Planting My Ficus in the Dream 3D Printed Pot, The Bonsai Zone, May 2021

I'm planting my very first bonsai that I grew from a seed 28 years ago into a large 3D printed bonsai pot that was made by Stephan in Germany. My first bonsai is a Ficus microcarpa that I'm growing in a Banyan style.
Check out Stephan's 3D printed pots, stands and more on his website here....
www.theuni.de
Check out his work on Instagram here...
/ van_theuni
To see previous videos of my Ficus microcarpa bonsai from seed, click on the playlist here.....
• Ficus microcarpa from ...
To see previous videos on 3D printing and the making of this pot, click on the playlist here...
• 3D Printing for Bonsai
#TheBonsaiZone

[@jessicadominick6555]

This lovely chicken likes the same hairstyle like the director of this video ❤️ Thanks Nigel, that you are sharing your bonsai-work, progress and knowledge.

[@renevandenborre3629]

Just what you need. More trees. And now you'll need another big greenhouse to put all in also!

[@gavins.6109]

It’s always a good day when you see Nigel post a new video!

[@patsfreund9164]

Love seeing the chickens in the opening segment! That bonsai looks FANTASTIC in that new pot. May you enjoy it for many years to come!! Always enjoy watching your videos.

[@planterbanter]

I love all the beautiful birds singing in the background at the beginning of the video. And what a magnificent pot! Thanks for the video Nigel.

[@sarahabraham9052]

28 years? I won’t live long enough to see my bougainvillea or Adenium flourish like your ficus! Beautiful little tree!🌵

[@yahiamerrad3506]

Hello everyone... Mr Nigel thank you so much.. because of your channel I felt in love with that kind of trees - BONSAIS - which are rare in my country. It is true that I am not very active in the comments and likes but your work speaks and I respect all that. So after 4 of 5 months of watching I decided to start my own bonsai tree from seed, and it is a lemon tree. I chose it because of the smell of the roots you talk about it last time when you reported yours. So I think I will need help to grow properly my lemon tree. Thank you so much sir.

[@sarahabraham9052]

Nigel, i love your new pot! Beautiful! But you drove me insane opening it so slowly! Love those gorgeous white chickens!🌵

[@AthharSaeed]

The chickens have the same hairdo as you. Thank you. Love your videos.

[@raymondplodzien7459]

Awesome!

[@farmert9679]

The new pot and the tree go hand in hand. Super!!!!!!

[@lukasmihara]

Your bonsai and Stephan's pot are a great team! And it'll probably be even better in a few years.

[@fredgrech1498]

Congratulations on your new pot and the tree looks awesome 👍

[@joekerr5152]

The wisteria seeds are really exciting! Those are beautiful! It’s always fun to see the soil mixing too

[@acheronexile]

I have quite small confidence in myself when it comes to the idea of making beautiful bonsai, but as a way of getting over it, I've started pulling up each and every last american elm or other semi invasive sapling that i find in spots they shouldnt be and potting them up. My brother offered without knowing about the bonsai idea that if there are any trees left over that I dont want, he would be happy to find a place for them in his yard or in his fence. Edit: Save the huge thick surface root! Its an amazing feature on the tree!

[@dk2614]

Never thought about your watering theory. I have just always saturated the soil without thinking much about it. But I think you have put words to it rather well!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks D K!

[@firefades3604]

Very beautiful bonsai for a beautiful pot, nice work Nigel always inspiring me to grow little trees

[@BonsaiJCan]

Wow, the tree looks fantastic in that pot ! 👌

[@robb8569]

I personally love that root. It's the same colour as the bark on the trunk compared to the younger roots, and really makes me feel like that is th anchor that holds the tree in the ground, like a strong tree 💪

[@holret9008]

Hello Nigel, non-composted bark removes nitrogen from the soil during composting, which causes a nitrogen deficiency in your trees until the bark is completely composted. To see it while sad when your trees becomes sick as a result! Greetings from Germany Holger

[@serrielu8025]

I know having natural or organic based insecticide, herbicide, fertilizers, etc is best for the environment and gives us that feel good buzz, but in practice, sometimes the natural method is futile or more harshly worthless. I had probably 9 different sized Ash trees growing on my property before the Emerald Ash borer attack started back in 2013, I think. I picked three trees to treat with Imidacloprid; a once a year soil drench. Today, of the nine ash trees 3, have been cut down, 4 have dead tops falling branches, ugly suckers growing from sides of trunk and need to be felled. But three of the trees look marvelous and the largest tree went for 58” circumference last year to a 60+ inch this year. I’ve heard that the instances of ash borer destruction is actually decreasing in my area and may soon be no problem. I’m so glad I decided to treat those three gorgeous trees once a year with chems. If you REALLY want to keep a plant from being killed by boring insects then drench the soil around it with the systemic chems. IMO. Big Red gotta topper. Cool, I want a truck just like that to haul stuff but mostly to tailgate at Indy 🏁.

