How to develop a triple trunk bonsai | Winter pruning an English elm

[@tasanastasi7799]

Love your sometimes Quirky presentations , and i think it looks great , nice job done

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hahaha I must be quirky 😊👍

[@katedodd79]

1:29 "...it will make a good bonsai in my eyes" is precisely the philosophy I am following when I started collecting the odd sapling/sticks in pots just over a year ago! I'm struggling with 'seeing' the style of most of them, but I hope that will come with time 🧐 and invaluable advice found in your, and others', videos 🤗 Happy New Year Dave x

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Happy New Year Kate!! 🥂 Seeing the style, I guess is not so important as envisaging the tree as something you might see out there in nature... that's my view, but then I'm not planning to present any of mine in a bonsai show anytime soon! 😁

[@SSS-hf3kb]

Nice work! At 5:53 you could've chopped the trunk lower to the branch to allow it to become new leader and create tapering

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks SSS! You're right. There's always next year...

[@peterzukof7942]

Would love to será follow up on this triple trunk - what a great long term project to work and learn from!! ❤️

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

I'll let you into a secret: another video will come soon on this project. This is how it looks now, at least on 30th March: flic.kr/p/2nbAurh

[@bonedrybonsai4109]

I don't in any way wish to disparage the art form of bonsai or those that go through years of training to master it but to hell with how it looks on paper. As long as you like it, you're working towards a goal & enjoy the process...I dig it & look forward to updates!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Cheers! I know what you mean, and agree it's the process and development that makes this hobby special, doing bonsai as a verb rather than a thing to look at like a picture. And there is no such thing as a perfect tree anyway. But I suppose it's good to have some guidelines from people who have dedicated their lives to this, as long as we can feel happy breaking those guidelines on every single tree!

[@BackSeatHump]

Those two trunks growing in close proximity is an eyesore for MORE THAN ONE REASON and I wonder if it will be remedied despite your gallant efforts. If it were mine I would be spending many sleepless nights deciding whether or not to sharpen the blades on my loppers and make it a two-trunk project instead. But it cannot be denied that your work & thought are top notch and I am certain you'll make the best decision in the end. 🏆

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks!! Did you see my last video - it's about this tree so you can see how I ground layered it to make the trunk look more flared at the base, and finally into a pot. And yes I have spent many, many moments looking and wondering if I should chop off one of the trunks to make a more aesthetic twin trunk... but: I never quite found the right chop (= I always bottle out) and secondly it's a one-way decision in that if I chop now I can never get it back, whereas if I leave it, I can always chop it in the future. Maybe a video for 2025?! 🤔

[@BackSeatHump]

@@BlueSkyBonsai No, I hadn't seen the last video but I have now, thanks. The ground layering did the trick alright and now it looks VERY GOOD with all three trunks intact. A damned good job!

[@Gabriel-dm1du]

Thats an amazing and unique bonsai tree i love it

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! Last weekend I did the ground layer on it, it's looking fine. But I'll probably leave it until early spring 2022 to separate the layer.

[@Gabriel-dm1du]

@@BlueSkyBonsai nice! looking forward to that

[@mattbrennan647]

I’m certain that after you work your magic it will be fantastic. Thanks

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Matt! And even if not fantastic, at least I will enjoy the journey 😊👍🏻

[@joelhiggins6156]

A timely video as I have a western red bud with near identical trunk situation that I am growing in the ground. Its ready to pot up soon - this video has given me some ideas for sure! 🙏🏼

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

The redbud looks like it will make a beautiful bonsai! I have no idea about maintaining them, hope you can keep in touch and let me know your progress!

[@joelhiggins6156]

I believe a native species here in California, and fairly drought tolerant so it should be low maintenance 👍

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@joelhiggins6156 i shall have to pick up some cuttings next time I'm over in California! And since that's not likely anytime soon perhaps I should order some seeds online...

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@joelhiggins6156 Btw, can I ask you a question: when you watch my videos, do KZbin place adverts in the videos? I'm not currently monetizing, but, if KZbin are using my videos to make their money anyways then maybe it's time I should be taking control of that and get some income from it (even though it would be a small amount). Sorry for the admin-related question!

