How I Decided to Improve this Ugly Tree

[@OddBonsai]

And I though the cuts you made in the previous video were big :) Looking good! The tree is off to a good start.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Now that is what you call a great chop. Really enjoyed watcing this - especially with the frost outside :)

[@smalltrees]

It's 80 degrees here right now haha. Some winter. I thought the chop was pretty nice as well. I haven't looked at it lately, but I hope that it is healing smoothly and not with a bulge. We'll find out tomorrow.

[@BeatlePhillips]

Really enjoyed the latest video updates thanks for sharing

[@smalltrees]

I'm glad you've enjoyed them!

[@BONSAIenCORTO]

Gran decisión. Seguro que te ayuda a avanzar. Gracias.

[@smalltrees]

Gracias. Se ve raro ahora, pero creo que mejorará mucho a medida que crenza.

[@rodschroeder1048]

Can’t wait to see this tree this spring!!

[@smalltrees]

I'm probably working it tomorrow due to my schedule. You should see it very soon!

[@rodschroeder1048]

Great ! A Christmas present

[@BobMatthews]

Wow, that was drastic and not what I was expecting at all - it's going to look great in the future though 👍

[@AlexBraunton]

Great job mate! I still cannot believe how well tridents grow in your climate. Do you feed them like crazy? I am disappointed that you didn't show us a quick update at the end. Did the tree grow well this year?

[@smalltrees]

Don't worry. I plan on working it tomorrow, so you can expect a video sometime within the next 2 or 3 days on it. They really do grow well. I fertilize, but I feel like it's nothing crazy.

[@jaychet]

glad to see you're releasing videos again. it's been a while. I did keep checking in. haha

[@smalltrees]

I really appreciate you sticking with me. I'll try to crank out videos as long as I have ideas! (I could always use more ideas for videos)

[@jaychet]

@@smalltrees I just bought my first trident maples a few months back. got half a dozen. "small trees" they are indeed. haha hope they make it through the winter

[@jaychet]

then will be applying some of your techniques in a year or 2

[@smalltrees]

How cold does it get there? Are they in pots or in the ground? And how big are they. Trident are pretty cold tolerant in general.

[@jaychet]

@@smalltrees it's been unusually cold this week. about -4. they are only a couple years old and still in tubs at the moment. I did manage to put up a small greenhouse before the frost. although I'm not sure how much its helping. haha

[@baldyeti]

That’s gonna have some wicked movement and taper, brother. Great chop! Since you have already established the great root flair, would it make sense to remove the metal now and allow for feeder roots to grow there?

[@smalltrees]

Thank you! That will probably happen this weekend. When I filmed this video, I left heavy roots and the metal in place. The roots I left because I wanted them to thicken and hopefully fill a gap on that side, and the metal I left because it kind of anchored the tree, and with it being that tiny with a long leader, it would have flopped over in the wind for weeks otherwise.

[@TeamFishweights]

Yeah dude, good chop 👌 you should try keep that big trunk section to root as a cutting. I was surprised at how easily my trimmings rooted without any hormone. Apparently big sections also root

[@smalltrees]

That section is gone unfortunately, but the chop did well. I just did some more work on this tree today and I'll upload the footage as soon as I edit it.

[@TeamFishweights]

@small trees oh right that was last Feb. Keen to see more 😀

[@RoeyAlfa]

Hey! I've been watching your videos for quite some time and I really enjoy the content, and the video quality! However I sometimes feel like you are leaving a lot of exciting footage outside the video, and we only get to see the pruning work after it's already done, can you please keep some more of these shots in the final video?

[@smalltrees]

If you don't mind a longer video, I can! One other problem is camera battery life, but I will see if it will work if plugged into an outlet. If I make a long video like that, I will put timestamps in the description for people who don't want to watch the whole thing.

[@gayefanner731]

We’d LOVE your vids to be longer! Please?! ✌️

[@TheJosous]

cod footage on a bonsai video. now i have seen everthing

[@miketabback2635]

All I can say is "nerves of steel" it would have taken me three seasons to decide a big cut like that. Thanks

[@smalltrees]

I know it's a pretty big risk. The main reason that I did it is that this tree didn't have much to lose, and this gives it a chance to be an interesting bonsai. If it fails, I didn't mess up a really promising tree. I probably wouldn't do this to a tree that already had nice traits.

[@seandoyle6688]

It looks like Thing from The Addams Family 😂

[@smalltrees]

Haha, I get it