Styling A Problem Oak Bonsai Tree

In this Bonsai Video Attila and I are Styling A Problem Oak Bonsai - that has been collected and grown out for the last 3 years. We considered a "problem tree" because it has a multi-trunk structure with an unappealing clump style and no uniform shape. By giving it a defined shape, we transform this disorganized clump into a Bonsai with distinct character and interest.
Check out Attila's Channel ⏩ ‪@FangornBonsai‬
Hey everyone! In this video, we go through various techniques for managing a problem bonsai. We'll cover selecting the best viewing angle, or the "front," to enhance its aesthetic appeal. We'll show you the tools we use and demonstrate how to remove problematic surface roots.
Drawing inspiration from old Irish oak trees in the Wicklow Mountains, we wire this oak with very curvy bends. We show how to bend the trunks of larger specimens using guy wires and prune the current year's growth (focusing on cutting back to two buds). We discuss the best timing for pruning oak bonsai and demonstrate wiring and styling techniques, including the two-branch principle along with orienting the foliage in the correct direction. Keep in mind that oaks are very sensitive to wiring, so monitor the wire closely to prevent scarring, as it can be difficult for scars to grow out of oaks.
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00:00 - Intro.
00:36 - About The Oak Tree (Multi Trunk).
02:47 - Selecting A Front (Best Viewing Angle).
03:51 - The Bonsai Tools Used.
04:48 - Removing Problem Surface Roots.
05:39 - Inspiration From Old Irish Oak Trees In The Wild.
07:31 - Bending The Trunks Using Guy Wires.
10:58 - Pruning The Current Years Growth (2 Buds).
11:48 - When To Prune Oak Bonsai.
12:27 - Wiring And Styling The Oak Bonsai.
15:40 - How To Wire Oak Bonsai (Two Branch Principle).
17:04 - Orientating The Foliage On Oak.
17:52 - Beauty Shots.
18:33 - Future Design And Development.
19:14 - Outro.
#bonsai #oakbonsai #bonsaitree #notionbonsai #bonsaiart

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I really enjoyed seeing the full size Oaks, they have a fantastic form!!

[@notionbonsai]

It was beautiful to see them! Thanks for watching Nigel 🤗🤗🌳🌳

[@ShotokhanDragon]

Hi Adam and Atilla, I enjoy watching people style larger bonsai trees. I mean, I am a Texan, born and raised in Dallas, and I say BIGGER is always better, and that oak tree is huge. I think the two of you did a great job on it.

[@alfgundersen1058]

So so super cool

[@snylilith]

Beautifull tree! And every once in a while it's nice to see the work on a tree which does not leave a tree bare 😅

[@samanthalonghurst-howes1465]

You are both artists! I love watching both of your channels. I find you both so inspiring and uplifting to watch. Hope to see updates on this beautiful tree. Bless you for sharing xxx

[@ChannelSobari]

Beautyfull bonsai👍👍♥️♥️🙏

[@rowenacorner7700]

Wow what a transformation!

[@randysmith1723]

I would have done it differently, and I would have made a mistake. I really didn’t think this was going to turn out the way it did, but it represented the very nature of the larger oaks you showed. Well done!!

[@CYPHERCOMPLETE]

Looking forward on a follow up! Nice work!

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks! Hopefully we can do an update next year!

[@Bonsaicrazy]

Awesome Adam what a transformation mate you n Atilla make a great team mate I’ll look forward to following this tree 👊👊👊👊👊

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks very much Andy! It should develop nicely!

[@raymondplodzien7459]

Great team work you two! I hope to see a future update on this oak.

[@briangallagher3106]

I’m down in Cork, I just made an oak forest in a long pot. 7 trees. They’re small mostly about 3 years old. Looking forward to see it grow over the years

[@elisabettavisconti9690]

Grazie per le tante informazioni contenute in questo video 😊 .... saluti dall'italia

[@JamesDavis-cf4bb]

Great teacher. Great content. Thank you.

[@abeerali7834]

What a change! Well done!

