Pruning my Small Elm, Oak, Quince, and Sedum Bonsai Trees

[@mattbrennan647]

I love those small leaves on the English oaks

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Yeah, I'm pretty happy about how well they reduced.

[@mattbrennan647]

Nice work. I use the escape root technique with great success. Thanks, keep growing

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks. Amen, the escape root technique is great. I'm glad it's working for you too. I learned about it from Eric at Bonsaify.

[@gerardoforesthillsbonsai]

Nice oak tree 👍

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thanks! I'm pleased with the progress of this little oak.

[@AlexBraunton]

Some lovely little trees! Great update mate

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Thank you! They aren't especially impressive at the moment, but I think these are going to great trees in a few years.

[@kevinlockwood7440]

How do you get the soil mounded up so high? How do you keep it in place?

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Moss. 1) The soil isn't as mounded as it appears, a lot of that is moss and 2) the soil is somewhat mounded though - the moss keeps the mounded soil in place. When I first put the moss in place this spring, it wasn't as stable. Now that the moss has established, it's quite stable, I could likely even turn the tree upside down without spilling.

[@n8tyler]

G/M BNW...I know Quince are hardy but how are you over-winter your tree, outside, greenhouse, cold-frame? I want understand its needs before trying to acquire one...i have somehow procured too many trees requiring indoor housing, so I had to expand my garage setup...Got off track from Washington state indigenous trees that can survive outside in our mildish environment...Your trees are looking really great...My Gary Oak is really healthy but did not grow anywhere near that many leaves...Nice...Thanks for another great video and of course sharing your knowledge...

[@garyjohnson2989]

Quince will be ok on the ground under a bench with leaf mulch and pine mulch. Very hardy trees.

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

Good evening, and thank you as always. I agree with Gary, you should be just fine overwintering a quince outside in your relatively mild climate (USDA Zone 8). In his book "Bonsai Heresy", Michael Hagedorn has a great table showing both top and root cold hardiness temperatures for quite a few common bonsai species; Chaenomeles speciosa is listed as having a root hardiness temperature of 5 deg F, so as Gary says, quince are very hardy. I doubt you get those sorts of temperatures in USDA Zone 8. My general rule for trees in small pots is to not let them go below about 20 deg F. So when outside temps are above 20 deg F, I keep my trees outside or in an unheated garage (to keep them out of the wind). When temperatures drop below 20 deg F, I move most of my trees (except the really hardy ones) into my attached garage, which stays about 20 deg F above outside temperatures. I try not to move them too often, especially not let them freeze/thaw/freeze thaw. The other thing to look out for this time of year is dramatic plunges in temperature. Gradual cooling to cold winter temps is ideal. If there is going to be a sudden cold snap, then I'll move my trees to my garages so they don't experience a sudden chill, which can damage/kill trees. I think I'll stop there now that I've written an essay. Thanks for the video idea! I'll have to make a video about how I overwinter my trees.

[@n8tyler]

@@BonsaiNorthwest I thank you for taking the time to explain this...As you know, I'm new to this and appreciate all the help I can get...I've also recently been told to place all my trees together in a place out of the wind and on the ground and this will also help the potted plants to not freeze roots to what you said 20 deg F. Thanks again...Maybe some day I can come check out your bench and if you are ever on the Olympic Peninsula just let me know...nate

[@BonsaiNorthwest]

@@n8tyler I appreciate your questions and always happy to share my experience. I agree with the advice you received - the ground is quite a bit warmer than the air in the winter, so keeping bonsai there helps warm roots. Thanks for the invite. Same to you, let me know if you're ever in N ID.

[@n8tyler]

@@BonsaiNorthwest Will do...I need to do some research about rock collecting in ID so I can come gather some large lava rocks for a couple projects I am planning...