[@joelhiggins6156]

@@BlueSkyBonsai No sir, I don’t get any advertising on my end, however I don’t blame you for considering it! I’m sure it takes a lot of time to produce this content 👌🏻

[@cencalbonsai6429]

nice! awesome project, I think sometimes we get to stuck on what a "true" Bonsai should look or what others might think and forget this is for our own enjoyment so u do what makes u happy and what makes YOUR eyes shine! I dig it 👍🏼

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Cheers Bro! You are so right. Ultimately I'm doing this for my own enjoyment so it doesn't matter what the "rules" are. 🍺👍🏻

[@Gabriel-dm1du]

I absolutely fell in love with your channel your approach to teaching how well made are your videos and this stunning trees. Makes me happy 😁

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks so much for your kind words! 🌳👍🏻

[@eggybreadplease]

A nice tree with lots of potential 👍

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Eggybread! Btw in Spain they call eggy bread "tostada francesa" = French toast? Sorry if you already knew! Happy 2021 👍🏻

[@pegf1304]

Thanks Dave! I have several trees with issues to resolve so I really appreciate seeing challenging problems worked on. This progression will be interesting to watch.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Peg, it's interesting to hear when others are facing similar challenges. And if you see it the same way as me these are good challenges to have 😊👍🏻

[@grobonsai]

As long as you enjoy it, that’s all that matters. Wondering if you had considered layering again for a more traditional multi trunk?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Darren, very wise words! Yes, for defo I will ground layer it in the current pot this spring. Happy new year!!

[@thelemagnanime]

Thanks for your video and great idea! The tree definitely has a great potential! Excited to see update.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks for watching and for your encouraging comments! 🌳👍🏻

[@cduff4505]

Cheers to a Happy New Year and a to a lovely Elm Tree!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Cheers to you my friend! Thanks as always for your support and kind words 😊

[@BonsaiJCan]

Looks good so far and looking forward to future work and updates.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Cheers J! Yep this elm has a long future I hope.

[@percyacutt3110]

Beauty in the eye of the beholder!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

So true... also trying to sharpen my eye to what might look good in the future.. Cheers!

[@Carlos_Cerda_Moya]

Your editing is amazing, and also your techniques. This channel deserves more subs!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks so much for your kind words! Please share my videos with your friends and colleagues, that might help the youtube algorithm to offer them to more people! 🌳👍🏻

[@michaeleber4752]

Nice video again, Dave. I was wondering, since it appears to be very well established can't you plant it deeper and expose the inner part to encourage roots? And I think it will make a great bonsai. I find it interesting when I post my raw material on a Facebook group and the first response is "those aren't bonsai and won't be for many years."

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thank you Michael! I'll let you into a secret: last year I did exactly that -- a ground layer, so I exposed the inner wood and built up the soil so it produced new roots during the year. I filmed the work but decided to leave the files on the hard disk ready for a video this year. In spring I will put it in a smaller pot and call it a bonsai at last 😉 Something to look forward to later in Spring!

[@PumpkinBecki]

Love it Dave! The miscellaneous "X" noises made me laugh out loud :D I think it's too easy for someone to think that if you call something a Bonsai it has to be the picture-perfect specimen tree. I have to admit that this is why I'm pretty shy about showing my trees on my channel, but for me Bonsai is about the journey my trees and I take together... Sometimes I do have to remind myself that there's no rush because in reality a Bonsai tree is never "finished", each day is just another in it's development.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Lol, glad you enjoyed it! You probably recognized the Family Fortunes buzz, but my oldest son said it was too much to put that on all the Xs so I found some other sounds. I agree, bonsai is all about the journey, for those of us who love bonsai it is a verb more than a noun. Please don't hold back showing your trees! even the smallest or least developed ones have deep and fulfilling stories to tell. If I had more time available I would do videos on every one of my wee trees. Also I have always said the reason we should have more than 20 trees is to stop worrying so much about any individual tree and let them grow! And that's not taking into account all the rest of the garden work that I know you do... 😊🥂

[@biplabbiswasbiswasbiplab8829]

Dev your explains is fine

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thank you Mr. Biplab Biswas 🙏🏻

[@clipngrowbonsai6946]

Small steps towards a great bonsai! 😁

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thank you! 😊👍🏻 & Happy 2021!