[@PSPMHaestros]

Probably one of the best looking ficus bonsai I've seen, and with that pot is just even more amazing (and original!), really nice planting

[@dylandaulay]

3D printed pot well that’s cool

[@grobonsai]

That looks great, very impressive!

[@phasicsbonsaiworld6902]

Looks amazing Nigel!

[@pitchforkharp]

WOW! This thing is gorgeous!

[@Nhoj31neirbo47]

Seeing this ficus in such a terrific pot really shows what a magnificent, well developed tree it is. Even though it will take years for it to size-up to this large pot, it already occupies the space in a natural and pleasing manner. ~ Enjoy the warm weather!

[@matejrojc7972]

Marvelous. That tree alignment, soil level, aditive of a moss with a really special pot is just perfect combination. And that pot tray is a must-have becouse in my opinion it completes the whole picture very nicely. Can't wait to se it all covered in moss. Great work as allways, congrats. Greetings from Slovenia :)

[@3apa3a4eva]

So happy for you, Nigel! :) The tree and the pot fit together nicely. Also the colour of the pot, ficus bark and leaves make a very coherent palet. Looking forward to seing this beauty in July!

[@Werd2jaH]

Woohoo can’t wait to see what you plant this year. Hopefully some of the seeds I sent ya! Yay!!

[@joshslackslack8115]

I use worm castings from my worm farm for fertilizer it is all natural

[@LemonsGraphics]

Oh!! I cant wait to see those chinese wisteria and almond seeds!

[@terrorofdeath3280]

I picked up some of the same fertilizer recently for my rosemary and lavender, they love it.

[@julesverne2509]

Beautiful beautiful beautiful pot

[@scarletcloack4853]

The tree looks great in its brand new 3d printed pot! Those silky chickens are adorable!! I'm exited to watch the aquarium gravel as bonsai soil experiment as I too keep fish (just one 10gal tank for now, but it's got plants) and I just recently got into bonsai so I might try it too

[@dabblingwithbonsai]

Awws... I just missed the premiere.. Was too concentrated with work. The tree looks awesome in the pot! Also moss! I love how you're going the silkie way with your do.

[@marysoldeeley2218]

Crazy fantastic Pot! One of a kind pot for a one of a kind tree by a one of a kind guy! :)

[@Beanmaster-ny6ft]

Looks absolutely gorgeous!

[@wakuku3916]

chickens have funky hairstyle.... just like mr. nigel... 😎👌😁

[@MrJcalvino]

You are gonna love the cork oak seeds, they develope amazing bark. I hope they do well in Canadian climate.

[@tuvimosalgo]

Nice work, your soil its very unussual, greeting from Chile.

[@OddBonsai]

The tree and the new pot fit together really well. I can't wait to see it with a nice green moss carpet arround the base. Sorry to hear about your ginko. I hope it survives the attack. I know you like natural solutions for keeping away pests but maybe you can find an insecticide for boring insects.

[@rebecasouza4961]

I loved your chickens, they're so pretty

[@waterlover]

The pot looks so cool I would just leave the legs how they are brush some glue 1/8 inch away from legs and sprinkle soil then lift the pot and you can stay clear away from the legs so moss can grow under and look even better

[@ratanpalsingh5325]

Very beautiful bonsai . Please give update of root over temple bonsai in next video .

[@OurGreenPlanet]

I love to watch ur Videos

[@andrecosterus]

Hi Nigel, I have been using flourite in some of my trees for a while and can confirm that it works really well.

[@dk2614]

I think if you would have woven wooden dowels for the roots to adhere to it might have been easier down the road. But I get you are using what you have on hand...

[@satorigardenaksasbonsai.1321]

Good composition. Tree and pot.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Vadym!!!

