Juniper chinensis - bonsai from nursery stock

In this video I work on a couple of small juniper chinensis to get them on their way to becoming bonsai

[@johnphillips9774]

Awesome brother I'm new to this thing called bonsai and I'm hooked thankQ for your time and vids .

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi John. Welcome to a great community of people. Warning though - Bonsai is very addictive!

[@johnboyles4101]

Of course it's natural... you are part of nature too. So whatever you do is a creative force of nature...

[@potreliefbonsaibatu5035]

Bonsai word need man like You , rich in development method, fresh ideas as fresh as ice cream.in order to grow,not just monotonous

[@TonysBonsai]

Thank you for the supportive words. really appreciate them, and I do love an ice cream!

[@deckbush]

Really enjoyed the video tony beautiful junipers a few bonus ones too. Brilliant future trees great work

[@TonysBonsai]

Thank you. yeah these seem like a really nice variety of juniper.

[@guywatson-bognorregisbonsa7370]

Fingers crossed that they all survive. Juniper are tough old birds so I'd be hopeful. Nice video. 👍👍

[@TonysBonsai]

I'm hopeful Guy. I should know in a couple of months whether they will make it or not. As you say, they are pretty hardy, so i am hopeful!

[@BlueJayBonsai]

Good job Tony! I really like the twisted Shari idea! 👍

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi JAy. Yeah providing it makes it, I think it could work out quite well!

[@BlueJayBonsai]

@@TonysBonsai ok, I will add it to my nightly prayers. It won’t be the first tree I pray for. 🤣😂🙏

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

Great video Tony, as ever 👍 I’ll have a 99 Flake with sprinkles please 😄

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks Jason. It went a bit off the rails with all the noise, but it was a very interesting experience as I worked on the second tree. I was much less zen than normal, and it definitely impacted my decision-making. Not for the better 🤣

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

@@TonysBonsai I have a neighbour who conducts all her conversations at broadcast volume and doesn’t appear to realise the entire estate can hear when she is asking her grown up children if they want white or brown bread with their tea. Many of my videos have a loud soundtrack and no narration to drown her out. I know the names of her entire family, except hers, since she doesn’t shout at herself… 😆 First world problems 😆

[@TonysBonsai]

Some people are mad. She sounds like the Dom Jolly character from trigger happy TV.

[@scotthogbin613]

Its 11pm and the winter wind is blowing here in Australia, no icecream for me thanks Tony!! I hope the juniper cuttings are successful for you, perhaps a future forrest planting. Thankyou Tony.

[@TonysBonsai]

A juniper forest would be amazing. I've thought about this idea in the past with 4-5 junipers on a large limestone pavement style slab. Now that would be seriously cool! I bet your winters are not too different from our summers. there news of a heatwave hitting the Uk next week, and it's showing Preston at 21 degrees C 🤣

[@scotthogbin613]

Im complaining when 4°c at night here...shame on me..haha. i know how cold it gets in the UK, when Nigel showed -32°c i was shaking my head...no.. no.. no. You guys are tough..do you drink antifreeze or something!!! I enjoy a 35°c day and start to suffer at 42°c however the bonsai need watering 4-5 times so i push though it... its amazing how we all adapt to where we grow up. I have a large 50%shade cloth area i move my trees too in summer. Tony i enjoy your videos and thank you for your replies mate..your very kind

[@TonysBonsai]

Honestly, Scott, when you talk about 42 degrees, I would be crying. My brother was plastering in Sydney a few years ago, and he said it was one of the craziest experiences of his life. They had guys working and their only job was to keep spraying the walls with water to stop the sand cement from cracking before it cured. If I had to water my trees 4-5 times a day, It would be a 9-5 job 🤣 Have a great day!

[@scotthogbin613]

@@TonysBonsai Mate i have too many trees myself!!! Its like painting the hourbour bridge, once completed go back to beginning and start again. It "IS" living the dream. Haha

[@TonysBonsai]

🤣as long as you're enjoying it mate, that's what counts!

