Creating a Spruce Bonsai tree

Learn how to make a Spruce Bonsai (Picea abies). In this video we show you how to prune and wire a Spruce bonsai of about 5-6 years old. This kind of plant material can be purchased at plant nurseries and often has great potential for Bonsai designs. Make sure to subscribe to this channel to see the progression of this Bonsai over time!
Bonsai Empire is dedicated to share the living art of Bonsai - we created this video as a DIY tutorial to help and motivate beginners. The video is part of the online courses that we offer, for more free videos go to:
www.bonsaiempire.com/courses
Bonsai techniques explained:
- Pruning: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/s...
- Tools: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/g...
- Wiring: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/s...
- Repotting: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/b...
- Substrate: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/b...
- Bonsai care: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/b...
Chapters:
0:00 - Before and after styling
0:33 - Preparing the tree
2:36 - Choosing the front and Pruning
5:00 - Wiring branches
6:51 - Shaping the tree
8:27 - Repotting
13:30 - Aftercare and next steps
We like to thank:
Clingendael (Japanese garden), Bob van Ruitenbeek (Technical supervision and Bonsai expert) and Teunis Jan Klein.
Learn how to make a Bonsai tree with our online courses:
www.bonsaiempire.com/courses

[@zaxsp1118]

This is the weirdest thing, I never knew bonsai trees are transformed from more regular trees. I thought it was a very elaborate task of growing from seed and nurturing the tree specially for bonsai. This has been very inspirational.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Spank Bang USD SGD

[@annas7892]

same here lol

[@coyohti]

It's also that! Really depends on the type of tree and the final goal. For instance, if you wanted the sort of bonsai shape where the tree is leaning over as if it's been growing on a windy shoreline you'd have to start with a seedling and shape it before the trunk hardened.

[@rmreagle]

@@coyohti or can't you just repot a straight tree at an angle to create this effect? I just went shopping for some nursery stock and spent most of my time analyzing the base of the tree trunks for interesting lines, but many could have more movement with a repotting at a more drastic angle and proper trimming/wiring

[@stevenbarlow7088]

You can buy it will need pruning , styling. You can grow from seed but obviously trees take years to mature so you don't see the fruits of labour for decades. You're only a custodian not an owner. Turning and keeping a tree healthy/ into bonsai is the art. I have a few ones I've grown from seed but I'll never see them in there glory. I get 3-4 yr old from garden centre or wild saplings from land ,start from there.

[@naturgeist]

Beautiful litte Spruce! I admire your Garden so much. Such a great atmosphere to work on your trees 💚

[@Alex-Tyrax]

So fast, so easy. Great work and great Idea! I love bonsai! 😃

[@leaf3880]

Really love how you gave first and after look right at the beginning of video. ❤

[@kayekaye251]

What a lovely early result you have made it into already! Wow!

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! 😊

[@ronvavra]

This is a great hobby. Suggest you start at age 12 so that your tree will be ready to enjoy by the time you retire.

[@bonsaiempire]

Or, create a bonsai like in this video - you need 3 years or so to really develop it.

[@iwanbonsaibeginner5385]

Creating a Spruce Bonsai tree. Thanks for explanation to pruning cutting and wiring. Thanks for sharing. Good job 👍

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks for visiting

[@kistimii]

Thanks for the tutorial! I made my first one by following your guide. ✌️

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it helped!

[@rchan7136]

It’s an incredible demonstration. 👏🏻

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks!

[@markvandoleweerd2501]

Your background looks amazing. Its such a nice color of green

[@ianschleh8488]

This was a great video! I would love to see an update of this tree, and maybe future follow ups with it as it grows.

[@cx.m.d]

Dit is een fijn Spar, toch? Leuk resultaat! De eerste aanpassing (tak weg knippen zodat je zicht hebt), is zeer fascinerend! Groetjes, KH.

[@mickypful]

Many thanks for this lesson. I wish I had started years ago. Very enjoyable.

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@anitah7353]

So beautiful !!! You just gave me a new idea

[@bonsaiempire]

Nice! Glad it was helpful ;-)

[@Orientalbackyardgarden]

Nice to learn and see how this becomes a bonsai🌲👏

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks for visiting, we'll keep you posted!

[@jeremiahembs5343]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you friend.

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Rexxis-Arcturus]

I'm only 11 seconds in and I immediately came to the comments to see who all else saw the snake. Is it just me?! That is a SNAKE in the plant.

[@bonsaiempire]

Its a slug :)

[@Rexxis-Arcturus]

​@@bonsaiempire omgosh! Did you know it was there when you were filming?!

[@user-es7mt3tt5z]

Белка не змея, взади за стеклом!

