3 Simple RAFIA Tricks to Improve Your Bonsai Today

[@notionbonsai]

Lovely work on this one Xavier!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks Adam. I do enjoy trying to improve some of my bonsai skills...even if I don't use them that often :)

[@oachkatzlsmum]

Good morning Xavier 😊 Happy to see your new confidence with junipers and hope I’ll get some of that too sometime. My recently gifted juniper (yes, again an other tree added to no-space-on-my-balcony 🤦‍♀️) looks quite similar in foliage. I’ll try to make the tree „smaller“ next season… 😅 Maybe should also try to find a companion with a big garden to move in 😂 Thanks for sharing- a pleasure as always 😍👍 Enjoy your day 😘 Cheers 🙋‍♀️ Martina

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I shall look forward to hearing about your adventures with it.

[@oachkatzlsmum]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat 😂 I‘ll keep you update 😘

[@sueb1317]

Great raffia and wiring demonstration!! Tree looks wonderful - complete make-over. Well done Xavier!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

The rafia turned out ok :)

[@TOMSAI]

Jo Xavier all Right done. That is a besutyfull result. Much better than before. Good work 👍 nice tree ! 👌💪🏼 cheers 🍻

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks Tom. It is always good to practice different skills.

[@nerinat8371]

Xavier you've done a great work on the tree.. 10/10 it does look like a Bonsai yippee

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Now all I need is to develop those foliage pads over the next few years

[@kennethrank9489]

You did a great job. I like every aspect of this project tree and your explanation of every phase (both current and future).

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I appreciate your support. This is probably the first time I have really tried to achieve a credible basic structure with a Juniper. But...the journey continues :)

[@andrewbeattie5245]

Great job with the raffia and wire. I can't help thinking you missed a trick by not using branch splitters on the main trunk to facilitate the bend you wanted. You should be very pleased with your styling.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Looking back you are probably right - oh well :)

[@robertscarborough68]

10x better, nice one X 😊

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

It is definitely a step forwards

[@GrowingBonsai]

looking neat there!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I was pretty happy how it turned out. Practice definitely makes perfect with rafia and indeed wiring :)

[@MeadowViewBonsai]

Quality stuff Prof X. That’s a great tree set up now. Go be very proud of yourself 🍺

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks for that Darren - still a big challenge with the foliage pads but at least I have a plan for the future. :)

[@MeadowViewBonsai]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat I’m sure it will thrive in your capable hands, patience, time and fun of the hobby will win the day

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

@@MeadowViewBonsai Cheers

[@rtregear]

Looks a lot like a bonsai! Well done.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I think I am enjoying the confidence I know have with these as a species. It is not a chinese juniper so pad growth will always be challenging...but that could bee fun too :)

[@rtregear]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat I like junipers. They can be very forgiving (although I have killed a couple). It's reasonably easy to get some advanced trees with little styling that you can make a big difference to. I recently bought 2 shimpakus at a nursery for A$35 each and had great fun 'finding the tree'. Do you follow the Bonsai Worx YT channel?

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

@@rtregear I watch quite a lot of his stuff coz he is also from Melbourne

[@Bonsaicrazy]

Great video Xavier mate good luck with that tree Pot looks great 👊👊👊

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Cheers Andy - pot is nice :)

[@BlueJayBonsai]

You did a great job on the raffia Xav!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thaks Jay - now I just need to master the tree :)

[@PBwarfare]

The shape looks great with what the tree gives you!! Will look great when it develops more

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

It is tough trying to come up with a credible design on some of this material I have in my garden. I still have a long way to go with this species but at least I am enjoying the challenge now :)

[@RolandWampers]

Fab job, great result. You might want to consider to give the right branch a subtle downward bend like you did with the right one.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I will go and have a look later - thanks

[@pamelahanel7584]

I think you have done a wonderful job with your tree. You must be very pleased with it. I really like it.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thank you Pamela. I am over the moon. I know it has a long way to go and it remains a more challenging species...but at least it now has a place in my heart :)