[@notionbonsai]

🌳🙂🌳

[@BonsaiDruid-qo9lo]

I'm amazed at how much bend ye were able to get on the trunks! Quite an impressive tree design. It really inspires me to work on some more oaks

[@rebelliousbrands3253]

Nice transformation!

[@lisawagner6076]

OH Adam!! Those old oak trees were spectacular!! How I would love to spend a lazy afternoon under those trees!! I only know of one area to find trees even close to those, and that's in the southern US. It has been 50 years since I have been to Texas, but my husband and I love to go to Charleston, South Carolina. They have tons of Live Oaks just dripping with moss. We love going there. We also like to go to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There they have oaks that are hundreds of years old that they call "Witness Trees" because they have seen the battle of Gettysburg in 1864. I wish I found this hobby a lot sooner. I really look forward to seeing what becomes of your oak tree!! I found Attila's channel and subscribed to his too. It looks like some awesome stuff to see over there!!

[@notionbonsai]

It was a beautiful day for it too! Thanks for sharing this with me! I have never heard of a witness tree before, that is interesting! This oak tree belongs to Attila 🤗

[@lisawagner6076]

@@notionbonsai The Witness Trees were the ones that were actually on the battle fields of Gettysburg on July 1-4, 1864. So they actually have some damage from the muskets and mini balls and anything else they were firing at each other. We love anything to do with The American Civil War. We actually took a horseback ride to see some of these trees right one the battle fields. It was a wonderful experience.

[@Steves_Backyard_Bonsai]

Excellent styling on that massive oak. I appreciate that you are styling it to be like the natural oaks you featured in the segment. Great job Attila and Adam!

[@GrowingBonsai]

Nice one Adam Always a pleasure to watch

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks very much Jelle!

[@FangornBonsai]

Adam! Thank you so much again for the work on the tree! Was fun as always to having you here, and spend some time to work on trees! Looking forward for the next one!

[@notionbonsai]

Thank you so much for having me again Attila! It is a long journey to Dublin but worth it every time for some Bonsai fun!

[@Carolyn2Short]

Awesome demo, guys! I live in the Sacramento Valley in northern California and have been growing native Valley Oak and Blue Oak in pots with hopes to bonsai them. Your demo is the first I’ve seen of an oak tree bonsai. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge! Good luck - hope to see an update in the next year or two.

[@user-cz8ym9zu9e]

Beautiful

[@pesoverwatch9324]

Those mames are so cool, :D Realy big oak, I was surprices you could bent the thick trunks so much.

[@notionbonsai]

I was surprised too! I think if this tree had of been older it might have been harder to bend so I think we got lucky on this one!

[@donnadornbusch6738]

This was a real treat - anxious to watch the 😊progress

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks for watching Donna! 🤗🌳💖

[@BrowneyedBarbara]

Am new at bonsai. Your videos are so helpful! I love what you did to this oak tree!

[@acer_p_bonsai]

Adam, great job with the bonsai and plant physiology terms and definitions! Smooth incorporation of some advanced terms along with the starter level approachability of your videos! 👏🏽 🪴 🍁

[@DavesBonsai]

Great work to both of you!

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks Dave!

[@marosbonsai]

You choose a very challenging tree, and it will be interesting to follow how ramification will be built. Im curious if it will create a rough bark in that box. Good job.

[@aaronbradley8701]

Great job it looks amazing.

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks Aaron!

[@criandobonsai]

Amazing video!! 🫡🧐🌳🌳

[@alfredomarotta6604]

Nice collaboration, turned out great.👍👍 🍃

[@annepahler8726]

I wish I had your imagination so I would dare to cut and wire a bonsai like you two seem to be able to. Thank you for sharing.

[@notionbonsai]

The more we learn, the more we know we are able to do by reading the condition and capabilities of a tree 🤗 Thanks so much for watching!

[@trybonsai]

You guys make a great team... really nice video, great tree and beautiful outcome...looking forward to seeing it's development in the future 🎉🎉

[@bejuntecoffeeshop9747]

mantap om🎉🎉

[@calikesh6475]

Awesome!