[@passionflower13]

It kind of looks like a snake 💚

[@rchan7136]

Yeah exactly at 12th sec. right in the middle of the plant. You have good eyes 👍🏻

[@kbechtel33]

Love these lessons even though I may never grow a bonsai. Your work is beautiful.

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you very much!

[@AdrenalineRushMX]

why you wont grow a bonsai?

[@dbstelly]

This type of Spruce is also available as a creeper or ground cover type. So it doesn’t grow up very much but out. If you like the look of the tree cascading below the pot this is a good shortcut.

[@raton_garden]

Hare Krishna. Wow so beautiful plant 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@mlungkerbonsai]

A very fun process, I like the process of making bonsai like this. You are so amazing

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@bobcatbonsai]

Very well done. That tree will be so much happier with the light and oxegen being able to get to those inner branches😁😁😁

[@bonsaiempire]

Indeed! From bush to tree :-)

[@noblejennette2101]

Plants ingest co2 and expel oxygen.

[@_otto_art__Officia]

정말 좋아요

[@9daywonda]

Nice work.

[@tienhoangxuan3143]

The bonsai is wonderful

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks!

[@bonsaisn]

Xinh Chào bạn, chúc bạn nhiều sức khỏe thành công trong công việc, từ một cây thiên nhiên mà bạn tạo thành cây bonsai quá đẹp, tôi thật ngưỡng mộ về tài năng của bạn, 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@cakraindonesia8246]

Beautiful 👍

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@csfcsr]

Great job. Wow

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you!

[@426superbee4]

I love blue spruce

[@rahmanbonsai4392]

Thanks for the tutorial.. Its good

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad you liked it!

[@TycoonMK]

omg, nice work

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@richa16x]

Verrie nais man!

[@kylecruz9788]

Beautiful

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Haybonsai]

Very good

[@RiyanGamers]

waw its amazing

[@craigpage2638]

This is incredible! Thanks for making this video! ❤

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad you liked it!

[@andallasgibon4905]

Mantap brather👍👍

[@persempreblues]

Eccellente!

[@onemorething100]

I've tried for years but I was not born with the Eye for seeing things. I can maintain a healthy plant but I just am unable to create a Bonsai. such beautiful work.

[@cedricmollard4389]

beautiful ❤

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! 😊

[@wellbonsaicollection]

nice bonsai

[@jiijino_bonsai_ch]

素晴らしい仕事ですね。🤩🤩🤩

[@8er217an]

Very nice to learn,👍

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@punkcampzava]

Bonsai yg keren

[@awalktowardsglory]

Cool video!

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@haryartbonsai7630]

Indonesia hadir.. Beauteful.... 🥰👍

[@Omar-al-Farouk]

Thank you for sharing knowledge..success friend👍🙏

[@FaridSultonik]

Joss

[@Omar-al-Farouk]

@@FaridSultonik hehehe.. ☕☕☕

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks!

[@Anne-LiseH]

Spruce is a good starter bonsai, you can prune and do the roots at the same time. I would remove the tree earlier from the pot and take soil off the top to check the trunk line. Most nurseries bury the roots pretty deep. Thanks🎉

[@bonsaiempire]

Removing the top layer of soil is step 1 - otherwise we have no idea where the first surface roots begin.

[@davidalvarado7944]

I DONT GET IT, IIISNT THAT WHAT HE DID?

[@TheRobe-]

@@bonsaiempireI looked at my wife, “Am I getting into Bonsai trees?” My wife: “It looks like it”

[@1purehavoc]

So I just started..my sprouts roots are already coming out the bottom of the pot it's in...should I move it or let it grow a bit more? It's only about 1.25in tall

[@riooo7039]

Keren trimaksih sudah berbagi

[@johnlinehan9053]

Nice.👏

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@EdwinNikkels]

Weer een fijne film, Oscar! 🌱

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks Edwin!

[@thegreenvagen1604]

satisfying hobby

[@bonsaiempire]

You got that right!

[@rifkymps]

inspiration my good

[@DFBONSAI]

Beautifull frend good job 😍👍

[@bonsaiempire]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@sahabatbonsai8864]

Awesome

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks!

[@pewebonsaiart2830]

Wow..nice Bonsai Bro..good job❤❤

[@bonsaiempire]

Many many thanks

[@fhaizpctn5891]

Bonsainya bagus sekali.

[@mamanmeongbonsai3541]

Bagus kawanku

[@RajaPetualangBondowoso]

❤Beautiful bonsai, greetings, friends, from Indonesia🙏

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks for visiting

[@RajaPetualangBondowoso]

@@bonsaiempire ❤️🙏

[@keefe4484]

very nice

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks

[@jpkatz1435]

The bouncy music out of harmony with the bonsi creation.