[@kevinwilkes5969]

Tony don't you think you could have made a twin truck out of that second plant?

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi Kevin. In retrospect, I think that would have been a better decision for sure. I've got a feeling the reason I thought it was two plants was becasue it may have already started to split at the base, but I'm sure I could have used a piece of wire to hold it together while it healed up. I'm always learning though!

[@kevinwilkes5969]

@@TonysBonsai well bud you know a lot more than me.

[@Oliver.Purvis]

Great video

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks Oliver. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@petewilling3580]

Hi again Tony. This has become my go to channel. I have a juniper that I’m babying and it’s doing well. Still afraid to do pruning but through your videos I’m gaining confidence. Thanks again for your videos and expertise. I can feel your passion and interest through the vids. Cheers from sunny Arizona. (weather finally breaking. We’re in the 90's now slowly getting cooler) I survived another summer😏

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks Pete. I have plenty of passion and interest, but I'm not so sure about the expertise, but I'll take it! 🤣 I can only imagine what it's like living in such a hot place. It would drive me crazy. When it gets above 30C (86F) which it very rarely does over here, I really don't like it. I love it around 22 (71F) myself. Warm enough to wear a t-shirt and shorts and enjoy an ice cream, but cool enough to sleep at night.

[@mattbrennan647]

I agree with both your thought process and choices on #1. Nice work as usual. #2 and 3 look like they’re off to a good start. Hopefully disturbing those roots so much, and wiring, won’t hurt their chances of survival. Good luck. Thanks, keep growing

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi Matt. Looking back, I think I slipped out of that zen mindset when working on the second juniper with all the noise and not being able to film. It all went a bit mad and I ended up making some questionable decisions. It's just fingers crossed now that they pull through, but if they do, they could be quite interesting trees.

[@mattbrennan647]

@@TonysBonsai ,, it is amazing the degree of concentration needed to achieve your initial vision. It’s a constant learning process. With me it’s like golf. I know what to do, I just can’t do it, and if I can, the concentration starts to evaporate on about the 12 th hole. We just keep plugging away. Thanks, keep growing

[@TonysBonsai]

I love a round of golf myself. Even when we're not playing great, it doesn't half feel good when you ping a five iron and land the ball in the middle of the green!

[@joegarland4885]

Great video amazing you have got a lot of choices with the pair you picked up, they are out there if you look, unfortunately for me it’s not possible to go looking so its nice to see you working with those. All the best Tony.

[@TonysBonsai]

Sorry to hear you can't get out Joe, but I'm glad you're enjoying my videos.

[@uppergorple]

Nice one Tony. Have a look at Houghton Bonsai, if you haven't already.

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi David. I am subscribed to his channel, and he makes some cool videos!

[@78tjeerd]

Hi Tony i put my junipers in a very moist greenhouse in the shade after bending for a few weeks after that outside in the shade for a few weeks you'll get drastic increase of survivability.

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi Tjeerd. thanks for the tip. I really appreciate it and I'll give it a go!

[@78tjeerd]

@@TonysBonsai You're welcome Tony, i've lost so many before i found out. If your on a real tight budget you can also put a clear plastic garbage bag over.

[@kerryclark6968]

just a quick newbie question. do you put the cut paste on large cuts on roots? i haven't done any big root cuts yet, but will be in spring.

[@TonysBonsai]

Great question Kerry. If the root is above the soil level, then yes because we want it to heal over. However, if it is below the soil then no because we want new fresh roots to sprout from the cut.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Another great video Tony. I definitely agree with your thoughts on keeping thoughts directed to 3 years in the future - it makes it easier to make pruning decisions you find hard :)

[@TonysBonsai]

Cheers mate. yeah it's easy to get carried away with creating something to look good now, but especially in early development mode, it seems to be more about taking big decisions but the correct decisions! I seem to win some and lose some 🤣

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

@@TonysBonsai dont we all!