[@josiehardy6988]

I had a ginkgo survive boring beetles. It got attacked as a 6 foot tall nursery tree before I did the trunk chop. It was struggling to grow it's first leaves in the spring so I chopped it to about 20 inches and it pushed new buds and took off growing. I though I had cut below all of the bore holes but later in the year I noticed it had two large dead spots where there were holes that I did not see. But it seemed to be very healthy so this spring I cut even lower to remove the dead spots in the trunk. Luckily I had several branches on the last 6 inches of the trunk I could cut back to. Now it seems fine and hopefully will make I nice flame style. I thought you might like to know, all hope is not lost. If it doesn't start pushing new growth and keep growing soon, I would consider cutting it back to below the lowest bore hole, if it isn't super low on the trunk. Thanks for your videos, You pretty much got me into bonsai.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Josie, I'll have an update soon! All is not lost at the moment.

[@otterwench]

great hydro engineering advice! I will start adapting it to my succulents. The small pots I can sit in a container of water until the soil is completely wet, but my larger pots that's just not efficient in my current space.

[@faerielips569]

Love the little conversation with the chickens :) When do you like to plant your seeds usually?

[@jambob169]

Your canopy is almost as wide as the tree's! :)

[@jamesn7156]

Wow, I use the same fertilizer and have been questioning myself if I’m doing it right, but it sounds like you’re doing what I’ve been doing. Just a little bit into a 2 liter jug every time I water too. EDIT: I’m actually using a 24:8:16 mix, but I read somewhere that works too. Not sure if it’s better or worse.

[@browpetj]

Great info in this vid, another excellent composition, apt for the value of the tree no doubt. I wonder what would happen if you went organic fert wise? You get alot of bacteria and fungus from your duck bowl and the rain water. Organics are really easy and long lasting, not to mention the health benefits/immunity for the trees. May help with low light availablity. And buffer on drought (less important there).

[@-ChrisD]

Toms a great guy🙂

[@gedemertabsbchannel9890]

what you show is always entertaining

[@norWindChannel]

Looking good!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks norWind!

[@MaybeBonsai]

wow that bucket filled so fast hahaha

[@entyropy3262]

Not the last comment here, I was waiting for this video. Thx for sharing.

[@entyropy3262]

From my experience, bark is not really helping against fungus but instead spreading it, and also has a supressive effect on root growth. I compared several different plant specimen cuttings already, and everything created less roots in pine bark. Actually in this bark I had a lot more fungus and around 90% less roots developed compared to lava granulate.

[@louisecolombi6630]

looks really good 😌

[@shvshvhkv8608]

👌👌👌...!!!

[@OreMan]

Cool gardening video. I'm trying to grow my own avocado trees right now, so I guess that's why I came to find your video. Anyways, good job making the video! 👍

[@birgittej5895]

Hello, Nigel. Fantastic pot!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Birgitte!

[@ph-vf5hx]

good luck with the gingko! What a bummer

[@chrisrose323]

You can add a normal hose connector and hook up your tank to a pump. Using the pump you can add a hose and water Around your garden / pull it inside to full your inside barrel.

[@MarkkXIII]

Hey there Nigel! I know your acclimating you tropicals but are you keeping your tropicals out over night? Or are they brought in back in to the green house?

[@julesverne2509]

Its so interesting to see what people around the world are doing with bonsai. Ive thought about doing the same from here in West by God Virginia. But i dunno.

[@birgittej5895]

Looks fantastic

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I've always liked the Vietnamese style pots with their giant Ficus trees!

[@elisabethserrano8264]

Hi Nigel ,this chicken needs are Hair trimming, it can not see the bugs , the Ficus looked so great in its new pot

[@Dave_0993_I]

This tree looks outstanding in this pot! 3D printed people: How about a guy on a bike with bushy hair?

[@rahulrnath8183]

I think the rain water collected would have least amount of fertilizer. Leaves fallen and stay in the roof gets decays or release tanins.

[@smack09]

A group of gingko survived a nuke being dropped amongst em in WWII and sprouted new growth within weeks and are still alive today. Be surprising if this borer bug kills the gingko.