[@johnathanringling154]

I'm fairly new to bonsai. I started a few trees from seed back in May. I keep the trees in my closet under a grow light and they seem to be doing well in there. Can I keep my trees in that setup indefinitely, all year round, or do I have to put them in colder temperatures to let them go dormant? Will I exhaust them eventually if I don't? Thanks for your time

[@bonsaiempire]

It all depends on the tree species - look up the care guides here: www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species

[@T1QTaQ]

That slug has a sweet hiding spot.

[@FaridSultonik]

Master bonsai mantab👍👍

[@Omar-al-Farouk]

Indonesia jauh lebih mantap friend😁✌️

[@FaridSultonik]

@@Omar-al-Farouk he

[@bugskees146]

Maybe mention to mist spruce as you work on them to avoid needle drop.

[@bonsai_journey]

nice

[@Tatyana-Labutina]

Большое спасибо

[@kdog543]

That is awesome I've done that in the past or with juniphers trees and they died on me as time goes on. Ive seen times camping as a kid with relatives and friends up in the mountains one of my girl cousin boyfriend made a bonsai from a tree on a cliff side before😂😂😂

[@vuho7247]

It's great I want to learn from you

[@bonsaiempire]

Always welcome

[@dmsvlcp]

As a beginner I know from experience it is not easy to find the right branches. Even semi trained trees are not that easy to prune. I spend hours to decide which branch i possibly could remove or prune and often I regret it

[@bonsaiempire]

I completely understand, especially with a bush like this Spruce it really is very difficult. We also really took our time to study the tree. It helps to get rid of the top layer of soil (until the first main roots appear) so at least you can see the trunk. Then remove all the dead stuff - and once you're done with that you can start to study your tree and start making decisions. Practice makes perfect and this material is cheap, so you'll learn a lot!

[@abebeaku8369]

OCD?

[@4nn4h]

@@abebeaku8369 eh, it's more like the nerves a sculptor gets. You're making an irreversible artistic decision, so it can be important to get it "right". There's also the fact that it is a living organism, which certainly impacts decisions for me - I don't want to impact the tree more than necessary. I find it quite meditative.

[@citacitabonsai1981]

May good bonsai

[@henzobonsai]

👏👏👏

[@phuchuynh8053]

Tuyệt đẹp

[@dewaynefanchier589]

Thanks for the quick lesson with the spruce! I'm a novice at bonsai, & I am curious as to why you only use inorganics in your soil mixture. Are the only nutrients from the fertilizer?

[@bonsaiempire]

Hi there! Bottom line, we can control for a lot of things much better with inorganic mixes (water storage, nutrients, drainage etc). Read this article for all info: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/bonsai-care/bonsai-soil

[@dewaynefanchier589]

@@bonsaiempire Thanks you! 😉 It states "In some instances adding organic soil can be advised, especially when water absorption is important." I live in the desert southwest of the United States, where the average humidity is 10-15% and temps reach 110f (43c). I have been experimenting with some different recipes for bonsai soil over the past couple of years. With mixed results across the spectrum. 🤔

[@bonsaiempire]

Yeah when you really need a mixture that absorbs water you'd have to include some sort of organic. Regarding your experiments, what worked best so far?

[@dewaynefanchier589]

@@bonsaiempire The mixture that I have had the best results is an even mix of: Akadama Fullers Earth Volcanic Rock Miracle-Gro Cactus Mix It's too hot & dry for moss here, so I cover my soil with paver mulch, to help retain moisture.

[@luciadambrosio5635]

I’ve bought a Spruce now, in December what kind of bonsai work is it possible to do? Should I wait for early spring to use wire? And when is it possible to repot it? I bought it in a small plastic pot and some roots are coming out. I’d like to start from it to realise my first bonsai but I don’t know when I should start doing this kind of work considering it’s almost winter.Hope you can help me. Thanks

[@bonsaiempire]

You shouldnt do anything now, other than taking good care of your tree (www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/spruce). Starting early spring you could wire&prune OR repot the tree.

[@martinbarberio7451]

In my opinion and taking into account that in addition to being an art... creating a bonsai gives us a certain well-being when contemplating its achieved beauty, etc. It seems to me that in this video too many steps are taken at the same time considering that it is a living being ... it seems to me that if one decides to prune branches so drastically, the roots should not be touched, at least until the next season, in order for it to regain strength, even more so in the case of a nursery specimen... and even less wire it, having pruned it so much at both ends .. in addition to the change of original substrate.. All that stress affects the tree in some way, even if it looks pretty at least temporarily maybe! Changes are made gradually I think..

[@4nn4h]

Spruce trees are quite hardy, and it depends on climate, season, and the individual tree. I would also not have done all the steps at once, but I am very cautious. If one has experience with the species and the environment is right (plus nice aftercare), the little tree should be okay :)

[@MultiMrban]

Tqvm

[@zacksmith2227]

Great video but wish he had focused the camera more in when pruning the bigger branches. Really get birds eye view when taking off larger branches.literally like see where he cuts.

