Cut Your Bonsai Like This to Thicken the Trunk

In today's step-by-step tutorial, we go over everything you need to know to shape your bonsai. I walk you through my decision making process when cutting branches and show you techniques on how to thicken your bonsai's trunk. After watching this video, you'll be ready to shape your bonsai to the vision you have in mind!
0:00 Introduction
0:05 About my Trident Maple Sumo
0:50 Overview
1:40 Start cutting to see the shape
3:13 Remove the leaves
3:57 Look at the trunk
4:35 How to thicken the trunk
5:15 Cut the branches you don't need
5:55 How bonsai are judged
7:50 How to thicken a branch
8:15 How to know what to cut
11:43 Evaluation & Summary
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Questions about your bonsai? Leave a comment below or you can reach out to me at [e-mail].
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[@danielfonseca5007]

Key piece of information, grown in the ground for 25 years...

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Hi Daniel! Yes, but you can still use the techniques shown in this video to cut your bonsai strategically so that the trunk and/or branches will grow thicker faster. If your tree is still very young, I recommend you keep it in the ground or in a 5 gallon pot for a while before transferring it to a bonsai pot. This will give the tree a chance to grow a thick trunk quickly.

[@danielfonseca5007]

@@bonsaiheirloom love watching your explanations on technique and down to earth stuff you show (pun intended). Such as Hand breaking branches to create Jin and the pruning techniques in this vid. I'll definitely use that, my comment is more aimed at those of us that still need to learn lots of patience, myself mostly lol

[@akgaminga141]

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[@javis5300]

Still a bonsai 😂

[@Snugglez187]

Well, you know what they say. The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. 😅

[@peterianramos3792]

hi Mr. Milton Chang this topic you discussed gives me the idea on how I can thicken the trunk I am doing for my Duhat or Java Plum tree 😊❤❤❤ I got it last August 2018 from the side of our warehouse its a low cliff and its seeds fell to the ground and several pieces grown and I took 1 bearing in my mind I will try to turn it into a bonsai. I transferred it to its permanent home (pot) last May 2024 after 5 years and 11 months, so far it's growing great, new branches coming out 😊 I am from Philippines

[@Chercher4848]

Thank you for encouraging us to cut even if we make a mistake. You’re right, it WILL grow back. I can watch all day long but until I dig in & make my own decisions only then does it complete the lesson for me. Thanks for a great tutorial & wowzer what a beautiful old trunk! ❤️

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Hi Cheryl! Yes, the best way to learn is through trial and error. I have killed many trees during my 50 years of doing bonsai and I learned through trial and error each time. I encourage you to just go ahead and try it out and learn as you go. Best wishes!

[@sibanipradhan9039]

@@bonsaiheirloom ?

[@rubene4403]

Thank you for another great video. A few years ago I moved to a new house and the previous owners had chopped an elm tree and left me good material for a bonsai. Last year I put it in a pot and in the summer I cut the top to start the apex. The branch died back and sprouted much lower than what I wanted but by the end of the year it had thickened up and I think it’s going to be better than what I originally thought. The tree is telling me what looks best.

[@ancientoak]

Hi, i totally agree with you. I have little experience but knowing that I have understood these very important things that good people like you say makes me understand that I am on the right track!

[@bonsaiheirloom]

That's great! I'm glad I was able to help! :)

[@jeffhurst4744]

As mentioned in other comments, mistakes happen in designing/shaping our Bonsai. You again show us that you can keep your original overall vision for the tree, but to use the natural growth tendencies in mind when modifying your design. Great informative video. Thank you.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Yes exactly, Jeff! Great job extrapolating the content to takeaway the main lessons! I hope you're having fun with your bonsai!

[@jeffhurst4744]

I always have a nice relaxing and no-hurry time schedule when I work on them

[@GeneBrodeJr]

I've been working on my bonsais for over 20 years and needed to see this video. I feel like I have permission to be a little rougher with my trees than I have been in order to get them to grow more and look more authentic. I like how you said they are grotesque. Nature doesn't create perfect little trees every time. I've been holding back because I didn't want to mess up the ficus I've been training for the past 10 years. Hopefully this year I can take some chances and turn it into something even more beautiful through cutting and pruning. Thanks!

[@Loosybaboosy]

Brilliant instructions. Thank you!

[@GKganesan]

Thank you for this. Very educational.

[@easymode_RL]

Telling me to subscribe at the end of the video was a very good idea. Because it made me stop and think like “🎉yeah this was a pretty fun and engaging demonstration. I should definitely watch more of this channel.”

[@robmartin3312]

Brilliant description of your methods. Thank you

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks for watching, Rob!