[@thumperoux1528]

Have you ever considered EcoTraction Pro for your soil mix ? It has less fines and slightly larger granule size than Safe T Sorb. EcoTraction Pro is available at Home Hardware and comes in 20 kg bags for $29.99. Canadian company. It is a natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) that is mined in Canada. I’ve used it successfully and prefer its larger granule size. Has a grey green tinge when wet. It’s the same stuff as “Chabasai” touted on many bonsai sites. Chabasai is also a zeolite (clinoptilolite) but sourced from European mines but has a beige/brown tinge when wet. I can send you comparison pictures against Safe T Sorb (aka “Turface”). Cheers

[@tedclayton6913]

Do you have any ideas on potting elephant ear bulbs? I'd be interested in hearing.

[@debkousik8943]

Wow .. What about its age and height of this beautiful creation Nigel ?☺️

[@bill_tube]

Have you noticed the creepy looking face at the base of the trunk among the roots? I just suddenly saw that at the end of the video. Excellent tree and video by the way!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Scary stuff Bill!!

[@debkousik8943]

Nigel how do you create such type of exposed root ......if you have videos regarding this root creation please share me.

[@RosarioCostanzo]

Hi Nigel, how could I send you some seed? I think I have some tree you have never seen and you would like to grow. Very happy for your dream pot, it suits perfect for your tree!! Poor gingko, I hope it will survive

[@CoNkOrE]

I ordered a 12 set of small rectangle training pots a few days ago for really cheap. like 15 for all of them. I am really hoping they are decent quality

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I find the plastic ones are great for training pots, they never crack in winter!

[@planterbanter]

So long as the plastic is durable and has a bit of thickness to it, they should be okay. Fingers crossed for you Conner

[@-ChrisD]

Hey Nigel, how's the Ginko doing? Does your soap/water/oil solution work against the boring insects?

[@m0nster324]

What size sift do you use for your soil?

[@sophiaangelini4368]

Mask and protective glasses during soil mixing?

[@CreekMythology]

Hahahah your chickens have your same hair!!

[@andersnrregren9087]

Love the info in the videos all the plants and clima is like where i am but soil info in any bonsai video is a no go/no good for me cus My soil is made of leca (lecasafe) and my own compost no "plant food" is used i repot every year winter or spring to replace compost i never used furtiliser in the last 16 years.

[@notbonsai671]

👍👍👍👍

[@BlackDragonWitheHawk]

greetings, is it possible to make a ribes nigrum bonsai? Edit: or is it possible to make edible bonsai trees that produce fruits to use for example on a balcony in general?

[@chesh1rek1tten]

Yes, that's possible. You can see some examples when you search for "fruiting bonsai" =)

[@asifyani6543]

You should try cat litter. I did, worked easy.

[@frankshewmake9753]

If they were dogs, I would say what a beautiful Dalmatian and French Poodles.

[@selfmade6142]

The tree looks great in the new bowl. I'm curious how the moss will develop, it really looked very dried up. Greetings from Germany.

[@sallyjjdavis]

'so here I go'

[@FknNefFy]

What’s the soil/mix?

[@beardedbonsai]

Another good one Nigel. I been watching for a while now keep it up. I just started my own channel called Hudson Bonsai. Not much there yet but giv it a look.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Awesome, great to see your collection and I look forward to more of your videos!

[@beardedbonsai]

@@TheBonsaiZone Thanks Nigel I will have a lot more coming. I am new to making videos I hope to keep improving the quality. You do a great job of planning and edeting your videos and it shows.

[@dk2614]

Do your chickens keep back ticks? I know Guinea Fowl do...

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, I have read that they do, they sure help keep the insects out of the gardens!

[@billybytes1976]

Hello, what type of 3D printer do you have?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I use the one at our library, it's a Cubicon!

[@billybytes1976]

@@TheBonsaiZone Thank you so much, your videos give me knowledge and peace.

[@dailygrow6961]

Hairstyle inspired by chickenz 😎

[@Cameroncen]

Do you have to protect the chickens from hawks

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, we only let the chickens out when we are around. They are normally keep in a large cage with screening on the roof.

[@giriag8374]

Wow super👍. May know the price of the pot sir

[@TheBonsaiZone]

The pot was a gift, but it would be very expensive when you add up the time and material!

[@giriag8374]

@@TheBonsaiZone Thanks for u r reply sir😊, you r doing good 👏👏👏

[@Andi_M.]

In my eyes, the tree is a bit too far to the left and tilted a little little bit to the left. Or do I need glasses? But it's your tree. Greetings

[@veronicapersson9124]

L-style? What style? And how to spelling it? Have not heard or read about it.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Literati style!