Bonsaify | Repotting a Collected Coastal Redwood Bonsai

Watch as Eric repots a collected coastal Redwood - if you are a fan of ASMR, then you're going to love this video! The species scientific/Latin name, Sequoia Sempervirens, means "forever green" or "living forever." Eric purchased this tree from Bon Shimon of Mendocino Coast Bonsai (mcbonsai.com) last year, and it's been about one year since Bob collected it.
00:00:55 Whenever Eric receives a new tree, the first thing he likes to do before beginning any bonsai work is to assess root health with a bare root and root health assessment. Build the foundation for a healthy plant with healthy root growth as the first step!
00:01:51 Eric removes the tree from its container and clears the dense nursery soil away from the roots with a bent nose tweezer.
00:02:43 Close-up view of the roots as Eric trims them.
00:03:40 A few larger root snips! This part made me nervous TBD but Eric knows what he's doing. :-)
00:04:30 Prepping a bonsai container from Thomas and Kathy Arakawa for the tree.
00:06:43 Adding bottom layer of bonsai soil and placing the tree in the pot.
00:07:27 Wiring the tree securely into the pot.
00:08:52 Gently pushing the roots down into the container and covering with bonsai soil. Mesmerizing...!
00:10:36 Adding finer top layer of bonsai soil.
00:11:29 Heathy watering session!
00:11:41 Voila! The roots looked relatively healthy, so Eric will keep an eye on the foliage.
Thanks for watching! Why do you think Eric is wearing that blue glove in the video? Share your guesses with us in the comments below. Give this video a like, share it with your friends, and please subscribe to our channel!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

An awesome start to this tree!! That pot looks really nice too!

[@elig2714]

Just wanted to say that the almost no narration - just completing the task and letting us watch style of video was a surprisingly effective way to convey the information. I would love to see more videos of you accomplishing routine work while we observe with a debrief at the end. It’s both relaxing and informative and occupies a different niche than your regular videos.

[@Bonsaify]

Glad you like it. Yes, I plan to do more of these, but also more critiques, and more of other types. It keeps things a bit fresher to have the variety.

[@elig2714]

@@Bonsaify I look forward to them all! Thanks!

[@OjaiBonsai]

That nabari is crazy almost like a bald cypress. Great work

[@curatorofcardboard]

Good stuff, look forward to the updates on this one. Thanks Eric

[@baldyeti]

Consider me learnt! Very succinct and educational, which I appreciate. Looking forward to seeing it respond!

[@carolficorilli9768]

Great info and video.

[@arnoldmmbb]

So cool pot, almost looks like that its made of metal

[@Bonsaify]

Agree! We do still have a few available (it was a limited collection, Thomas only produced 10 pots) www.bonsaify.com/collections/bonsai-ceramics/products/thomas-arakawa-ash-splashed-deep-glazed-rectangles

[@PatriciaOConnorBonsaiBalcony]

Nice work

[@MrAcokgitra]

Great trees and I love to work with any trees but the red wood hasn't try before. Nice to see it. Great jobb said hi from my chanel UMI Noki Bonsai

[@henzobonsai]

Good job 👍

[@davidmorgan3508]

Aussie Dave here, fantastic work 😉. I bare rooted and washed out all the old soil on 6 of my junipers in beginning of spring, roots were kept moist, but 2 weeks later they started to get die back 🥺.but now in January they all recovered 😛. So next spring I'm a little scared of doing bare rooting again 🤔. You seem to do it with ease 😉👌

[@Bonsaify]

Hmm. Bare-rooting conifers can be tricky, especially older ones - junipers vary widely between cultivated varieties like Kishu and wild types like our American natives. But generally, you don't want to bare-root unless a tree is already showing signs of health. This operation was a bit risky, the tree has good growth top and bottom, but it's only been a year since collection. I'm betting it will be fine, but there's no guarantee. If I'm in doubt - rather than bare-root, I will slip-pot the tree into a larger container with pumice or perlite around the original root ball and wait a year.

