Cheers Matt. I generally favour movement and taper over trunk thickness, and I'm really happy with how this tree is now looking.

Cheers John. I agree. sometimes we have to take bold decisions to make a better tree in the future.

Thanks John. I think so.

Cheers Mick. That's the plan. Hopefully now it has a good year and gives me a few decent options for next year.

Thanks Mandy. Hopefully that silver will develop too.

Cheers Jason. I do enjoy putting together the thumbnails. I could go very arty on you and describe it as chiaroscuro, but I wont 🤣🤣

@@TonysBonsai yeah that would be lost on a dummy like me, though Google is my friend 😂😂😂 Every day a new opportunity for learning… 📖📚 Ps. Your actions on that tree were my initial thoughts too. 👍

I'm glad you agree with the decision. It's always a bit daunting when we remove so much of a tree, but that thick trunk just had to go.

@@TonysBonsai I was doubting my own judgement (nothing new) but seeing you go in that direction was reassuring. 😀

Cheers mate. Sometimes we have to just get stuck in and chop em down!

Yes, I'm really happy with the work I did on this tree. It's now set up for a better future I think.

Thanks Steve. I love birches. Definitely one of my favourite trees. I hope you find some decent material in the spring.

Thanks Severo. Glad you enjoyed it

Thank you, I am really pleased with how this ended up. We have loads of silver birch knocking around, and with the lack of taper and the big scars on the trunk I didn't fancy air layering it. Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing anyone air later a birch. I wonder ifthey are a good tree to use that technique on?

Hi Chris. I love Peter's videos, and he's dead right. Sometimes we do have to bite the bullet.

Hi Deepanjan. It was a tricky decision, but in the end it had to happen to make a credible bonsai in the future.

Cheers mate

Thanks Steve. It's coming along nicely I think

@@TonysBonsai as long as I’m not going backwards, then I’m moving forward! lol

Cheers mate, and it's always good to know that my psychic powers are as strong as ever! 🤣

Cheers Matt. The more I looked at it the worse that thicker trunk looked. It's been living on borrowed time for a while!

🤣🤣You must be able to see into the future Shane and you saw tonights video 😯😯

Cheers Xav. I actually recorded this video last night after watching your larch video. I thought to myself that I have a silver birch similar to your twin trunk larch, and if I am saying that you should chop yours, then why am I not chopping mine? So I did! 🤣🤣

@@TonysBonsai Timber....

My own “twin trunk birch” is still in what I refer to as my “growing bed” which is actually a tiny plot 1m x 1m with a couple of trees ground planted in it, over paving slabs, for a couple of years to grow and thicken up. One trunk is growing straight up and is fully straight and featureless. The other grew out sideways with a terrific twist in it. I wonder if I should chop one off in future, and which one? 🤔😆😆

Sounds like nature is guiding you there mate. Should be a cracking tree, and being planted on the slab those roots should be pretty tasty too. Also, I just emailed you.

Thanks, I'll be leaving it for a while now, but I'll definitely do an update in the summer when it's hopefully powering on with lots of new growth

Cheers Scott. I filmed another chop tonight but I didn't do the speeding up thing. I'll make sure to include some extra fast saw action next time I'm chopping.

Cheers Elric. That's the beauty of having plenty of trees. I don't feel quite as attached to them and so I am hopefully able to make the right decisions for the long-term design of the tree.

Cheers Kevin. I like to take bold actions like this and as you say it will be very interesting to see how this tree gets on. The thing in its favour is that it had the roots a much larger tree, so it should be strong.

Thank you. I'm glad you agree with my decision. It was just looking a bit too weird for me.

Ah yes, that would have been a good idea, and it's definitely a possibility in the future. Cheers

Hi Matthew. I did exactly what you suggest on the tree that I just worked on tonight. You must have psychic abilities.

I was screaming at my phone. Air layer top half of thick branch. Correct decision, but missed opportunity. Top half of the branch he cut off was also had some character.

@@TonysBonsai I've just watched your latest video, great stuff!!

@@ugiboxing I can imagine you shouting at the screen 🤣 The thing is that I have quite a few silver birch already, and that one wouldn't have really made the grade, and I really want to force the growth into the smaller trunk.

I've never really heard of a weigela. I'll have to do some research on Google. Cheers.

@@TonysBonsai* Weigela is perfect for bonsai because there bark gets old and narly even in young age. Tony if you have an email i can send you some pictures of mine when spring comes.

Hi Dave. I bought it on Amazon. It seems to do a decent job, but I was expecting a thinner blade if I'm honest. I don't find that it cuts particularly well, but the size is fantastic.

I like the new direction of this tree, but we all have a valid opinion.

@@TonysBonsai sorry mate I shouldn't have been such a prick

No worries mate. We all have days like that.