How To Grow Spruce Bonsai And A 40 year old Bonsai From Seed Sown In 1982

[@my_bonsai_and_koi]

Hello Harry, I think it's absolutely great that you are now posting regular videos on KZbin. Your calm manner and enormous knowledge are a perfect match! Looking forward to (much) more... Thank you very much!

[@bonsai4me2]

Thank you! Really appreciated!!

[@memberphil]

Thanks a lot for the advice for the time when to repot !

[@mikeswain1945]

Thank you for a really eye opening video Harry. When starting out you're always told 'must wait until the spring before you repot anything'. Great to see someone with a wealth of knowledge sharing their experiences on the subject. It would be good to see a video on this, especially about when to repot and why as you explained in the video. Helping to dispel most of the myths that are passed on to beginners like myself.

[@greenhawk1592]

Great! We learn a lot from you , thanks🤟🏾👍🏼

[@andrewsalhany5665]

Great video. That tree is in good hands now.

[@GrowingBonsai]

Hi Harry, nice video once again. Good reminder to me that I should repot my spruces too! Jelle

[@bonsai4me2]

Hi Jelle, there’s a few weeks still ;)

[@GrowingBonsai]

@@bonsai4me2 Time to get my act together :)

[@Alongthewharf]

Great advice as always dude, I'd love to see a video walkaround of your garden/trees 👍🤘

[@bonsai4me2]

Thanks man! Will do one at some point but it never as good at this time of year as it does during the Spring and midsummer

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

Always great to see what you are working on Harry. What I particularly dislike about spruce is how flexible they are, and how the branches tend to reset when you remove wire… 🤨

[@bonsai4me2]

Thank you Jason! My theory is that because they flex so easily, it’s necessary to bend them about a little when wiring to ensure that you are still creating those micro-breaks in the cambium. Without those breaks, the tree doesn’t need to repair and therefore reset the branches.

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

@@bonsai4me2 I have had far more success adding bend to the trunk by throwing a guy wire over the apex so that as it grows it pulls itself downwards.

[@bonsai4me2]

@@TheBonsaiGarden guy wires are never as quick as coiled but if you can leave the guy in for longer without damage, that helps

[@jfarrell50]

I am so hooked on these I was actually sitting here waiting for this to be released! Another mine of information, a spruce species guide and superb insight on other coniferous trees. I was intending to repot a Japanese white pine and some junipers next spring, but now I think I will go for it over the next couple of weeks after listening to your advice based on your experience. You have a really nice tree there and I hope there will be a follow-up video after you style it. Great to see some of your other trees in the video too! As always, thank you very much.

[@bonsai4me2]

Lovely to hear that! Thank you! It does take a little while out of the week but I’m enjoying putting them together. Definitely crack on with your pines as well. I’m repotting a big old beast of a Scots tomorrow and aiming to film that.

[@jfarrell50]

@@bonsai4me2 That will be something to see! I am amazed you are finding the time to do these videos but I am so grateful that you are able to produce them so regularly.

[@mcbabs7495]

Un grand merci à vous pour le partage!

[@bobmccarlie382]

If you repot a spruce in August, do you need to give it any special protection for the winter? What about in southern Ontario Canada, where the winter temps can be -10 to -20C for 3-4 weeks?

[@bonsai4me2]

You need to give the tree 6 weeks frost-free as possible after repotting (as you need to with spring repotting). So count back from your first frost dates.

[@MF-fc5vk]

Harry i aquired a blue spruce with a 5 inch trunck at base, field grown in an air pot and dug from ground , great movement, healthy condition. Will i get away with a re pot now, i live in south west uk. Mild winters. Please help!!??

[@1905milosz]

What wire diameter is to use best?

[@심재욱의나무이야기]

잘보고갑니다.