[@davidmorgan3508]

@@Bonsaify thank you 😊

[@BONSAIenCORTO]

Thanks.

[@Bonsaicrazy]

Hi David. It would be cool it you opened the trunk up in the middle to give the impression you could walk through it. Just a thought

[@Bonsaify]

Actually that's not an uncommon feature with redwood bonsai, just not in this case. And, I guess I need to mention my own name more often, which is Eric.😜

[@Bonsaicrazy]

@@Bonsaify ow Eric sorry fella. God knows why I thought it was Dave . 🤣 I’m a newbie bonsai channel. I’m going to be trunk chopping my Dawn redwood but I’d like a big trunk. My first chop should it be low down or about half way up. Sorry I’m trying to do my research which is why I came across this video. I’m really nervous about it. It has really nice flaky bark lower down and at least 4 buds lower down the rest is thin and sparse in buds. Sorry to be a pain but I can’t find the info I need on first trunk chops 👍👍👍

[@Bonsaify]

Dawn redwood will backbud pretty well in my experience - although not necessarily where you want them to. Just like the coast redwoods - they can have invisible node points. So, I'd trunk chop a couple inches above where you're hoping and see what happens. FYI, they also don't seem to heal wounds very well - I haven't grown many, but the ones I've seen don't seem to roll over the cuts much.

[@Bonsaicrazy]

@@Bonsaify ok that’s great that’s a great help, thanks loads for your time Eric. Really enjoy watching your videos fella 👍👍👍👍

[@deersbrook4485]

Love that Coast redwood. I would have trimmed the roots to fit the pot because that's what most bonsai videos show. I notice you didn't trim the roots at all. Is there a particular reason for this?

[@Bonsaify]

This approach is meant to maximize the survival of the small roots on recently collected trees. Once it is more established I would take the approach you mention.

[@deersbrook4485]

@@Bonsaify Ah thanks. That makes sense!

[@TheKornfeld]

I'm in San Francisco---given that location, when in the calendar year would you recommend doing this with coast redwoods? Thanks for the great content!

[@Bonsaify]

I typically repot them Jan-February. In a pinch you could do it November-April

[@TheKornfeld]

​@@Bonsaifygreat, thank you!

[@iPheek]

I love your videos! Thanks for showing the repotting! I love the sounds of the cutting, soil, wiring… it’s relaxing to hear. Great tree! One question, I’ve noticed more people using gloves when working in trees. Why is that? Thanks again!

[@Bonsaify]

In this case, I had a fresh cut on the tip of my left thumb, so I had a bandaid over it and wanted to ensure that dirt didn't get in there. I do sometimes wear gloves while repotting to keep my skin from drying out too much from the soil, but other times I don't wear gloves. I also tend to wear gloves when the root balls are sopping wet, but I try to avoid working on them in that condition. Thanks!

[@themichaellerner]

Eric, thank you so much for your frequent and helpful videos. I'm curious why you're-pottedd this Coastal Redwood into such a small pot, considering that it still has a way to go in development? Also, I will be getting a Coast Redwood from Bob Shimon this coming March and I was planning to examine its roots and repot it soon after arrival. Based on y your video, I am now wondering if you are advising that I should not re-pot it until a year after I get it?

[@Bonsaify]

I would say repot it as soon as you get it. Regarding the small pot - they react well to small containers, and I'd like to see the scale of the foliage reduce significantly. It already ran a bit so good timing for trimming. I'll leave the shoots long for now, and cut back in summer more.

[@themichaellerner]

@@Bonsaify Thanks for your reply and advice. I continue to be impressed by how helpful you are. Love your videos.

[@zacreedlynch]

On the top, you just have a fine layer of Akadama?

[@Bonsaify]

Sorta - it's shohin-size Aoki pre-mix. It's about 70% akadama.

[@zacreedlynch]

Thanks! Love what you’re doing; hope to see more coastal redwood videos in the future!