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks Cali!

[@stormforce9521]

Fascinating, your artistic vision is brilliant.

[@notionbonsai]

Working with someone else on a tree is fun because you both share ideas that the other has not considered and it ends up better I think!

[@gayefanner731]

Very true, especially with the pairing of Adam and Attila, they really are a harmonic duet 👌

[@nerinat8371]

Wow! The Oak looks fantastic. Well done to you both

[@kuriseon]

OMG ADAM!!! These videos are getting better and BETTER

[@notionbonsai]

Hey Kuriseon! Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂 I will try keep the tool part smaller haha!

[@kuriseon]

Haha I wouldn’t worry about the length of the segment, as it’s quite important. But in this video specifically, it almost felt like you used a fisheye lens for that segment 😅 It’s like leggy growth on a tree; It still works, but something looks off 😛

[@kuriseon]

Btw: I have a sycamore in development that looks similar to this oak. Weird, gnarly triple trunk that grew from a single base that refused to die when my mom cut it off a few years back. Knowing that might become something crazy like this one is SO inspiring!!

[@notionbonsai]

@@kuriseon Ohh i know what you mean now! I do use a wide lens for some shots and I think I was sitting too close to it so it looked weird 🤣🤣

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

That’s definitely some challenging material 😮

[@notionbonsai]

I know right! I feel the easy way out would have been to trunk chop but where's the fun in that 😄

[@justinhill8170]

Can you show us how you keep your tools sharp?

[@Akatsuki-En]

😮 amazing

[@DikaBonsai23]

Very useful video bonsai my friend

[@notionbonsai]

Glad it was useful for you Mardika!

[@bonsaisn]

That's so great

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I am in the middle of my oaks right now. TThey are fantastic to work with and you can go nuts with wiring. It looks like Atilla found another great tree to work on :)

[@crf89862]

Great instructional video and a good crossover, I follow Attila as well. I really liked the bit in the middle where you've shown the tree you're working on in the wild, never seen that in other channels I follow.

[@crittercritter2583]

Adam, you always mention to use a sharp blade. Would you please do a video on how you sharpen your tools 🙏

[@MultiZNB]

🔥🔥🔥

[@artfx9]

I kept an Oak indoors. It had leaves still into the Winter, but once they fell off, they never came back. Had buds for a couple years and then it just died 😢

[@gayefanner731]

Bonsais need to be outdoors in the elements, as in nature. They have enough to contend with just being trained as a bonsai ! ✌️

[@TheMrjoehughes]

Very unusual looking beast, it’s nice, kind of like a claw shape. How do oaks air layer ? I would never waste any of the thicker branches but if air layering didn’t work I would definitely chop two away or as suggested half them and hope for a reshoot for leaders. Would almost be like a baby clump then with some huge root base underneath it and the ability to shape the new branches as you please

[@iPheek]

I did the mistake of just trunk chopping my oak I collected 3 years ago and it never pushed any growth. I still treat it as it’s alive in hopes that it comes back 😢

[@jennifertucker107]

Very interesting.

[@notionbonsai]

🤗

[@lupitateve5491]

Interesting.,

[@timbatrombone]

Im still very much a beginner but ive watched a lot of bonsai videos and this is the first time ive been told to use clean tools so that is one thing I will definitely do going forwards. Also if you turn adam upside down it's atilla 😂

[@howardmckeown7187]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Tybold63]

Although I would have shaped it differently you really got good explanations on every step and technique. Well done!"

[@bigbrobunny]

Nice idea. The thing is, it's so hard (and worrying!) to chop right down and seems a shame when you've spent so much time growing it only to cut it off, but that's what makes good taper isn't it. I chopped a five foot Oak down to about a foot and a half a few years ago and now it looks pretty good IMHO. I've become a lot more ruthless! Takes a long time, especially with deciduous trees, but that's Bonsai.