[@susanbossert6833]

I think you should be giddy with that tree. It's not easy dealing with right angle branches, but you're off to a good start. Love that pot. Well done!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks Susan. was it too obvious how pleased I was? I know I still have the challenge of developing credible foliage pads...but that's for 2025 :)

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

You like your challenging material. That 90 degree angle is a killer for me. I have a maple that looked like that after a breakage - I turned it on its side and buried the main trunk. Problem solved 😂

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

It is always good to test your skills and try to find a credible solution. The bigger challenge will be getting the foliage pads into nice compact growth :)

[@joegarland4885]

Hi Xav glad you changed your mind on a cascade I think the upright is the right choice, raffia is the traditional way to go, I have been experimenting with alternatives to it, I used a paper raffia which worked quite well it didn't deteriorate and was easier to apply, another was a string woven matting type about a couple of cm wide and that worked as well the third was good old string, a lot of the Chinese use string or sisal when bending quite thick ranches, they both did the job and are less messy than raffia, so you pays your money and takes your choice. When I want to bend a large branch I place a heavy wire running from the soil straight up the trunk and the branch, then the raffia substitute and then wire the branch as normal, that way your supporting the branch and bending the wire with the branch which helps it stays in place and avoid snapping. Great video Xav as usual, going to make a very nice tree. Xavier can I just take the opportunity to say thank you to you my friend and all the wonderful comments from all the people who took time out to watch and comment. Your doing a great job, you are a first class interviewer. Joe

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

It was an absolute pleasure Joe and your generosity knows no bounds :)

[@martinsmith3614]

Trunk line still looks a bit angular (can be sorted with splitting at a later date) but got to say young man, for your 3rd/4th raffia application along with wiring attention it looks fantastic. May I ask where you got the pot from because it is absolutely beautiful. Oh and I think the large securing rock also suits the pot and plant nicely too. For an amateur such as myself, I love the demonstration, education, Oops moments and generally good humour from a seasoned Bonsai bloke without spending mega money. Looking forward to see how it develops. Keep calm and Bonsai.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I really appreciate this comment - thank you. It is so difficult finding the balance in these videos. If I look like I'm 'teaching' then all of the experts come out of the woodwork and have their opinions :) This was a big moment for me because I have traditionally struggled understanding how to approach juniper. Jelle was the perfect teacher :)

[@markperrin3112]

Great job, it really does look like a bonsai!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks. The real challenge comes next year when I start trying to develop a decent pad from this species of juniper. Should be fun to see what i can manage

[@roddfrancis5816]

Excellent job mate

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Now all I need to do is get those pads thickening up enough so I can thin them out with decent scale foliage.

[@OldIronShops]

Each wrap of the raffia you should stretch as you work your way around it needs to be compressing the branch .

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks for that tip. I felt like I was stretching it pretty tight but I obviously need to get a little more umphh into those turns :)

[@OldIronShops]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat indeed always strive to get better . its a good goal in all the things we do.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

@OldIronShops thanks for taking the time to help

[@greasylimpet3323]

It looks 100% better since the wiring. You made a nice neat job of it. Definitely looks like a Bonsai now, a very debonaire one of course!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I actually enjoyed playing with the rafia more than doing the tree :)

[@garrybourke1089]

By the way I'm from the Land Down Under , have a great day and great info on the Raffia.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I was brought up in Hampton and then Upwey in Melbourne. :)

[@arcturus8218]

amazing transformation better than my wiring !

