Reimagining an Old Battered Juniper Bonsai

Trees are like a Timex watch: they take a licking and keep ticking! This 30+ year old tree has seen its share of hardships, including severe wind damage in 2017. After reorienting the direction and giving it several years to acclimate, this tree is once again becoming a bonsai. I hope you enjoy!!
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00:00 History of the Tree
01:50 Homemade Box
03:35 Pruning and Wiring
08:01 Root Work
11:41 Repotting
14:50 Outro and Bloopers

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Loved the outtakes, I'm usually in my backyard shaking my fist at airplanes flying overhead!! The tree looks really awesome in the new pot, the 4 years were worth the wait!!!

[@AppalachianBonsai]

You know you're the best, right?

[@bartstellink307]

I am a visual guy, I see this in my mind happening... And relating to it...

[@Maufer528]

Nigel and Appalachian, it's nice to see how my two bonsai masters chit chat each other :) i love all your videos, and i learn a lot of its. My question is: Is there no problem in transplanting junipers removing all the soil?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

@@Maufer528 I haven't had any problems with bare rooting Junipers, so far!

[@therisingofroninbonsai]

i got my mind on focus now . the tree looks more really great point of view

[@staticwafflez1879]

Hey this is my teacher!!! super cool. Hes just like this in person too. super cool guy, great teacher

[@AppalachianBonsai]

My students are the best!

[@imdefault2117]

Been missing the videos . Thanks for coming back

[@its_notta_cedar]

I've been watching your channel for years, I took maybe two/three years off watching KZbin and that was just after you took a break from posting, I believe you said for school. Now I'm back watching KZbin and couldn't be happier to see you and your channel being active. You're one of the first people who "said bonsai funny to me" well I was wrong and you corrected my pronunciation, thank you for that. I'm much deeper into bonsai now than I was then lol.

[@AppalachianBonsai]

Excellent! Glad you're back. Glad you've found the channel helpful. I sure hope I can keep it rolling for you, because you keep rolling, too!

[@its_notta_cedar]

@@AppalachianBonsai it's a never ending roll for me now and I hope the hill never ends.✌️

[@bartstellink307]

The end is epic!

[@WazakuraJapan]

Fantastic video, the tree looks wonderful!

[@Nanang_bonsai]

Now its look very nice, good job sir 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@737ngJR]

Love the end, lol

[@Gabriel-dm1du]

The tree looks awesome really enjoy your channel ❤

[@ahappyimago]

Looks good. Good save!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Great work - the juniper looks fantastic! Excellent pot choice too. And yes I know how much work (and sweat and blood and frustration) goes into these videos... but it's worth it 👍

[@chamaramendis7505]

Very nice tree

[@phillipwaterman5721]

Bonsai phill very good video nice shape tree thank s

[@jameslangschied7900]

It is so sad when the weather takes a toll on magnificent bonsai like this. You've done a fantastic job nursing the plant and bringing it back to a majestic look. The original owner would be proud of your "surgical" skills. And, by the way, we do appreciate the hard work and dedication you put into your videos. We love 'em!

[@CryptoBonsaiDogs]

A man working on bonsais instead of being in church on Sunday? I think you got life figured out 😉👏👏👏

[@AppalachianBonsai]

Preach!

[@stuartrogers2118]

great job Ben, I can't wait to see the next video

[@AppalachianBonsai]

Thanks, Stuart!

[@andrewsalhany5665]

👏 👏 👏 lovely restoration

[@tacobonsai]

Really nice tree. Sorry that you lost so much of it but I think it turned out fantastic. Great idea with the screen wrapping around the front , I’ve never seen that. Awesome end result. Thank you for sharing! Also love the bloopers.

[@lucassimmons9112]

That’s a solid solution! I look forward to seeing this one develop

[@ericlarue3580]

❤❤woow! Thx alot for your time and sharing with us! HighFive from Québec, Canada 😊

[@flash_runningman7431]

I'm glad it survived. It's hard to loose a plant.

[@ginabeena6757]

Awesome! I remember that storm, oof! Go on with yo bad self! ❤️😂

[@andresmauricioacostadavila8889]

Me da mucho gusto verlo y saber que esta bien ha pasado mucho tiempo que no veia sus videos saludos sinceros desde Sur America Colombia

[@jarheadbonsai]

Nice save Ben!!! I had a few of my bonsai babies take a flying leap off the deck last Summer from high winds. This course of actions helps a lot. Thanks broski. Cheers

[@AppalachianBonsai]

Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome. We're pretty good at that as humans. I think trees do it even better.

[@jarheadbonsai]

@@AppalachianBonsai it may be relative to the individual tree species...and human will. 😅🍺🍺

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌👌🙂

[@thelazybonsai]

Noice

[@LelDoda]

you have to shoot more videos :) do you use akadama in mix soil for junipers?

[@AppalachianBonsai]

I don't. It's too expensive. I use Turface, pine bark, and a calcined clay

[@AlexBraunton]

What music do you listen to while working on your trees?

[@AppalachianBonsai]

It can be music or podcasts, but sometimes it's just so I can hear my phone ring. I think it was a podcast this go around. Probably Kill Tony, YMH, and the DTFH. If music, I go full albums: Pink Floyd "Meddle", Punch Brothers "Hell on Church Street", Sturgill Simpson "Sound & Fury", Run the Jewels "Run the Jewels"

[@nightcoder5k]

Nice tree. What is your soil mix?

[@AppalachianBonsai]

Turface - 3X Pine Bark - 3X Oil Absorbent - 2x

[@nightcoder5k]

@@AppalachianBonsai Thank you!

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

Nice job, why not put a rock between the trunk and pot?

[@AppalachianBonsai]

Didn't have a good rock on hand, but not a bad thought for the future.

[@bobmccarlie382]

Isn’t it risky to bare root a conifer? That’s what I have been taught.

[@AppalachianBonsai]

It depends on the health of the tree. This one was in great shape and has been grown almost exclusively in bonsai soil. It can be a problem with field grown trees or weak ones.

[@soberhippie]

If there's church traffic, that means you're not in that traffic, but it looks like you are in a church of your own

[@AppalachianBonsai]

OOOOOOOOooooooooooohmmmmmmmmm!!!!

[@smartk8478]

Total risk

[@hippo-potamus]

Looks forced with a totally un-natural pose. Not pleasing to the eye.

[@lucassimmons9112]

Geez. Grumpy Hippo

[@hippo-potamus]

@@lucassimmons9112 Authenticity will always supersede ungenuine pleasantries.

[@AppalachianBonsai]

Now now. Google "tree hanging from cliff" and you'll get a wide assortment of things. This wouldn't be out of the ordinary. And to be fair, this is the first go-round with a new position for a tree that I can't easily manipulate. It has many more years to go before it can be better refined. In my opinion, most bonsai don't look natural. The whole process isn't natural - they're idealizations of natural forced into our own personal aesthetics. And, since we're different people, we have different aesthetics. I'm cool with that. But let us not berate each other. None of us can win that game.

[@hippo-potamus]

​@@AppalachianBonsai I just followed your search suggestion, all trees imaged have an upturn towards the sun, this is natural phototropism growth aspect of plants. A sculpture either has charm/aesthetics or it doesn't. Sorry mate I stand by my OP. But you if you like it, I won't argue with your modern art approach. Cheers.