How to Bonsai For Beginners

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All right how’s it going everybody my Name is adam and welcome to my bonsai Channel this is my first video on this Channel and in this video today i’m Gonna be showing you guys how to bonsai For beginners [Music] So if you’re new to bonsai the first Thing you’re probably thinking is what Can be bonsai or where do i get bonsai Seeds at least that’s what i was Thinking whenever i started bonsai and i Started looking on ebay and they were Trying to sell me bonsai seeds They don’t exist bonsai itself is just The practice of making large trees in Miniature form so any species can be Bonsai and it’s actually not as hard as You think so i’m going to be working With this little young juniper here Today i got this last year for 3 pounds 45. this is just a little piece of Garden center material this is a juniper Squamata blue star juniper it doesn’t Matter it’s a tree and any tree can be Bonsai so this is we’re going to be Using so whenever you go looking for Bonsai material you want to know what to Look out first because there’s some Trees that honestly you just look at and Go that’s perfect for bonsai and then There’s some other trees that it might Take a little bit longer in the process To develop and do a bonsai so this is a

Creeping plant so this is sort of like It grows down very low it doesn’t want To grow very tall unless you know you Let it grow for a long period of time But as they come little junipers like This have a nice trunk line as you can See in here it’s got a nice shape to it I know that these branches are nice and Long so i can actually work with them a Tree like this one here this is a large That you know if you try and bend it You’re probably going to break the tree So i’ve just got myself something to Work in here so i don’t make a mess all Over this table but first thing you want To do is take the plant out of the pot Got a nice root system on it this is for Beginners so there’s not going to be any Fancy bonsai root tools or anything like That this is just a fork that i bent With a pair of pliers what we’re going To start by doing is taking a fork and Just scraping away at the roots here now Most gardeners will tell you not to Disturb the roots of a plant like this Or it could kill it that’s uh quite far From the truth what i’m doing is i’m Just raking away the soil and when i Rake the tree i’m going to wreck in an Outward pattern from the trunk so as i Spin the tree around i’m always wrecking Outwards also if you turn the tree Upside down and you wreck from the Bottom you want to wreck outwards from

The center of this circle that the pot Was in as well the idea is just to Untangle the root mass this is one of The parts of bonsai that i find actually Quite therapeutic you just you know all I really took off was this much root Which isn’t much when you look at the Grand scheme of the tree so i’ve just Loosened up the soil a little bit and I’ve got all these long roots here these Are red print and shears but you don’t Have to use these you can use ordinary Scissors As long as they’re nice and sharp that’s All that matters so that’s all i’m going To do there to that tree that’s all the Soil that i removed here you don’t Really need preparing with these kind of Pots it already has a wire mesh in the Bottom all i’m going to do is feed up Some wire through the bottom that’s one Piece of wire through the pot and this Is aluminium bonsai wire so this is About maybe two millimeter Okay so That’s the pad prepared so the bonsai Style that i use is a mix of academia Pumice and lava rock there’s actually no Organic material some people like the Mexican compost or pine bark i’ve got None of that it’s just pure Grit Oh there’s the scoop You always lose the scoop the scoop’s

The one that always goes missing for me I don’t know why that is you could just As easily use compost at home and your Tree would probably survive okay in it This is just optimum soil where the tree Will thrive and it’s going to sprinkle a Little bit along the bottom three goes In now i’ve mounted it up in the middle So that whenever you push it down There’s no air gaps underneath here you Just Squish it down I’m going to take these wires and just Pull them over the top of the tree So you want the wires to come nice and Snug over the japanese they call this Root flare at the top here the nebari Which just means surface roots we’re Going to cross the wires over And then give it a little twist i’m Going to do the same on this other side Cross the wires over Longer the wire generally the easier This is here going to get the wire Cutters and make this shorter now that It’s twisted Now to tighten it into the pot i’m just Going to grab a pair of pliers these are Called gin pliers for bonsai you don’t Have to use these you can use whatever You like as long as it grabs them a Normal pair of pliers will do you want To have it nice and snug over the roots And pull upwards and twist now the

Reason why we wire trees into pots is so That first of all any movement of the Wind can damage newly grown roots that Are forming in the pot and secondly if Your pot falls over the tree won’t fall Out and create a mess everywhere it’s Happened a few times here in winter Nights and it’s just terrible now that It’s wired into the pot i like to do This test where i just lift it by the Trunk and it doesn’t move it’s going to Pour in some soil what you can actually Do as well to promote a lot of healthy Root growth is to throw in some sphagnum Moss and around where you want urine to Form because the sphagnum moss will Actually create an environment where It’s antifungal and antibacterial so There’s no chance of the old rich rotten And it also promotes new fine roots Pouring more soil i know i say soil but This is really just a mix of stones so We’re going to do next is take a Chopstick and stab sort of try not to Stab the roots but you want to stab into The soil and by doing this the idea is To remove any air pockets that are in The soil is whenever you water the tree The water goes down and absorbs into all These nice stones but if there’s an air Pocket and the soil and you water it and There’s roots sort of in that little air Pocket the water can’t get to the roots So the roots in that area will die so

