Pruning My Portulacaria afra and My Brazilian Rain Tree, The Bonsai Zone, May 2023

[@ag_242]

sunday, coffe and the bonsai zone😍🥳🙏 chill mode🙌

[@dkstott29]

Succulent Sunday 🌱❤️👍😊

[@sbragaglia]

Bonsai trees must be natural repellent for zombies because Nigel’s area often has outbreaks but we never saw one… Jokes aside, nice carousel of tree! Good work on them! Thanks for sharing!

[@myownbiggestfan]

I like the general maintenance videos just as much as the big repotting or project videos.

[@allmetaliswelcome]

Can't wait till the big ficuses come up to the Greenhouse

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, they will be very happy to get out of the house!!!

[@tacobonsai]

I agree, and this is one of your trees that i enjoy the most.

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

I like that uique Port forest. The BRT, looking good. Spring brings out the best in trees.

[@FrostBiteBonsai]

Awe So nice there! Great video! I need to get some more Ports and try again. Have to wait for a sale or find a cutting to trade for. Right now I have a lot going on getting spring ready! We can finally see the grass on the front lawn. Night lows around 4C lowest in the 14 day forecast. I might be able to take some things outside by the end of the month! You have such cool trees. Really inspiring and motivating. Helps us see the possible futures of our trees.

[@mikec3820]

i get books for the pics too lol. p afra forest looking great nigel! thanks for sharing

[@alimatusadia7935]

This is beautiful Happy to be here

[@DavesBonsai]

Nice to get more trees into position!

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Nice book find. I love old books.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Me too Tom!!!

[@mattbrennan647]

A very exciting time of year. Benches are really looking great. Thanks, keep growing

[@TAFFY5652]

Ooh is that the serissa I see 😍 my Mt Fuji is happy for its first year 👌👌

[@t3dwards13]

I like that new front of the brt. It allows you to look through the center of the canopy at the back branches heading away from the viewer...giving it a grander sense of depth. At least that's what I saw. Lol

[@BonsaiKiwa]

Portulacaria afra and My Brazilian Rain Tree, What a good bonsai, join in learning how to care for him, sir

[@averyprice9422]

Can't wait for Dune

[@dkstott29]

Thanks!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks so much DK, happy growing!!!

[@TonysBonsai]

Nice job Nigel. I really like the shape of your Brazilian rain tree. It's going to go on to be a beauty I reckon.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Tony!!!

[@Bonsaiking79]

❤

[@robertscarborough68]

I love the texture of you're PA you've created. Looking forward to see if it works on jade's too 😊

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌👌

[@Bonsaiking79]

👌

[@aaronleslie1581]

Hey I dunno what happened I got dropped off the chat!! Awesome video Nigel!!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Nice to hear from you Aaron!!

[@chasingthefish9042]

One day my rain tree will look like this. 30 years from now, Mine is 9 months old currently.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

This is only about 5 years old, they can develop very quickly!!!

[@chasingthefish9042]

@Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone I didn't know they had thorns. Can I cut those off or will it leave nasty scars?

[@VelhaGameleiraBonsai1433]

Chloroleucom tortum, rain tree.

[@joannetanner7282]

Nigel, this insect spray recipe may help with you aphids. Peppermint oil insect Spray: 5 to 10 drops peppermint oil per every 2 ounces of Water. Add one or two drops of dish soap. Use for aphids, deters Japanese beetles and soft bodied insects. It irritates them

[@amandawelch9125]

For your Ports, what temperature do you want for? I've been trying mine out on the balcony. It's variegated, and it threw a fit, dropped 95% of it's leaves. I don't think it got to cold, but I do think it got too hot. Had a couple days last week at 28 to 30 c, thermometer outside was reading 40+, so I brought it inside. I did water on the 1st hot day in the morning incase it needed it before the sun was up. My jade has had no issues. Trying to understand what it's not liking.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I think it is more the sudden transition to heat and the light, the roots weren't ready for the sudden need for more moisture to the leaves so it dropped them all. I think slowly changing the conditions will keep them happier. Portulacaria afra's do tend to defoliate when conditions aren't ideal, maybe it was too dry indoors and it was ready to drop it's leaves anyway? I've had mine do this in the middle of winter. It's a bit scary, but they always seem to recover!

[@dkstott29]

I've been given a PA that's about 5 inches tall. Someone cut the trunk and it's grown 2 bar branches there. How hard is it to develop a new trunk line??

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I would remove the one bar branch and prune the other one back as short as possible to a leaf or leaf scar that faces upwards. This will get a shoot growing in the right direction and by the end of summer this new leader should blend in with the existing trunk! It will have a bit of a kink at first, but it will smooth out with time.

[@QuadDerrick]

you got a switch for your fancy fan now? =) im liking that solar fan of yours a lot you got it from that ,, tom bonsai guy ? u know if he sells them ?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

This fan actually came with a switch! I think it was ordered from Amazon. Here is a similar one... www.amazon.ca/LiL-DiHo-15W-Weatherproof-Greenhouses/dp/B0BN7ZQCWX/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3D9L13EQHL9LU&keywords=solar+panel+and+fan+with+switch&qid=1683469057&sprefix=solar+panel+and+fan+with+switch%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-4

[@QuadDerrick]

@@TheBonsaiZone it was a bit more expensive than i would imagine \ hoping :):) 115 usd$ to get it to Norway.. it is awesome tho,, might just be worth it. thanks.

[@darrel7382]

I believe that Dune will be a 2 part movie which will hopefully lead into Dune Messiah being the 3rd film.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I can't wait for part 2!!

[@justlucky13]

Foist

[@bastiv7806]

Sorry but to my opinion this planting has been getting worse and worse over the last years.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

That what hard pruning will do, but it will become a much better tree in the future!