Bonsaify | Tips for Mame Cotoneaster Bonsai in Spring

One of Eric's most Instagram-able trees is a cascade-style mame Cotoneaster (you can see it here: / cp9bmt3huex . When it flowers each Spring, it's delightful to hold in the palm of your hand. We've just released a collection of mame Cotoneaster that you can groom to look beautiful, too!
00:00:22 These are 3-year-olds started from cuttings.
00:00:43 They're about to flower, which is why we decided to release them now!
00:01:38 Close-up of the flowers already in bloom on one of the mame.
00:02:08 The pots were made by Mikel Edwards, a local Bay Area potter, working with Eric on design and color specifically for these cotoneaster.
00:02:39 Tips for keeping them nicely trimmed.
00:03:33 How to make a crown of foliage.
00:04:45 Eric shares design decisions for two mame, having fun with their flowering.
00:05:47 The major structure is not completely set which means there's still time to change design.
00:07:02 What it means to be a member of the rose family.
The entire collection is available at www.bonsaify.c...
Do you have any cotoneaster mame? Tell us about them in the comments below. Thank you for watching; please like and share this video, and subscribe to our channel!

[@darinsullivan748]

Thanks for making bonsai from cotoneaster. I live in Humboldt County in Northern California and they grow wild up here. I have dug up a few from my yard and made them into bonsai's. I call them bonsai from lawn mower. Years of mowing at 3 and half inches works well. I also like leaving a few exposed roots too. It gives the fig jungle look. Thanks again for sharing.

[@Thousand.cranes.bonsai]

Oh that's awesome, lawnmower bonsai are the best!! How can we see pictures? Do you use instagram or anything?

[@mikecipriani7792]

I've been looking around for nursery stock, would also like to get a crab apple .

[@gguabes]

Is this a cotoneaster microphyllus? Does it necessary to winterized them at certain temperature?

[@Bonsaify]

Yes and they are semi-deciduous - in warm climates they keep growing, while in cold ones they go dormant. We have grown them straight through winter as an experiment and they seem to be fine. Protecting them from overly cold temps is not a bad idea, as is the case with most bonsai.

[@johndowling7091]

sorry to both you again im in the uk do need to wait till spring to take cuttings

[@Jojosawesomeadventure]

Question about treating for pests and diseases. What brand do you use and how do you apply it? Like, do you only spray on their trunks or the whole plant, including the leaves?

[@Bonsaify]

You'd want to spray the entire top of the tree normally. But with some chemicals you drench the roots also. For scale - which is a common issue for these - using a contact spray like horticultural soap can help sometimes but wont kill the adults. I find pyrethrin to be a good insecticide, but it's also just contact - so not always going to get rid of scale. Systemic insecticides are more complicated - but the consumer oriented Bayer tree care stuff will often work well. Be sure to follow all the label directions.

[@Jojosawesomeadventure]

Will you guys be selling another batch soon? I missed the chance last time due to the military:(

[@Bonsaify]

Hi! We are growing more of these, but they are not ready for sale. It may be another year before we have them ready in pots like this. (sorry!)

[@bartstellink307]

I just love these, just awsome trees to work with. If you stay on it you double up on branches really fast. Cheers for this information.

[@henzobonsai]

Really nice sharing 👍👍👍

[@darshanam.yamasinghe5202]

👌👍

[@barryauguste9734]

Can cotoneaster be grown indoors under gro-lights Eric.?

[@Bonsaify]

I have not tried it, but I suspect it will work fine. Flowering may be less reliable, unless you carefully control the photoperiod cycle. (simulating seasonal light changes.)

[@gocsangtao83]

Great sharing!

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

Lol. I just made some mame size pots out of a set of dragon sake glasses.

[@Bonsaify]

that would be so fun to see!

[@waterlover]

Beautiful little cuties

[@calvinchau5479]

I can't find Contoneaster in CA Orange county.

[@Bonsaify]

We have some now (northern california) and can ship to you!

[@riccardomelis2263]

Bellissimi..in che periodo si fanno le talee cotonester?

[@irmarosales2521]

Hola, se puede hacer desde esquejé ? Tanks.

[@Bonsaify]

Si! es facil.

[@blueridgebonsai9155]

I have a cotoneaster microphyllus and would like to use it to create several mame. So how easily do these air layer or root as cuttings? I really don’t think I have long enough branch stems for an air layer so cuttings seem the best option. Last year I took cuttings off my Seiju Chinese elm by potting them in sphagnum moss and placing them inside a large ziplock bag. They rooted in about 6 weeks. Would that also be a good option for the cotoneaster? What time is best to do this? The branches are small diameter no bigger than a chopstick but are woody.