You want to try and get out as much of The air pockets as you can Let me know if anyone can relate to this In the comments it always just surprises Me how much you can Keep putting more soil in after you keep Like filling out the air pockets that Looks about good next step is we’re Going to actually give the top of the Tree now a nice style so right now it Just kind of looks like a bush and a pot I want to give this the bonsai look so First of all there’s a lot of congestion Going on here i’m going to start by just Picking a front of the tree which i’ve Already chosen so whenever you pot the Tree you want to have an idea of where The front is for this tree i want this To be the front i chose the front here Because it’s got nice movement in the Trunk you want to always look at the Front of the tree whenever you’re Working on it so you know what’s going On this is my front here you’ve got this Nice movement coming up here any dead Branches we’re just going to cut off Again just use normal scissors if you Have them i just happen to have bonsai Scissors We’re just going to cut off any Congestion here any branches that is in The bottom third of the tree This part now is really up to your Imagination how do you want the tree to

Look how do you want the style i’m going To cut off any downward growing branches From one side generally any branches Growing downwards you want to remove so To wire a bonsai tree you want to take The wire first wrap it around the trunk A good way to test if the branch is Going to bend with the wire that you’re Using is detect the wire and push it Against the tree and if the wire bends Then this wire isn’t strong enough to Hold this branch let’s do the test with A sticker wire I push it here It pushes the tree that means this wire Is the right gauge of wire so we’re Going to take the wire and stab it down Into the soil to create an anchor and Then we’re going to come around at an Angle and you want each wrap of the wire To be nice and 45 degree angles now as i Can see here as you go along on your Wire and you’re gonna see some branches That are gonna be in your way I’m gonna get rid of that one All i’m doing right now is putting wire On the tree i’m not doing any styling Yet this is just how to apply wire i’ll Be honest this species of tree isn’t my Favorite to work on because it’s so Spiky you make a mistake in your wiring Don’t be afraid of unwiring it and going Back and fixing whatever was in your way All a learning process

And there’s no real right way to do Bonsai either people say they have this Way and this is the right way or Whatever whatever way it works for you Because people are in different Variables different climates different Scenarios so do what works for you best That’s nice and wired now if i get to The end of the branch here i’m just Going to cut that off so that’s the Trunk wired next we’re going to wire the Branches so there’s a branch coming off Here on this side of the tree and then There’s a branch back here we’re going To do a thing called the two branch Principle and that’s basically where you Use one piece of wire to wire two Branches so each branch is anchored to The other branch and sort of place the Wire in between where you want these two Branches to go bring it up around where The first branch try not to trap the Foliage in between the wiring When you get to the end of the wire you Don’t want to like proper tighten it and Coil it because normally at the end of These branches they’re quite fragile i Just like to create a little loop for it To sit into but don’t don’t push it Against the branch too tightly other end Of this now we’re going to take this Around and follow the wire see here as i Come around i’m just following the Previous line guidelines of the last

Wire doesn’t have to be perfect but you Know if one has ocd with bonsai then They will have nice trees Or wire this branch i’m going to do the Same thing with these two branches and Any branches you don’t have to wire Every single branch any branches too Young with this one you could hurt this Branch trying to wire it so just leave It maybe when it’s a little bit older in A few years you can come back and wire That one i’m just going around the tree Again Trying to keep the wiring as neat as i Can here there’s quite a lot of branches Coming from the one area so i’m just Going to cut off this one that’s growing Straight up You can wire as quick or as slowly as You want depending on how methodical you Would like to be i like to be very Methodical in my wiring so now as you Can see all of the branches are wired This is all that i’ve removed from the Tree so this is the point now really Where your own artistic vision comes Into the idea but there is a few Principles that can help you along the Way so with bonsai it’s a good idea to Have sort of like a triangular shape you Look at all the older looking bonsais They all have this this conical bonsai Shape so i’m going to start by bending Some branches here

I like to create a lot of movement in Branches so the more bendy and twisted The branches are when a tree is young Like this the better when it’s older It’ll look really crazy looking twisting Them bending them Oh my goodness maybe you should do this With gloves because it’s a really sharp And spiky tree if anyone’s ever worked With one of the trees let me know in the Comments because it’s really spiky so I’m just making lots of twists and bands And turns and back and forwards and up And downs and And that looks pretty good to me there So all that’s left to do now that i have Sort of the the twisty bandy branches is Just to take off these long shoots Because i feel like They don’t really add to the tree they Just sort of make it look like a young Plant so see these pieces that wobble i Like to take them off i can actually Remove this entire branch because i Don’t need it and then to fill that gap See how there’s like a gap here in the Space of the tree just push a branch Into it Because it’s all wired you can control Everything here yeah take that one off Too less is more this kind of thing All that’s left to do now is give the Tree a little water And it sounds really sully to say this

But some people don’t know how to water Bonsais what you want to do is water it Until the water runs right through the Bottom clear especially with the first Time watering because there’ll be lots Of fine grit and stuff they’ll be on These stones [Music] And there you have it that is your Finished bonsai of course it’s not Finished no bonsai has ever really Finished it sort of just you’re forever Maintaining it then from this point on And trying to build on that triangular Shape this is a little quick lesson how To bonsai something for beginners if you Have any questions about you know bonsai Leave them down in the comments i’ll try My best to answer them and remember to Subscribe and leave a like down below Thanks for watching [Music] You