[@G_909]

Is now a bad time to put a coast redwood in a larger training pot? Heard mid winter was a good time for them but I’m not sure if that is correct

[@Bonsaify]

Depends on your location. If you have no danger of freezing temps (which redwood don't tolerate well) then it's a good time (now being mid-January). If you're in a colder climate, then you would need protection afterward. If you're in the southern hemisphere, then no, not a good time.

[@G_909]

@@Bonsaify I’m on the coast in Pacifica,CA where it doesn’t fall below 40-50 degrees . Would you say it is an ideal time?

[@Bonsaify]

Yes.

[@dracokaiser]

Can sequoias grow in Bloomington Indiana?

[@Bonsaify]

I think you'd need a greenhouse or other winter protection. I believe S. sempervirens is only hardy to zone 8 or something like that. The minimum temps would be something like 10F, but the roots would not want to freeze hard. Even in Portland, OR area they keep them in greenhouses during winter.

[@dracokaiser]

@@Bonsaify Ryan Neil?

[@Bonsaify]

Yes, and others.

[@hectorfabioguerrero1188]

Thank you for sharing, Fantastic work!!! Very nice pot, where can I find it?

[@Bonsaify]

Those pots are on our site here: www.bonsaify.com/collections/bonsai-ceramics/products/thomas-arakawa-ash-splashed-deep-glazed-rectangles

[@hectorfabioguerrero1188]

@@Bonsaify can you send Colombia?

[@TaderSamich]

Can you ground layer a coastal redwood? I have one with a bugle where a second trunk used to be about 1 inch from the base. If so, would I girdle or ring the bark?

[@Bonsaify]

Ooo, good question. I would say the answer is yes, but it might make the most sense to do it at repotting time, do a hard root prune (make sure the tree is super vigorous first) and then bury it to about an inch above where you want roots and layer sphagnum on top. I'm guessing it'll work. Do keep in mind that collected ones act a bit different than nursery stock, but only a little.

[@willwatkins6694]

was this an air layering originally?

[@Bonsaify]

No, collected tree from Mendocino county.

[@itisjustmedude]

Have you considered using a shoehorn?

[@Bonsaify]

Standard part of my toolkit actually.

[@ryanashby2459]

Thing looks like a tasty Yam inside hah.

[@brucedeacon28]

👍🍎

[@9daywonda]

Great work not that keen on the shape hey.

[@Rosshopkins2006]

Why medical gloves?

[@Bonsaify]

If I recall I had a cut on one of my hands and didn't want it to get dirt in it while filming.

[@Josef_R]

I think this is one reason people new to bonsai stay confused all the time. You're putting a tree in early development into a bonsai pot instead of a training pot. I know it's why I am.

[@Bonsaify]

Hi, interesting point. I would disagree that it is in early development - the trunk is set and primary branching is in place, which means the goal with this tree is refinement - as such, placing it in a bonsai container is normal practice. If I wanted to the trunk to be larger, or add a section, then I might leave it in a larger pot. As for confusion regarding pots - training pots versus bonsai pots is a grey line in my mind - larger pots allow for faster growth in general, but in the end any pot can be a training pot. The distinction is not definite. And the reaction of trees mostly falls along a continuum where small to large produces a range of vigor in growth - so you can actually throttle the tree to by choosing an appropriate size pot. Hope that helps. Maybe a good topic for a video actually.

[@Josef_R]

@@Bonsaify oh, it just looks like a mass of branches to me, like it was just dug out of the ground. I have a winged elm about that size that I dug up in the fall. It had been chopped repeatedly, so when I dug it, it just had a thick afro on the chop and a couple of long branches. After clearing off the afro, I have one branch that I want to grow, so I guess that's the difference. Mine needs a year or two to grow now.

[@Bonsaify]

Yes, the top does look like a mess right now, but I didn't want to bare root it and cut off the foliage at the same time. If this were a larger redwood, where primary branch development would take longer then a larger container might make sense. But with small ones I need to keep them growing slower so I can build a compact structure. Like I said, it's not a black-and-white type thing - you just get slightly different growth depending on the size of the container.

[@themichaellerner]

@@Bonsaify This was not only a very informative video but also an interesting follow-up discussion.