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Like all things, it takes time and practice...and lots of mistakes :)

[@Jacob-yb6bv]

It’s an absolute transformation. Great job, great skills, great design.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks for your enthusiastic support. I certainly enjoyed this one :)

[@andrewwinslet]

Great job on a difficult subject Xav. That‘ Juniper Police’ comment made me laugh out loud 👍

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks Andrew. Althugh I recognise that Chinese Juniper is the ideal subject I still have a lot of these more difficult trees to try and develop - so my journey will continue to get the best from them :)

[@nwilliams1540]

Looking good!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

It was definitely a move forwards for me in my approach to Juniper :)

[@randysmith1723]

I think you did a really fantastic job! And personally, I like the pot a lot! Where did you get it, if you don’t mind me asking? (Don’t know how complimented you should feel, I also like velvet Elvis paintings and shag carpets) P.S. … just realized that a certain term may have different meaning in the UK. In the US, shag carpet is extra thick piled carpet popular in the 60s. Elvis probably passed out on them many times. 🍻

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Shag definitely has different meanings :) The pot was part of a young maple grouping I purchased from Savin Nursery back in 2018 for £20. I secretly do like the pot but I think it will eventually benefit from being in something shallower. Nothing wrong with Elvis - though not sure I want him on my wall :)

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🙂

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks Bruce

[@joekerr5152]

It’s awesome Xav! I bet working on it was satisfying after years of growing!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

You know what I was feeling! My journey with Juniper has been tough. Now I understand that this sort of material will always struggle to produce tight foliage pads I am happier to work with it and develop my design skills. It's not like I can just throw these away after having them for so long :)

[@Hollylivengood]

I do believe you've got a beauty there.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thank you - it was fun for me and I enjoyed the different aspects of this project.

[@mattb538]

You should have some Rocky Mountain Oysters while you work on this tree.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Now that sounds like a joke? So I looked it up and my eyes watered. Have you tried them?

[@mattb538]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat I have had them, at a restaurant in the Rocky Mountains. They're not bad.

[@KennetDeBondt]

Looks nice!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thank you Kennet

[@Yurup]

The real reason why you use raffia when its wet is because it expands when its wet and shrinks again when it dries, adding more support.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks for that.

[@houghtonbonsai]

Great Video Xav, well done m8 on the styling of this tree you have done a cracking job, and the wiring is a great job also ;). Can not wait to see this in a few years going to be awesome tree :) P.S thanks for the shout out buddy ;) You beam bright Xav you deserve it ;)

[@maryweber4176]

Where the heck have you been Ryan? Not posting much.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I really appreciate that Ryan - it does mean a lot coming from you. I feel like I have jumped a big hurdle on understanding some aspects of apex development. Now I am hoping that 12 months of growth will allow me to thin out and produce credible foliage pads.

[@houghtonbonsai]

@@maryweber4176 Hi Mary it has being to hectic with work at the moment, bit luck i will get some this weekend ;)

[@houghtonbonsai]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat credit due m8, you done a cracking job on this tree, this will look totally different in a year m8. Defo getting there with the Apex's you are ;)

[@maryweber4176]

@@houghtonbonsai Looking forward to them!!

[@carolficorilli9768]

Where is Jelle? Nice video, nice plant.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I know...he is back in Germany :(

[@markjagger7139]

It’s a shame there are so many straight branches but I think you’ve done your best with what you have, give some time to fill out and hopefully you can hide more of the right angle.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

That's the aim - it was always going to be a tough tree to style.

[@Chris-oq6kn]

Nice job! If u heard cracking and want to get that branch off the 90 degree angle i think i rem ryan neal technique where he added a spine to the back of the branch with a thick piece of wire then raffia over that then wire the branch to get a hardcore bend. It would prob help if that wire was copper too. Ive done that to alot of my junipers where i go to bend and the wire just wont do it. I may have to invest in some copper for trunks only. U kno how to wire a tree with one hole? One thick piece of wire across the bottom hole and wrap a smaller gauge wire around and bring it up through the hole. Great job and i always raffia my junipers. Like ryan says u dont wanna go ahead and skimp out on doing somethinf and regret it later .