[@notionbonsai]

Hey! I totally know what you mean! I was very tempted to chop this one down too but we wanted to try something different and see it as a challenge by working with what the tree has and giving it a natural flowy look like the ones we seen in Wicklow. Though I also have many other trees that have been trunk chopped and for sure they are a lot more traditional and are nice and chunky with taper! I agree that you have to be ruthless in Bonsai to make great trees! 🤗

[@bigbrobunny]

Those trees looked awesome btw! Decisions, decisions! There’s never a right or wrong way is there. So long as it works for you and experimentation is the way to go! Love the channel and will subscribe. Thanks for replying.

[@kevinorr6880]

I'm just going to say I don't think “compactify” is a word. But, I'm open to using it from now on.

[@notionbonsai]

Maybe not a word for Bonsai, though I definitely do know that it is a word! It's primarily used in specific contexts, particularly in mathematics and physics. In theoretical physics, especially in string theory, compactification involves reducing extra dimensions to a compact size to fit within observable dimensions haha😄

[@kevinorr6880]

@@notionbonsaiyou win! You beat me down with the sheer weight of your letters! It all sounded so very scientific, how could I argue? Thank you for all of your very educational bonsai videos as well.

[@notionbonsai]

@@kevinorr6880 Don't worry I had to google if it was a word or not 🤣

[@howardmckeown7187]

@@notionbonsai Shouldn't have left that comment, Adam, you were impressing me with your intelligence, lol, great video 👍

[@gayefanner731]

I’d rather be impressed with his honesty! ✌️

[@ludwigcodjambassis8866]

Thank you I have like 20 oaks to work, but only three years old There is a xomplicated matter with working the roots...I would like to know if there is a particular time to do it. Greeting from Patagonia, Chile

[@DannyTorn]

nice vid thanks. what depth would you say is the min for a oak bonsai pot?

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video. For an oak bonsai, I'd recommend a pot depth of at least 3-4 inches. Oak trees have relatively deep roots, so providing enough depth will help them establish. Though if you want it to thicken I recommend something even deeper or plant it into the ground

[@Bonsaicrazy]

Missed it 😩😩😩😩😩

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🙂

[@notionbonsai]

🤗🌳💖

[@mitchlapera5898]

This is the problem when other country do bonsai, they cant wait.. That tree would be better if they trunk chop and just wait to make movements on the trunks

[@notionbonsai]

Hey Mitch, I get what you're saying. I have plenty of other trees and oaks where I've used the traditional trunk chop method. However, that doesn't mean we can't explore different approaches to create something more interesting and unique 🙂

[@gayefanner731]

Well said Adam. The pair of you are doing great things 👌

[@TheIrishLeprochaun]

Great video! I was wondering which forest that is in the Wicklow Mountains? I'm not too far and I'd love to have a gander at some nice trees! cheers

[@joanettemurch9040]

I just wanted to get going on a bonsai tree and the only way I have to design a bonsai is to use an oak that I have potted ….. I am just starting

[@mattbrennan647]

Foisting 😊

[@notionbonsai]

🏆🏆🏆

[@JasonLorette]

When he cut that branch…uugh, not that brave! 😂

[@notionbonsai]

Sometimes we gotta be bold to make great things in Bonsai 😄 Oaks can for sure handle this kind of work too!

[@zaubergarden6900]

The middle most of the five trunks seems really unnecessary. thank you for taking us along the journey, I learned so much!

[@thegreenmanalishiyamadori371]

The truth about oaks Morphology is sad but true: The confusing appearance of the oaks branches and twigs comes from the trees Hunger for sunlight and is caused by dying back of shaded branches...So shaded twigs will die unexpected🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@smokereapergaming3861]

Don't want to sound funny, but why style that oak like that makes no sense? Oaks don't grow like that In the wild I would of just style the three in a traditional clump style,because the style you guys went with will shade out the lower branches and in a few years they will die.just my opinion 😊

[@HellcrushPlays]

(math)

[@ludwigcodjambassis8866]

Thank you I have like 20 oaks to work, but only three years old There is a xomplicated matter with working the roots...I would like to know if there is a particular time to do it. Greeting from Patagonia, Chile