[@raymondplodzien7459]

Great video. Thank you for the words of encouragement on making cuts even if you make a mistake.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Yes, no big deal, it's all about learning. Don't worry if you make a mistake because it will grow back!

[@wshow11]

Excellent explanation! Very helpful and nice instruction. Great job!

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks so much for the kind words and support! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@gregy.]

Your videos are great! Keep growing your channel!

[@bonsaiheirloom]

I will! Thanks for the encouragement!

[@greasylimpet3323]

Thanks for all this information. I've got a few Tridents in the ground, they're fairly thick, but only three years old, so they haven't got anything like the character of your tree. As you say, time will do the job! 😊

[@bonsaiheirloom]

That's great! Keeping them in the ground will thicken the trunks quickly before you move them to a bonsai pot. Give it a bit more time and you will have amazing bonsai!

[@johnnyyooooo]

epic looking bonsai, looking forward to updates on it

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks! Please subscribe and stick around for the updates!

[@aaronleslie1581]

Awesome video!!!

[@dianedelello5906]

Thank you for your knowledge and instruction.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@Soccerdadify]

Thank you for the great video. Very inspiring and great analogy to manufacturing.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

I'm glad you found it helpful! Since I come from a tech engineering background, I like to incorporate what I've learned in tech and apply it to bonsai. And vice-versa. Bonsai has taught me a lot about mental health during the stressful times in my career. Thank you for watching!

[@drenamir1647]

Thanks for the encouraging words for when we make the wrong cut.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Of course! It's all a part of learning! Just go ahead, make the cuts, and learn as you go.

[@photovincent]

What do you mean with the “you can make no mistake!” in the summary shown in the video at the end? I’ve taken from this (and other) videos more a “see where the natural growth takes you within the boundaries of your vision” and this seems to me incongruent with that statement - but I could be wrong. Thanks, I always enjoy your calm while-working explanations!

[@Jojosawesomeadventure]

Learned a lot from this video. Thank you.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Glad to hear it!

[@michaelchang6451]

Find the squirrel! my new bonsai mantra.😘

[@CharlesLivingstone-jq8tz]

Awesome. Very informative. I learnt a lot from this clip. Thank you.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kennyyardman813]

Great video. Thank you.👍👍

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks, Kenny! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@suz4keeps]

Very informative thank you

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks for watching!

[@creativedaisycrafts5318]

Lovely way you explain Thank you and subscribing

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thank you for subscribing! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them! I want this to be an open bonsai community where we can all learn from each other.

[@shivangnisharma9448]

Love it ❤

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks for watching!

[@johng1097]

Good tips - thank !

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks for watching, John!

[@gvm1964]

Great information! ❤❤❤

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Glad to hear that. Thank you for watching!

[@garden--23]

Awesome

[@phillipwaterman5721]

Nice video nice shape tree thank s Milton

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks, Phillip!

[@HaiHuynh2023]

I always like your videos.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

I appreciate that! Thanks for the support!

[@sunilbadmore6030]

Nice information.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks, glad you found it helpful!

[@donnanelson9181]

I agree. I dont like wiring, although it has its place. I’m a fan of shaping the tree through pruning. It looks so much more natural.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Yes, exactly!

[@Echoes57]

Thank You❤

[@bonsaiheirloom]

You're welcome 😊

[@kamalakantabaro]

So beautiful ❤❤❤

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks so much!

[@x2prime565]

Very good bonsai man

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thank you!

[@dianehghzn7670]

Thankyou i really learned a lot i have been familiar with bonsai’s trees and or shaping small trees and or shrubs into pleasing shapes mostly not necessarily bonsais for instance at first i loved tall bonsais mostly chinese style but now my daughter moved me to her place in Bali and have a lot more opportunities to work on bonsais anyway we bought 2 traditional bonsais from a long time grower and some very cheap little ones pine trees which are easy to grow and work with iam enjoying it very much i kind stumbled on your video i have subscribed and put a like on your video today and ill keep a look out for notification and updates on what your working on and watching your techniques i “ ll see how i go with it as you say their a long term project and kindof like paintings it takes time and patience to work at it anyway thankyou very much and i found your work very interesting 🌿🌲🌳🌴🪵🎄🌵🪴🍀☘️🎋🍂🍁🪸🇳🇿🇮🇩

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Hi Diane! Thanks for subscribing and liking, and I'm happy to have you as a part of my bonsai community! Thanks for sharing your story :) If you have any bonsai questions, please feel free to comment them and I will do my best to help.