[@Bonsaify]

These are extremely easy to root, in fact they will root along stems where they touch the soil without any prompting, because the species is naturally low-growing. We propagate them mid-spring through mid summer in a greenhouse, but I'm sure you can do it almost any time during the growing season (they are less robust when it's cold). I'm guessing rooting hormone isn't even needed, but we use it to encourage consistency.

[@MdSohugkhan]

I want that. 🥺

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌👌🙂

[@stephencopland1053]

Do you ship worldwide?

[@Bonsaify]

No, but we can ship to certain regions. Message us directly at [e-mail] with your details and we can figure it out together!

[@stephencopland1053]

Hi thanks for the reply. I’m in the Uk and since Brexit we have struggled to get anything Bonsai from Europe. We are still arguing about fishing rights😂. Since posting the question. I found that you don’t ship trees internationally on your FAQ page. Thanks again for the the reply. By the way, great KZbin channel

[@GertsBonsaiLog]

I live in the southern usa and have trouble getting flower/fruit on cotoneaster and pyracantha. Any tips for what I can do to encourage flowers/berries for these species?

[@Bonsaify]

Interesting. I think you might want to just supplement with a 0-10-10 fertilizer or a "bloom" fertilizer in the late summer and fall. I'd also mention that letting them run a lot, followed by hard cutback tends to remove the flowers - depends on when you do it. I find them reliably flowering once they are in a bonsai container under the conditions here. If the fertilizer doesn't help, I would examine the amount of sun. They are native to 2000-5000ft above sea level in the himalayas, but I don't have any issues with them here in SF. Admittedly, we may have a climate similar to mid-elevation tropical.

[@GertsBonsaiLog]

@@Bonsaify Ahh thank you so much for the reply! That makes sense on the letting them run and then cutting back, I'm still building out some branch thickness and trying to get some ramification so this may be the cause. Thanks again!

[@ronald_0923]

Looks wonderful

[@northascrowsfly]

I could easily start many of these from seed, and I can also dig up plenty of sprouted seedlings. Do you have any videos related to the long-term process of handling a bonsai (any species) all the way from seeds?

[@Bonsaify]

We have a couple blog posts along those lines relating to Japanese Black Pine. We'll be doing more content for creating mini bonsai from start to finish as we continue making content.

[@alfredasio2]

Good morning, congratulation on the very beautiful mini bonsai. I like them very much. could you please inform me about mini pots, where is possible to buy them?

[@Bonsaify]

Hello! We sell some small bonsai pots on Bonsaify.com! There are also some stores in Japan that offer them. (Yukimono.com for example.)

[@alfredasio2]

@@Bonsaify Many thanks.

[@Iliketurtles318]

Is it the same as Fukien tree bonsai?

[@9daywonda]

Some good specimens you have got there kid.

[@Bonsaify]

Thanks!

[@9daywonda]

@@Bonsaify Your welcome!!!

[@prof.puggle1631]

inspiration! good on ya, mate!

[@elcin1qrqtgccsguaea]

Hi, I just found out about this tree. Is it suitable for growing indoors?

[@Bonsaify]

We've kept them in a greenhouse for a full year before. They are more susceptible to pests indoors than outdoors. And in general they are susceptible to scale insects in particular (three kinds we know of so far.) So, you could try it and see!

[@EdugeBDroN]

This is alchemy to me

[@johndowling7091]

what do you treat them with to keep them pests away love you videos

[@Bonsaify]

In the greenhouse we use Caravan, but regular soap application, or other contact insecticides can help. Bayer/Imidacloprid is not particularly effective on scale, so I'd suggest Safari (Dinotefuran) or something else. If you only have a few, try just soap and manual removal. It's in larger batches that this becomes impractical.

[@garlanddavidson6845]

So those are cutting ?-Can you also air layer on a mother tree?

[@Bonsaify]

Yes, in fact cotoneaster branches that are in contact with soil will root readily without any coaxing, they are a groundcover/ bush in nature.

[@S-series1977]

Nice 👍👍👍 video

[@bonsaiminilocphat3212]

Rất hay bạn ơi

[@qwbo]

whats the genis?

[@Bonsaify]

Cotoneaster microphyllus.

[@qwbo]

@@Bonsaify I found a cotoneaster Franchet and a cotoneaster rockspray are these two good for bonsai or not..?

[@qwbo]

or cotoneaster horizontalis (rockspray)

[@Bonsaify]

Rockspray is similar. I'm not familiar with the other. But generally the genus is good.

[@qwbo]

Also known as orange cotoneaster