybe it was my crap wiring and bad timing for the work last year...

@@grobonsai yeah maybe it is too wet. I only put mine out there as i wasnt going to be able to get the temperature down enough inside. i was a little worried about it, but it was fine. Also any die back i have had has been a direct response to my manhandling, so might be that too. lol i hate when its so hard to tell whats wrong

Thanks that’s really interesting info. Hmm I’m not sure what I should do now

SE England? What part? I think my city might be SW but it looks center of the south coast on a map to me.

Very exciting, let me know!

Hehe nice 👍

I find between 20 and 30 celsius is good for growth

In the U.K. climate I’d estimate 5-10 years, but honestly I don’t know it was that size when I purchased it

Thanks there are a few updates in subsequent videos, it is due another update. The wounds look ok, I think they need some attention, but they’re producing new shoots so definitely going in the right direction

Thanks for watching. I was nervous to wire - we will see if Ive done a more careful job than the rosemary!!

thanks!

I hadn’t thought about that, good point - thanks! Sorry to hear about your bad luck

The stems are made up of segments, the junction between segments is where new buds may form. By ensuring the cut is done so that the junction (also known as a node) is left intact, and so new buds may appear. If I cut below the join, new buds are less likely to form. It becomes clear when you can get close and see the segments and junctions for yourself. A good follow up question is: why is all that important? It is a sustainable way to work with the tree - by ensuring all potential bud sites are viable, there are more options for the tree to regrow in the event of disaster, or perhaps a drastic re-design. Hope that helps

@@grobonsai Thank you so much for the great explanation. That does help😊👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Have you seen some of the Thyme bonsai? Very nice, but not so easy to keep alive - I'm told (at least in the UK climate)

Thanks! I honestly can't remember, I feel like it was around £200

Hi, it is 1:1:1 akadama pumice lava in the 4-8mm size range

Hi, I am not familiar with the species, but in general I prefer to style the branches first. The repot comes after. But it does depend on the material and how the species behave. It is because the tree will back-bud more if the roots are not disturbed

By the way, if you would like to share some images, feel free to join the Gro Bonsai group on Facebook.

@@grobonsai Perfect, that's what my intuition told me to do hahahaha. So, the repott for next year? Or for summertime?

@@grobonsai And thank you very much for your help :)

Generally spring is repotting season as the buds are about to extend. But it does depend on species and climate

Thanks for the feedback. I’m afraid there is an old refrigerator in the garage workshop that emits a sound even more annoying than royalty-free music! Sorry about that

Thanks for watching, good question! I used akadama + pumice + lava 1:1:1, in 3-8mm particle size range approximately. It's a mix ideal for species that prefer airy soil and not excessive moisture in the root zone

Gro Bonsai Appreciated thanks. I’ve just started Bonsai ,, using nursery stock (Junipers & Lonicera) & find your channel very helpful. Thanks again

Interesting, maybe mine was staying too damp in the greenhouse which was full of condensation. It’s good to compare notes, thanks

Yeah, temperate rosemary wants dormancy and relative dryness in winter, maybe half or a quarter the amount of water (don’t quote me on that one, that particular memory is poor). If your worry is the frost/wetness and the fact that it’s in a bonsai pot, you can absolutely compromise by keeping it in a garage or shed with some supplemental light to mimic a mild winter. Maybe do 4-6 hours of light in the morning. Don’t have to go as hardcore as a Mars Hydro either, probably a $10 GE led grow bulb and a clamp fixture will suffice. But if you want to start it early then a powerful light will obviously be better, but at least a month or two should be “winter” with greatly reduced lighting for proper regulation. Tropical/equatorial plants like ficus and spekboom don’t need that winter dormancy so just keep them warm, moist, and blasted with light for best results (they can be sensitive to stuff like photoperiod change and simulated dry/wet seasons tho, but I’m not sure how off the top of my head. I know some tropicals won’t flower without a simulated seasonal cycle and so they’ll go years without flowering living in a person’s house until something like a move or being brought outside for a few weeks shakes them up and tricks them into flowering again).

Hi, I did not grow it so I'm not sure. I do know it was grown in a mixture of pumice, fired clay, lava, pine bark and maybe akadama. From research, the best way to grow them is to fertilise a LOT, let them get pot bound, then put into a larger pot without disturbing roots. Up-pot several times until it reaches the size you like. Don't cut roots while you want it to grow and thicken. I am only in the first year of trying process, and in the uk they grow slowly, so i do not know how well it works for myself. But trusted experts have recommended this approach.

I watered initially to wash any dust out of the pot, then allowed it to dry before resuming watering. This is my first Portulacaria though, so I will not see the results until next repot. My grow tent is very dry with the light and fan, so the soil dries very quickly. I think you’re correct, it would be good to wait to reduce rotting 👍

I'm near Worcester, which is between birmingham and bristol

@@grobonsai so you're in Hampshire too? I'm from port's outh myself! Nice to know there are more hobbyists in the county at least!

@@JazSung no, not that far south. More midlands, north of Bristol about an hour on the m5

@@grobonsai ah lol I don't know our own country's geography that well, I need to be sent to the dunce stool and caned like in school! Lol

:D

Thanks for the feedback! The music/sound is proving difficult to sort out...

Hi, my name is Darren. I purchased this tree as pre-bonsai material. I kept it for a year then started work.

@@grobonsai Merci

Thanks for the tip, it didn’t occur to me 😁

Good point, I wonder if the rosemary wants light but not necessarily the heat of a tent.. hadn’t thought of that. Thanks for writing

I’m resistant to the idea because it’s a bit antithetical to the idea of bonsai as art. Growing my trees in a grow tent would probably result in better growth than even outdoors but I’m growing them to enjoy them, not to harvest lumber. It’s possible to have an indoor light setup that fosters growth AND looks decent - but a grow tent is not that. Just my opinion though, I totally understand the other point of view

HallowedBeThyGame I know what you mean. The tent is practical and helps with overnight temperature fluctuations. If I had to use lights all year I probably wouldn’t bother with the tent for the same reason as yourself

For what it's worth I live in south Portugal. These grow pretty big with no attention (in the ground). I have messed about with these and even have one, for 2 years now, growing in no substrate whatsoever. Sits in the bottom of a cut out 5 liter water bottle and gets a watering when I water my other tree's. In general we naturally are very dry here with zero summer rain......(let's see how the GSM changes things ☺️) 👍🏼

Thanks! Are we talking that first one near the base?

Gro Bonsai yeah, show the trunk off.

I watered to wash remaining soil fines from the pot. I then let it rest for 2 weeks in the warm dry grow tent. It has 15cm roots growing from the drainage holes, I think it is fine. Thanks for writing the tips though I’ll be sure to use them for future work

It’s ok my friend, the tree is really growing well. Can you tell me what I should do differently? Thanks

@@grobonsai I was shocked when I saw your video. you cut very strong and thick branches. I think you are damaging the tree. hurt the tree by pruning deep. This tree is delicate and brittle, It is brutal to prune this way. sorry for my bad english

Thank you for taking time to write

Thanks 🙏