[@diavalus]

Nice project! Well, even if in the end it doesn't look exactly as you hoped, you'll still learn a few things and you gain some experience. In the end, it will be worth it in my opinion. And if it looks exactly as you hope, then it will be even better. Like your channel a lot!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Cheers Zeelands! You're so right, how ever it ends up it will be worth every step of the journey. Thanks for your kind words! 😊👍🏻

[@askgbk]

Happy new year my friend !!! Pleasant video as always, could you incorporate some panpipes? 😉 That’s a handsome tree. Would you recommend letting trees grow for a few years before trying to bonsai them ?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Haha happy new year SB! Yeah I should do a different cultural music in each video, right? This one was a celtic feel, panpipes would create a peruvian atmosphere? Generally you need to let trees fatten up for a few years, the idea is to make it look naturally old which is not the case for thin taperless trunks. A lot of people grow them in the ground for maximum growth, but I prefer large pots. They say try to achieve a trunk base 1/6 of the tree height. In reality that is very difficult and anyway in nature you almost never see trees with those proportions. In the end you need to decide what looks right for each tree.. maybe variety is the best way, with some bigger and others younger and smaller. Cheers!🍻👍🏻

[@tomphillips805]

What is the best time of year to trim the roots and re pot a bonsai?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

The best time to repot deciduous trees is early spring, when you start to see the new buds swelling. That means the stored starch has turned to sap and gone up the tree again, so the roots can safely be trimmed while all the energy is up top pushing out the buds and new shoots. For evergreens, the best time is late spring or early summer, after the new spring foliage has hardened. Either way, don't prune off any major branches at the same time as pruning roots. You want to keep the foliage to regain energy and re-establish the roots over summer. Save any major branch pruning until midwinter. (But some light pruning for shape will be no problem in summer).

[@tomphillips805]

@@BlueSkyBonsai OK thanks

[@shrory]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, just like paintings, everyone has their own opinions of the masters, someone may like one of my trees, which I consider a flop, then one I like, they may think the opposite

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks - yes I agree. Did you see my more recent video on this tree? I did a drastic ground layer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWLRkqaLhqiFn68

[@SysterYster]

Nice video. Also, I discovered today that my... golden chain tree seeds (at least I think it's a type of golden chain tree) have sprouted... uh, gotten roots. :D I wasn't sure if they needed winter rest or not, so I put some in the fridge, and the others just in room temperature. Then I tested to put the ones in room temp. in a glass of water for about 24 hours, then I put them in a box on wet tissue paper for a few days. And boom! Roots! So I'm gonna plant those in my new seedling house thingy and see if I can keep them alive. :D (Still waiting for the linden seeds to do anything. We'll see. They seem to be hard.)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! And congrats re. the newest seedlings! Give it just a couple more years and your place will be overrun with small trees 😉

[@SysterYster]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Haha, yeah. XD It's already overrun with orchids and other flowers. Clearly, I need trees too. ;)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@SysterYster sounds nice--it will be a mini paradise within walls 😁 But this year I have had to stop myself from taking cuttings and seeds. Every time I prune, it pains me to bin the cuttings but I just don't have the temporal space (bandwidth?) for more now. Maybe when I retire................ [practicing patience for many years yet 🧘🏼‍♂️] ... I have a growing list of species I must try and Linden is right in there.

[@SysterYster]

@@BlueSkyBonsai lol, sounds like you've got your hands full too. :D And your garden/house. lol. Lindens are very pretty, but seems hard to get the seeds to sprout. But I have plenty growing near my house, so I'll keep trying. :)

[@craigbootes9618]

@blueskybonsai How are you coping with all the snow at the moment?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Spain shuts down for a few flakes of snow! It was admittedly heavy all day yesterday, and the most snow I have seen in Madrid since >20 years living here. But the kids loved it, we've been outside all day yesterday and today. I think I'll post a photo of the bonsai garden, you can just about recognise it still! Cheers Craig! 🍺👍🏻

[@craigbootes9618]

@@BlueSkyBonsai a picture of the garden would be good. Glad you are enjoying what must be a pretty rare occurrence out there.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@craigbootes9618 uploaded a few pics to Flickr: flic.kr/ps/m5dGH

[@craigbootes9618]

@@BlueSkyBonsai i had a look looks amazing my daughter is praying its going to snow here in the uk.

[@jeffhurst4744]

Another informative video. I initially looked at it as “pre-bonsai”, knowing future styling/training would come about, and a beautiful triple trunk bonsai would emerge. Thanks.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Jeff! Yes agreed - prebonsai. Also when I first air layered this I was considering choosing only one trunk and pruning off the other two. But all three are so interesting that I just decided to keep them all!