[@bonsaiempire]

Noted! Its tricky especially with these nursery materials which are FULL!

[@user-bx8dp2cc4i]

❤❤❤

[@kestane123chesmo]

beautiful, can you suggest an inorganic bonsai mix without akadama

[@bonsaiempire]

Lava rock and pumice?

[@bugskees146]

Lava and pumice, fir bark if you wish to add an organic

[@denizelim]

Güzel iş

[@hadrianmonk]

So beautiful! Was that a squirrel in the background at the end? 😁

[@bonsaiempire]

Yes!

[@pepenunez1718]

All perfect, even with the slug trying to be undercover.. :)

[@bonsaiempire]

Haha yes indeed :)

[@brucedeacon28]

👌😲🙂

[@MultiMrban]

Very articulate,composed n neat. Just a qt. Do we need to dress the cut areas? Tqvm

[@bonsaiempire]

You could add some cutpaste to the larger wounds, yes!

[@Moicc]

Ive been looking in the shop website but did not find Lava rock and Pumice separately, in this video did you use Akadama with the Bims Lavastrat mix? If so, what size of Bims was used, 2/5 or 2/8mm? Thank you

[@bonsaiempire]

Hi there! Well, you'd have to use what you can source locally - Akadama and Lavastrat mix works fine indeed. Just make sure that the mix you make is not absorbing lots of water like organic matters do.

[@Moicc]

@@bonsaiempire so best is to source Akadama, pumice and lava rock separatly right? Thank you

[@bonsaiempire]

Well, its easy to follow along our recommendation - but any well draining, inorganic mix should be fine really. In your case, if you can get lavastrat and akadama that would be a great mix!

[@Moicc]

And for smaller bonsai, what lavastrat size is recomended? Up till 15-25cm pots, the 2/5mm or 3/8mm lavastrat/bims?

🥹🫶 super 👍🏻

[@robk5865]

How do you thicken/age the trunk in that small pot? Is this more or less the size you're going for here?

[@turvalisus]

This tree stay for a pre-pre-bonsai for many years...

[@bonsaiempire]

Hi Rob! Great question. If trunk thickening is what you're after, this is not the way to go. You'd need to plant the tree in a larger container and let it grow strongly. Growth = Thickening. So we, in this video, clearly choose to create a small tree without a thick trunk.

[@maximumchicken4518]

I'm new to bonsai. Seeing that did a hard cut back and trimmed the roots, I image this would kill some plants, but the spruce is hardy

[@yoyis95]

it was a snake inside the tree at the first 13 seconds? beautiful job

[@bonsaiempire]

A slug :)

[@ryanlall6285]

Trimming, wiring and cutting the roots at the same time, would that put pressure for future growth ? Thanks 🙏

[@bonsaiempire]

Yes its a lot - only to be done when you dont mess with the roots all too much and the plant is super healthy. Honestly, best is to spread out work over time. Repot in spring, work on the tree in fall.

[@Bighomie1911]

a slug was chilling right in the tree 14:22

[@penyiram_tumbuhan]

📸🤩

[@jmocampo281]

great vid sir. im about to try this one but i heard that this king of shrub is hard to do bonsai thats why im kinda doing it or not. need help pls

[@jmocampo281]

i live in z7a btw . need inputs pls

[@bonsaiempire]

Spruce has its challenges, but since it is widely available and affordable, it is great material to try out!

[@jmocampo281]

so i can buy rn sir and do some wiring and pruning except for repotting since in getting colder here?

[@simonm3622]

Where is this beautiful background?

[@valeradizayn1003]

Did that tree on the video survived from this intense pruning and repotting the same day? Or is it still possible to do it on young specimens without too much risks ?

[@bonsaiempire]

Its possible, but best is to spread out your work over time. Repot in early spring, and prune in late fall for example.

[@MrVr-kw4xi]

Are you dutch by any chance? I noticed your slight accent and i’m in the netherlands trying to start bonsai, and i was hoping i could maybe follow some live courses if you offer those, because learning from videos has been tough for me so far

[@bonsaiempire]

You might wanna try Deshima Bonsai (Teunis Jan Klein is a great teacher and also provides workshops)!

[@MrVr-kw4xi]

@@bonsaiempirethank you!! I’ll look into it

[@user-le4lm6xk6i]

🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍

[@detranspelabuhan1523]

Membuat bonsai persegi

[@vanessawilson4081]

Hi as a beginner do you have a video on how to create a jade tree from a cutting..

[@bonsaiempire]

Nope we dont. But you can watch a video on taking cuttings - Jade or another species, it is quite similar.