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

That is all very true - thanks. I did consider adding a wire brace like I did with a pine last year but I think it is just too fixed to be able to move it enough. The answer will probably involve supporting and splitting it soemtime in the future. This is definitely a case for the advantages of copper wire :)

[@Chris-oq6kn]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat ive never used copper but think im gonna give it a try

[@alastairgoodall1694]

I like it, trees grow at all sorts of angles and that’s part of the beauty of nature, good job. Just a quick question about the soil mix, I was thinking of using zeolite instead of akadama , what do you think?. Also do you not use pine bark now.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

My other Junipers have zeolite instead of akadama - I just happened to have a spare bag lying around this time. I did use to add pine bark but have stopped after seeing quite a few professionals advocate purely inorganic mixes. This is my second year not using it and i have noticed early signs that they are recovering a lot faster. Time will tell :)

[@alastairgoodall1694]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat thank you, that’s interesting and food for thought.

[@joegarland4885]

Hi Xav, just to say I have had no internet since the so called storm, just back thought this was the quickest way to let you know, I will catchup soon.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

No worries

[@stevetippin]

Any idea about the root situation with this tree? As you are wrapping the raffia, the trunk is moving pretty freely and I am worried about the amount of rooting in the soil before taking such drastic action. It will likely be fine but it worries me the amount of movement I see during minutes 7 through 9. I don't have much experience with major bends but I wanted to know if this is a concern or not.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I was very happy with the quantity and quality of the roots. I tried to show this in the video but it was hard to demonstrate properly. Normally, I am faced with large coarse feeder roots that need removing - this had none. It was the ideal root base for the tree and should thrive in the pumice mixture. It is very stable :)

[@stevetippin]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat yes, sorry. As impatient as I am, I asked the question while watching the video. You definitely went over it towards the end.

[@hsvfanjan17]

Isn't the tensioning wire now doing the opposite of what you wanted to do with the trunk? By pulling down the branch it's going to decrease the previously-90°-angle back to where it was Definitely an improvement of the tree btw, I hope Jelle is proud of you, too! :D

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Funny you should say that - I very nearly did produce an inverted cup when I was tensioning. I have tried to pull it down enough without creating the obvious 2nd 90 degree angle. It is tough material. Good spot :)

[@RolandWampers]

Additionally to your new gained knowledge about caring for junipers, I meanwhile learned that there are running & mounting junipers. The runners, like thisone in your movie here very likely is, need to run their shoots first before they mount. The mounting ones, like your Itoigawa juniper with Jelle needs to mount foliage first before it shoots runners. Interesting, isnt it ? More details here kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5exiKxtf5iSia8si=P8oHFaT6OMdnNUXg

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

That reminded me of stuff Ryan neil used to discuss. Thanks for that :)

[@maryweber4176]

How very odd to see you wire a tree. But what if you chipped away at the piece of deadwood where the wire is anchored at, to more or less make that a smoother outer edge of the trunk. Visually, it might be better for your eye to travel instead of a sharp angle. Today I figured out your familiarity. You are Steve Martin's long lost little brother, just with a British accent!

[@jagboy69]

I agree, shave that sharp corner off.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I have wired trees loads of times :) I wish I was as funny as Steve martin. I may take that idea up on shaving the corner. Thanks

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Not thought of that :)

[@stevemorgan9687]

You should be chuffed xav all this rubbing shoulders with the greats has paid off

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

There is no doubt that Jelle and Ryan had a big influence on me this year. The biggest lesson i learn't was that the material I had (not Chinese) was always going to be problematic with maintaining 'traditional' tight foliage pads. Now I know this - I am happier to work with the material I have in the garden.

[@percyacutt3110]

That was the easy part, still got lousy foliage

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Interesting response. For me, that was quite a move forward in my approach to styling juniper. As for the foliage I am happy that the scale growth will continue to thicken over the next 12 months and that I will be able to reduce it to much shorter and defined pads. We are all on different journeys my friend and I just wanted to demonstrate that I am not going to throw away lower quality juniper material because I have now discovered the ease of developing Chinese Junipers :)

[@garrybourke1089]

Hi mate is there any way you can get the bottom part of the TRUNK WITH MORE OF A BEND in it just looks a little to straight , just a suggestion , not being critical.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Th eonly way I can see is to split it a little as I did with one a few years ago. That may still be something I consider once it has put on some more vigour. I don't mind different suggestions :)