[@AlexBraunton]

Blooming neighbours hey?! As I watch your video, I can hear some building work from a few neighbours down. Can't believe you managed to split that juniper out so much! What a great find mate

[@TonysBonsai]

Morning mate. It's really busy round the back of mine. from my back garden I could throw a tennis ball into 20 gardens, so in the summer it's strimmers, hedge cutters, power washers. But that's life!

[@natrjack965]

Nice start material Tony 👌

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi Michael. Yeah this was a nice little plant, and it's growing on really nicely

[@oachkatzlsmam6128]

I almost killed my 1st juniper from nursery stock by pruning, repotting and wiring immediately after purchase. Now it's a nearly naked stump, hoping for back budding next spring... Learned a lot since then.

[@TonysBonsai]

Hopefully it will emerge ok in the spring. As long as we learn from our mistakes then it's all good!

[@faizul_dergo]

Thank you for sharing..

[@TonysBonsai]

Thank you. Much appreciated.

[@MasterPeaceTheater]

Miss your videos man.

[@luigiluigi2098]

Wonder if there were follow-ups on these. Particularly loved the last one with the twist. Hopefully it did make it past the work.

[@TonysBonsai]

Hopefully there will be plenty of follow ups over on Xavier's channel in the coming years, but I can say that almost everything that I worked on was healthy and doing well as of a couple of weeks ago

[@carynludwig6667]

Do let us know if the 20% odds on the second juniper surviving pays off, or not. I’ve had some sulk for a year, and then “wake up” and start growing. You have to sort of baby them along with more shade so they don’t cook in their pots, though.

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi Caryn. I've not yet updated on these in a video, but the main tree is doing well. All the others died in the heat this summer. the cuttings seem ok though and I think some of those still have a chance.

[@carynludwig6667]

@@TonysBonsai it WAS crazy hot this summer….had to keep so many in shade….! Plants survived, but really minimal growth because of it. (Shade). The fall weather here in Montana has been delightful, and everything has perked back up since I have moved many of them back around to get more sun. Hope they gain enough strength to make it through our winters 🥶, but I do provide some protection with a greenhouse tent….seems to help. Since I always root for the underdog, I’m hoping that juniper with the bad odds surprises you and becomes your best experiment!😆

[@TonysBonsai]

Well If that one makes it it really will be a miracle seeing as I binned it a month ago as it was fully brown and crispy! 🤣 Sounds like you had just as hot a summer as us!

[@bartstellink307]

Funny! I picked up the same tree the other day, only 2 euros... (like yesterday...) Now I know what species, because the label just said "conifer".

[@TonysBonsai]

Excellent! I hope yours have some good potential as bonsai.

[@bartstellink307]

@@TonysBonsai I do think so, still small though, so just planted it to grow stronger.

[@TonysBonsai]

You do the right thing there Bart. Leave them to develop and see what they are like in a couple of years with a thicker trunk.

[@davidstokes925]

Sure hope you get some new trees out of those cuttings. Any idea how long it takes a juniper to root? Thanks for the video!

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi David. these cutting seem to be in good health, so I'm hopeful that they are doing ok. Apparently, they can put out roots in 1-2 months.

[@colelynch]

Mines a 99 🍦please Tony 😜

[@TonysBonsai]

Two flakes and crushed hazelnut and raspberry sauce I hope!

[@thenaturecreater8906]

Did they survive?

[@TonysBonsai]

One of the big ones survived and the cuttings are looking good, but the ones I butchered withered pretty quickly 🤣

[@thenaturecreater8906]

@Tonys Bonsai 🤣 you gotta go for it. If I doesn't survive it was not ment to be Bonsai. That's my philosophy. But i am more gentle now. And doing it almost everything at the right time of year but its easy to get carried away 🤣

[@TonysBonsai]

I have exactly the same philosophy mate, apart from being more gentle, and doing things at the right time of the year 🤣🤣

[@chrissnyder8415]

Definitely not one of the 13 varieties of Chinesis.

[@SullyMac83]

Great video