Bonsai Bench Tour October 2024 and Some 2025 Project Previews

[@Bonsai_Noob]

If move that maple of the bench, defoliated to prevent it from using more energy on ejecting those leaves and spray with lime sulphur. That should fix up the fungus and it will help it explode with growth in spring. Love the shape on that gingko. The little northern cedar looks incredible

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it. I would love to kick that fungus so I can enjoy the tree without it next growing season. I'll look into getting some lime sulphur. I'm going back and forth about putting it in the ground. It did put out a pretty good push this spring, so maybe the ground isn't necessary...Anyway, I do plan to do the lime sulphur thing, thanks. And thanks for the northern white cedar compliment - I'm quite proud of that creation.

[@CoffeeandBonsaiwithTom]

I absolutely love your hemlock!! What a charming tree, looking forward to watching its continued development. Great job!! 🎉

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you! The Western Hemlock seems to be the star of this bench tour, based on all the positive comments about it. Lovely foliage and a tough tree - I highly recommend it (if you ever feel like journeying outside of succulents). Enjoying your videos, BTW.

[@janelevault7954]

Ok Benji Bright... no doubt I am biased but I am loving this channel!! I think you started a new hobby for me. I have lots of smallish trees in my forest I can dig up and make into bonsai trees. Maybe even a new steam of income for me... teaching classes!!!

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Ha ha, glad you've been inspired. I've been into bonsai for a few years now. If you want to try bonsaiing some of your forest trees, early spring (March/April), just before bud burst, is a great time to dig them. Cheap garden center material is also a good way to get started. Yeah, bonsai classes seem to be gaining in popularity in the US, so there's a market. If you're interested in pursuing that, I'd say - watch a bunch of youtube (there are a ton of great youtube bonsai channels) and you'll be able to learn the basics so you can teach others. My bonsai education has been completely online, and through hands-on experience (I've killed quite a few trees).

[@JudyGSD]

That hemlock is stunning!! Your trees look very healthy 👍

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you! I did have some fungal issues this year with some of my decidous, but for the most part, my temperate trees that are adapted to my climate did pretty well. Now my tropicals, that's another story...

[@Eric.D.519]

You're hemlock is pretty amazing!! Well done 🎉

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you! Mother Nature should get most of the credit - I only collected it a few years ago. But it has gotten much better since my most recent cut back (that video will be published in a week or two).

[@robstanley559]

You have some great trees there. Thank you for sharing, i look forward to seeing more updates

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks, appreciate that! It's gratifying to get compliments on my collection. I plan to keep updating every few months (in addition to creating more videos).

[@baldyeti]

Good showing again, brother. Those upcoming projects look fantastic.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks, I'm already excited for spring, and we haven't even started winter.

[@zen-da-bonsai-ko]

I'm new to you channel ... and it seems you have a very nice bonsai collection 🤩

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you, I really appreciate your kind words.

[@nathancoaly8267]

I'm excited to see the styling in the forest video! The new thuja looks great.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks! Glad you're looking forward to the thuja styling in the forest video - comes out next Monday (Oct 28). It was a lot of fun to make - I really enjoyed doing bonsai in an old cedar grove.

[@card_collecting]

Wow great video, great bonsai

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks! And thanks for watching.

[@bonsaibythesea]

Nice tour enjoyed 😊

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@rb89362]

Thanks for the updates! Ginkgo looks lovely!

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks for watching. Yeah, I love the ginkgo in the fall.

[@n8tyler]

The trees look amazing BNW...I'm now on the hunt for Northern White Cedar 'Primo' thanks to your video...Visually stunning little tree...My favorite though, is your Western Hemlock...I have about a half dozen W/H none of which have anything close to this trees potential...I'm just letting them sit in pots for now and will do their first repot this next Spring...Yours is something to aspire to for sure...Thanks for yet another great video...

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you, much appreciated! I'm gald you're hunting for a 'Primo' - tough little trees and great for small bonsai. I bet you can find one somewhat nearby, as they come from Iseli in Oregon. I've always liked my Western Hemlock, which also seems to be a pretty tough tree. It handled collection quite well, so hopefully those repots work well for you. I keep mine pretty wet (there's still quite a bit of the forest soil in the pot) and it doesn't seem to mind it, maybe it even likes wettish feet?

[@TalkingLoon]

You breezed right by that Yew suspiciously quick!

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Ha ha, I didn't realize it at the time, but you're right, I just passed right over that Yew, almost like it isn't my most favorite tree and might be headed for the ground, give away, or worse...I'll just confirm your possible suspicions, that I'm just not that into my Yew. Maybe because it is styled like a "bonsai" and not like a miniature version of a tree; I honestly don't really know why I'm not that into it.

[@danielkosta3134]

​​​@@BonsaiNorthwestyew is not often thought of as a Bonsai subject in the USA yet it is often seen as a worthy bonsai material in Europe and Japan. I suspect that in the US many people think of it as just "those bushes in front of the house" and just too common and lowly for bonsai. Yew does make a great bonsai material. They are sturdy and easy to care for. The wood can be carved for beautiful jin and shari. The bark contrasts well with the foliage and deadwood. More people should consider it for bonsai.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

@@danielkosta3134 I agree, yew seems like a great species for bonsai - very tough, and the trunk/bark/wood is indeed very nice. You make a good point about yew being shrubs that folks plant on the north sides of their houses in the US - that's how I always see them, never as a majestic old tree in the country side or forest. So maybe that explains why I'm not that into my yew. I do love the old yew bonsai that I see from the UK/Europe.

[@thelazybonsai]

Wowser, the gingko is bonkers!!