[@SoftSemtex]

"find the squirrel" is a term i want to use more in my life

[@shuancook9005]

You crack me up 😂😂

[@hoanduy3922]

Where can I find the updated video of the nursery trees

[@imamscoot7789]

Mantap pak salam knal dari Indonesia salam satu hobi

[@hacker4chn841]

Here's an interesting question: if you get a big stump in the ground (say a 50 year old tree was recently cut down), could you turn that into a 10 ft. tall bonsai? Or would it just be impractical to pull it out and not kill it?

[@DH-yj7bx]

I had bought a trident maple with some good line curved branches but from halfway up all the branches are heavily scarred from the sellers wiring. Will these heal fully or not?

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Hi there! Some will heal, but not all. Suggested solution…airlayer the top, cut off the scar, and you will have two decent trees instead of one problem tree!

[@martinmeszaros2386]

May I ask for a video, where you show, how to make aerial roots for a bonsai?

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Thanks for the question, Martin! I will address this in my upcoming Q&A videos so please subscribe and stay tuned! :)

[@sheilachadbourne4093]

Did you dig this tree trunk up yourself? I have lots of these tree trunks that send off so many shoots. Their roots travel so far out and some are very deep. What is the best way to remove them from the ground to grow into Bonsi?

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Hi Sheila! Please check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baGmmnahZbuSjck You can see how I dig up a trees and clean out the roots to turn it into a bonsai step-by-step!

[@carolficorilli9768]

how do you thicken the trunk?

[@jovysu4509]

I guess drastic cutting would work really well for those species which are good in back-budding. This would not work for Hinoki Cypress since if you go ahead and cut the branches off, you will probably never get them back because they won't bud back on old wood.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

You are correct! Cut to the point where there are some green leaves left. Otherwise, you will have cypress with long willowy branches.

[@user-gp4fb6ky3n]

Thank you so much! I love your videos!!! Is there anyway you would sell me a mature bonsai?

[@shuancook9005]

🌳🌳🌳🌳

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Great question! I may have something in the works :) I recommend you sign up for my email list to be the first to know when I announce something. You can sign up here: www.bonsaiheirloom.com/ The best place to get mature bonsai is join a bonsai club, and go to their sales usually at the time of an exhibition.

[@Blackguyblack]

😌😌😌🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@ChannelSobari]

Thank you sharing vidio bonsai👍👍❤️((🔔)) 15:54

[@pachyplant]

For those big branch cuts in the past, did you seal the wounds? Looks like you left them raw, look forward to seeing this tree in a few months!

[@bonsaiheirloom]

I never seal the tree because I like to see them rot, as in nature. With my designs, I try to be as natural as possible..not contrived. :)

[@pachyplant]

@@bonsaiheirloom Awesome looks good!

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🙂

[@litsnombre6390]

Thank you for the info.....what is your potting mixture?

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Hi there! My go-to potting mixture is 1 part sandy loam, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part vermiculite. You can check out my full video on my soil mix here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4DIlot3fMdpipI&ab_channel=BonsaiHeirloom

[@litsnombre6390]

@@bonsaiheirloom thank you, i'll check on it thanks again

[@xaviercruz4763]

Something interesting i think you can have an idea, with God’s help: If you have an orchard and want a trunk to thicken as slow and little as possible (for the focus to be on leaf and fruit producing) what would you try to do for that? Tech engineering sounds you had interesting things done, what did you do exactly or what inventions are involved in that career? Thanks, hi from dominican republic!

[@bonsaiheirloom]

Hi Xavier! Water less to slow the growth and clip continuously to shape. Thanks for asking about my tech engineering background! I built two startup companies to become public companies, and successfully incubated about 20 tech companies, most in the laser field. I became to focus more on healthcare in recent years.

[@xaviercruz4763]

@@bonsaiheirloom nice! Thanks may Yehovah make you thrive in what you need! So you developed laser and med tech inventions? I have not much experience in making a lot of things id like so id definitely love to hear about your creations!

[@gayles6321]

Please differentiate between a weak (wimpy) curve and a better one.

[@bonsaiheirloom]

If you bend a stick, the curve is smooth and round….whereas if you cut branches to induce curves, the turns and twist are very angular…to me, that is masculine…So, the definition is whatever pleases you..some may like it soft and curvy.

[@chaiwatpotichanid]

腌料想要什么事情本身粗腿欧天不要哭的话题型态粗腿咯外要的涩饿厅屁晚安哟对哦你敢filling场景区别墅区别对待过程咬金的话题有点儿意思粗腿要的手指头发现的手机壳牌照顾着想念着实施细则不会被抓紧时间得很多事情本身也太阳能thank you so much kuppum 🥰🥰

[@dipakbagdeesdesmerabarstam634]

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