[@adetyler9787]

Hello Harry, very informative video once again. I've been repotting/potting on my junipers late August to early September, so nice to see I've been doing something right, and now I know I can do my spruce around the same time. Would you also include Hinoki in the list of trees that might benefit from potting on or repotting in late summer? I recently purchased a large Hinoki Obtusa Fernspray Gold, approximately 6ft tall, from a local nursery that grows their own stock. It's obviously been in its container for many years as a bit of careful cleaning around the trunk base has revealed the original soil level 2" below the surface, the new surface being level with the top of the pot. The 2" layer appears to be decomposed foliage, bound together with fine roots, which water cannot penetrate. What are your thoughts? Regards, Ade

[@bonsai4me2]

Yes thank you, you’re fine with Hinoki. The one popular coniferous species I’m not certain of is Larch, I’ve seen some bad reactions for other people and they tend to repot in January when it’s totally safe. I repotted an old very healthy Alberta Spruce today that had a very deep rootball. I cleared the old soil upto 6” from the top by hand and didn’t remove any of the deep growing roots. Just folded the longer roots meet what was left of the rootball. I have no doubt it will be fine. Equally with something like chamaecyparis which are something of a weed killer n comparison.

[@hankhillsurethra]

I have 4 tiny picea abies seedlings in the same small pot. Will I need to cull out some of the plants or can they all grow out healthy?

[@TalkingLoon]

Alright, I'll answer this! It depends. With a bigger tree in a smaller pot you definitely want to get rid of anything (other than maybe moss) as any weeds will rob your tree of root space and nutrients. However in nature many plants, trees and shrubs work together in ways we don't fully understand. In my experience I had a small larch in a large pot and the soil retained too much water. I had grass growing all over the surface and things were fine. When I removed the grass the larch died and I realized the grass was keeping a moisture balance, the alternative would have been a complete repot into a more free draining substrate. Now, if I know my soil holds too much water but I'm unable to repot I let whatever grow there to help with excess water. Sometimes all you get is rain and rain and there's nothing much you can do about it.

[@MrDoggy2024]

I hear for a first time repoting to spruce to be done in august-september, I make it in february-march and have no problems. Is it wrong to make it at this time? How to put it in a shalow bonsai pot if dont cut roots?

[@bonsai4me2]

February-March is a really bad time because the soil will be cool and the roots only slightly active. That doesn’t mean the every tree repotted at that time will die or even have noticeable side-effects. There are so many other factors involved as well (root disturbance/health of tree/size of new pot against size of rootball). But I would never recommend it as a safe time because the percentage chance of no harm is low. Same with all things bonsai!

[@MrDoggy2024]

@@bonsai4me2 Thank you very much. I am from Bulgaria. Can I cut roots if I repot it in august-september? I bought a spruce in a very bad condition as a nursery stock, with a bad root rot. I cut the top of the tree, an now the bonsai size will be about a 1m high. March 2022 I removed big part of roted roots, an put it in trainig pot and watered it with fungicide solution. Since august this year it shows too little new growth, but it has a lot of now buds. Can I transplant it now in sepember, I want to put it in the grownd for stronger growth?

[@bonsai4me2]

@@MrDoggy2024 I can’t advise on this specific tree….but roots die naturally and then naturally rot. A fungicide on the soil of a tree needing heathy fungal and bacterial activity is not a good idea at all. Every time you interfere with the root system and the top of the tree, is an insult that the tree has to recover from. Further insults just make it harder for the tree to recover…..No wonder it is not growing. Just leave it alone to do it’s own thing ;)

[@MrDoggy2024]

@@bonsai4me2 For this tree the rot is caused by bad care, overwatering and mud soil in deep container. So I don`t think that is naturally rot. What I know about root rot is that shuldn`t be left and must be treated. I removed the top part(which was very stron) to create the apex and in this way I think the energy will go down to the weaker branches.

[@bonsai4me2]

@@MrDoggy2024 that is up to you. But a weak tree needs as much vigour as possible.

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🙂

[@FNMike]

I'm having a lot of trouble hearing your videos.

[@michaelkmiec5842]

There is some wind and background noise but I think he’s speaking very clear and easy to hear

[@bonsai4me2]

I’m sorry mate, because I’m outdoors most of the time it’s inevitable some background noise gets picked up although I do run the videos through an “audio cleaner” prior to release

[@bonsai9542]

Bonjours Harry une très belle vidéo .Je n est pas vu la composition du mélange du substrat . je vais suivre le conseil sur la période du rempotage