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Yeah, I think it's also from Iseli? (not positive). It's also a tough tree, never given me any grief.

[@percyacutt3110]

Love the Hinoki

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks! Yeah, me too. The foliage is such a nice deep green.

[@thelazybonsai]

The primo trees are pretty dang cool. I have two. Not as good as yours. They aren’t too available. Hopefully Iseli has more next year

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Yep, Primo is an awesome cultivar. I didn't realize how lucky I am. The nursery where I got mine has had 1-2 dozen (along with a bunch of other great stuff from Iseli) the last couple springs. I'm going to try to pick up another one this spring, just to have in my back pocket, in case they do become scarce here.

[@bradbuss9753]

Lots of future projects and videos for us to watch! I’m particularly interested in where the Bristlecone goes after you “snap” it. It could use some ramification and it may take a while. Looks like 1K subs is getting close!

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

My plan for the bristlecone pine is 1) snap the top off (before those lower branches weaken and die), 2) either repot into bonsai soil in a largeish pot or just put in my grow bed in the spring of 2025, and 3) let it grow for the next 3 years. After that, not sure. You're right, it'd take awhile to become a 'real' bonsai. For me it's more about just having a high-elevation five-needle pine in my collection. I love 'high five' pines and their environments. While I wait a decade or two for it to become a bonsai, maybe I could save my money and someday buy a real 'high five' pine bonsai from Ryan Neil. He had some great pines in the 3-10k USD range for sale a month or two ago, including some Limber Pines. But yeah, not really in my bonsai price range. Yep, close to 1K subs, kind of exciting!

[@bradbuss9753]

@@BonsaiNorthwest High five make the best bonsai imho… at least among the pines. It’s hard to beat the colors you have on the benches this fall though! Marai still has some nice limber, but I personally wouldn’t shell out that much $. You are young enough to have patience and develop your own rather than possessing ‘real’ material that has been in training by someone like Neil.

[@LuisGarcia-od8qn]

You have a good sense of style. Some bonsai collections I see just look like a bunch of twigs with no shape or form

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you, I'm flattered, really appreciate your kind words! It's taken me a few years, but I think I'm starting understand the bonsai process better, or at least, I'm more happy with my creations than I was at the outset.

[@iPheek]

Do you have a video of how you plan your trees to grow in ground. Do you keep them all in pots and dig about a foot down and place them there? Do you use bonsai mix in the pot or regular soil? Andy tips or advice for growing them in ground? Nice video!

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

That's a good idea for a video, I'll have to make one. I grow a lot of trees in the ground, but I rarely take them out of bonsai pots and put them in the ground again, this would maybe even be a first for me, if I do put that tree in the ground. Anyway, my trees that I'm growing out in the ground aren't in pots. I don't use bonsai substrate, just the top soil in my raised garden bed. It being a raised bed helps with drainage I think. I occasionally dig up what I have in the ground, so the roots don't get too established. But you wouldn't want to dig every year, maybe every 3 years. So I think I'm due to dig up quite a few things this coming spring.

[@thelazybonsai]

Sooper noice

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks!

[@thelazybonsai]

The Thoweill Hinoki looks like it has small tight foliage! Sooper cool. Is it slow growing like the Primo? My primos seems to be super slow growing, which is nice

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Yep, the Thoweil Hinoki is very much like the Primo - tight foliage and slow growing (especially in a small pot). We'll see how fast it grows this next growing season though, now that it seems to be established after this spring's repotting.

[@fabiansaerve]

Such a lovely collection! I also love your voice tbh. I saw you have a lot of vegetation in your pots. I think it looks very good but everywhere i hear its not very good for the trees. Whats your experience on that?

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Ha ha, thanks, I'm flattered. The extra vegetation in bonsai pots no doubt competes with the trees for resources, so yes, I think many would advise not to grow other things in your bonsai pots, if you want the best growth from your trees. I enjoy the look of the "understory" vegetation in my pots. But it does likely slow my trees' growth, although I don't think the health of my trees suffer much from it. Moss, however, is a different story (as opposed to vegetation with roots). I don't think moss competes much with tree roots. I actually feel like moss can be beneficial in keeping the upper layer of soil moist for good tree root growth. Thanks for the video idea! I think I'm make one about whether growing additional plants in your bonsai pots is a good idea or not.

[@fabiansaerve]

@ thank you so much for your insights! I subscribed and am waiting for the mentioned video :)

[@janelevault7954]

Ben ~ did you say and I missed it. Do you leave these outside for the winter?

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

It varies by species. I have some trees which can't freeze that are inside until the spring. But most of these that are currently on my bench stay out most of the year. When it gets really cold, like below 20 deg F, I protect many of these by bringing them into my garage, where it generally stays around freezing. Being in small pots, the roots are somewhat vunerable and 15 deg F, from what I read, is a temp where roots can start to die. So I try to keep the roots above 15 deg F. At the same time, you wouldn't want to bring these temperate trees inside a house during the winter, where they'd wake up. They need their winter rest.

[@janelevault7954]

@@BonsaiNorthwest Our definition of really cold is way different...by about 80*!!!😂😂😂

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

@@janelevault7954 Ha, indeed. I thought you were living in VA this days?

[@ericnyamu9981]

stick a bonsai in the ground? do you have some down to earth friends you are trying to impress. lol

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Ha ha, nah, I'm not trying to impress anybody. I have another smaller amur maple that I've been training in the ground (not mentioned in this video) and it is remarkably healthy and happy. I'm thinking this potted amur would appreciate a break from being a bonsai, but the ground can be a scary place - rodents, sudden cold snaps, kid soccer balls...