[@diamondngemsphotography9580]

Hello i have been bought a bonsai tree and I have ordered a new pot im a total beginner I don't even know where to start with pruning and shaping please could I get some advise thanks tracy

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi Tracy, congrats on your new bonsai! First things first, what species of tree is it? That's the crucial part that will unlock a load of advice. Then, almost all trees you want to wait til spring to repot, when the new leaf buds are just starting to swell. But not all tree types must wait til spring which is why I asked. Also, please watch this video, which is the key elements you need to know to look after your bonsai kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5DZinashrFon6c

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Then, after the "3 elements" video, please see this one about reasons to prune and how to do it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYCqcn1rntaKnM0

[@diamondngemsphotography9580]

Its a sageretia is their a way i could send you a picture of it please

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@diamondngemsphotography9580 Sure! You can send me the photo in an email to [e-mail]. I *love* sageretias. Make sure to keep it indoors in your brightest window until summer, or all year round. Don't repot it until spring. And please watch this video I made about sageretias: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ3RqoBsftp3ptE

[@diamondngemsphotography9580]

Perfect I will send you an image and I won't repot till spring, and I will watch the videos too

[@monstrous_raccoon]

I realy just started with bonsai. But i don't intend to stick by all the rules. As long as you like it is the most important thing 😉👍😁

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Yes I agree! Cheers!

[@SamDoeckeAussiebonsaibloke]

Always more fun if you make something from nothing 😃

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Yep! Cheers 🍻👍🏻

[@thegreenmanalishiyamadori371]

You have to do some vertical barkcutting and finally you will get a thicker tapered trunk👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thank you for the suggestion, that sounds like you have good experience with elms 🌳👍🏻

[@thegreenmanalishiyamadori371]

@@BlueSkyBonsai yes...elms are great experimental material... hyppocastanum too And Crapapple 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@thegreenmanalishiyamadori371 is the idea to thicken a portion of the trunk by forcing it to callous vertically? How wide a cut do you make in the bark?

[@thegreenmanalishiyamadori371]

@@BlueSkyBonsai it depends on species... try on experimental Material and cut Deep through cambium until you touch the sapwood ...it will take years Til it looks natural but worth it if done correctly ... Also try letting grow the wire Into the bark Is an old japanese technique to achieve an old Looking trunk..Greetz

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@thegreenmanalishiyamadori371 thanks so much!🌳👍🏻

[@wadmadhushan4434]

Very important vedio clip

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks WAD Madhushan 😊

[@DoBonsai]

first like...

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! Wow, that was impressively quick 😊 Happy New Year!

[@DoBonsai]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Bro, happy new year. I hope the new year brings all the beauties and goodness to us.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@DoBonsai cheers! Hope this year also brings you and your family health, hope and happiness!

[@BackGardenBonsai]

There is always someone who says a tree will amount to nothing. clearly they just cant see the great potential and cant see the long game.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Funnily though, the person who said it was genuinely trying to be helpful! He also advised to ground layer it further up, which I think was good advice, that's what made me do a bit more research about this style. Anyway, Happy New Year to you!

[@BackGardenBonsai]

@@BlueSkyBonsai ah fair enough. Maybe he could see the potential, just couldn’t articulate to you how to unlock it

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@BackGardenBonsai yep, I think you're probably right. Anyway, at the end of the day it's all a bit of fun... I can't see myself presenting this in a show any time in the next decade!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

BAAAH SCREW all the rules, I think it’s awesome. Walter Pal would take that and run with it and chalk it up to naturalism. I feel like I saw that exact tree several times out walking through the woods today.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

...forgot to add: can’t wait to see how this develops. The movement of those trunks is indeed awesome.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot hahaha you're right, and it probably looks more natural if I just let it grow without fussing over it!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot cheers Bro! More in spring...

[@hagakuretv]

This tree will never be a good bonsai? If this tree brings JOY to you then it IS a good bonsai. Not all tree can be categorized into a single style, nature itself can be super asymmetrical or even crazy to the viewer. All this sophisticated purists should open their minds. If you go into the woods or especially the mountains you find trees which are growing surreal, so your triple trunk is legit too!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks @Red Leaves! True, some trees in nature look more crazy than any bonsai! You are so right. I'm hugely enjoying working on this and other trees, I hope that comes across in the videos. Thankfully I have collected quite a few developing trees, because most of the work involved is *waiting* and *patience*!

[@edinborogh]

Happy New year and awesome 2021 Dave!!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Cheers Steve, a Happy New Year to you!

[@edinborogh]

@@BlueSkyBonsai lol..!

[@edinborogh]

@@BlueSkyBonsai i corrected.. came out Steve instead of Dave...:)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@edinborogh lol from now on you will be called Steve! j/k Your new online identity 👍🏻