S3.E4__Urban Bonsai Harvest #5: WISTERIA

In this video we take a walk to harvest a MONSTER of a Wisteria!
-BBI

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Hysteria Wisteria, I'd love to see the neighbors reaction to the "light"pruning! A cool truck indeed. Great to see it progress into the summer!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

"Light pruning..." took me a minute!

[@baldyeti]

“Check for wires before digging”. Definitely not a tip I had been considering! And if no one else will say it Colin, I appreciate you putting yourself through the selfy-stick walk of shame to get the shot you needed. Your dedication to your fans knows NO bounds. Hell of a win on this one, brother! Looking forward to S4 and how this grows!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

I do it for the baby yetis, the momma yetis, the daddy yetis and the yetis that time has forgotten. THE IDIOT has not forgotten... ALSO quick update on this beast: I went to move it under the deck with the rest of my trees for the winter and it had so thoroughly rooted into the ground (through the pot) that it wasn't worth the hassle. Another good sign and evidence of supreme vigor. Hopefully it likes that spot, because it's gonna be there all winter! Cheers bro!

[@BackGardenBonsai]

Damnnn that big boy is a grower!!! Looks so damn healthy already !

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Fingers crossed!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Great tree trunk, great video! Loved Colin's Yamadori Tips 👍🏻 I don't have any wisteria but I am gobsmacked at how vigorous this urbandori was after a total chop on top and toes. You are... Colin Chan 😁

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

I've been called may things and that, Dave, is by far the best. Yeah strangely (maybe not) there was only one cluster of feeder roots at the base. The rest were those tubular things that grew off into the ether, so there seemed to be no loss in cutting those. Also i discovered that wisteria send out runners, so some of those ran off into the yard and sprouted new pups. No feeders there either. So at the end of the day, after all that chopping and sawing, i really didn't mess with the clump of feeder roots that the tree already had.

[@ernsttencate6699]

A fusion of bonsai and standard comedy. The way you express your self is great. Beautiful wisteria nice angle in the pot. Keep it short. If you let it grow it takes a lot of space. Of course a like 👍

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks Ernst, kind words as always! Yeah I kinda like the angle too…the trunk also has a nice spiraling quality to it which should be nice one day. Will keep it in check. Cheers man!

[@bonsaigusto1547]

Halfway in i did not think the tree was going to survive. WOW was i wrong, amazing work my friend 👏🏼

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Nobody was more surprised than me my friend! Cheers, thanks for the comment!

[@bonsaiasian7311]

large bonsai material, gonna take a long time to be a complete bonsai, enjoy the process brother. good sharing.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Will do, thanks bro!

[@Tanamanpadi]

Hadir nyimak kawann,, semoga sukses👍👍👏👏👏

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

terima kasih temanku!

[@smokyhillbonsai-gerrettmor6373]

Excellent! I will definitely enjoy watching this plants progress!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Me as well! Cheers bro!

[@GreatLakesBonsai]

Oh hells yeah. Sick pick up! There are always a couple of extra roots every time I think it’s loose! Look forward to seeing this one develop, that base is gnarly.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

I know, they conspire against you for for sure! Ive been reading that wisterias rot like crazy so should be an interesting process.

[@SidsTrees]

Sweet find. That thing just wants to grow! Let it grow and let the leaves power some good roots. Stay safe Sid

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Will do, thanks Sid!

[@edweidemann7454]

Great tips. As you were pouring the Perlite, I immediately thought, "Don't breathe that stuff"; a microsecond later, your tip popped up saying "Don't breathe that stuff". Ten out of ten.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

It’s one of the benefits of having all these masks lying around! I learned my lesson when I first started doing this for sure. I’d often develop cold symptoms a day after making soil.

[@edweidemann7454]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot Perlite dust is bad shit man. You're right though, the masks sure do come in handy.

[@razvan-rosu]

Can you please explain your soil mix choice? It seemed mostly perlite + some normal soil on top. Does wisteria like perlite so much?

[@johnneary732]

Good to see a quote from the Brasky in there. Legend.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

REGGIE! You gotta slip a Brasky in every once in a while. You GOTTA.

[@thelazybonsai]

Pretty cool little twist on the trunk!

[@stuartstovall2849]

Absolutely beautiful historic specimen. I can’t wait to see how it grows in the future

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks Stuart, there will definitely be an update on this one for sure! As I’ve said a few times in previous comments (sorry if this is redundant), I’ve since read that wisterias rot like crazy, so we should have some interesting deadwood OR dead plant in a couple years! Cheers man, thanks for the comment.

[@stuartstovall2849]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot I theorize that the inside ‘wood’, being so soft, will rot, but the live tissue will thrive for years and years to come. I’ve seen a lot of decades-old wisterias with huge rotten spots yet tons of green. Heck, the reduction in vigor could even encourage better blooming. From what I read, they’ll bloom better if root-bound, so less frequent re-potting, and if fertilized with lots of potassium and very little if any nitrogen (as legumes they make their own nitrogen). Cheers

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

@@stuartstovall2849 wow, that’s some killer information man, thanks. Pass this along to Sid Pavey. He’s been struggling to get his little wisteria to bloom for ages now. It’s so counterintuitive about the bloom being helped by pot bound roots…insane. You clearly know your stuff man, thanks again!

[@Minstera]

Wow thats a great result ! I think maybe a weeping style... Good tree and video 👍

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

HELL yeah, great idea. We'll see what develops! Cheers Marc.

[@bonsairandomuncut6297]

I was looking forward to see your wistaria action ! Beyond all expectations man ! The result shows you did 100 % right. Have no experience on wistaria yet but i guess this thing is a hungry killerweed. Feed it well & let it flow. I`m sorry for your truck - this sucks ! Love your neighbourhood - looks beautiful ! But you should do something about the dust in your soil and the thing on your chin.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Hahaha, luckily the "things on the chins" are no more as I type thing. PHEW. But yes, it seems like a vigorous grower for sure. It give me the feeling that if I stand too close, it will strangle me. WHICH may not be a bad thing, I hear it can be fun. ...ANYWAY yes, will let it grow like crazy but I think I will have to cut back the long bines every year. Time will tell, should be a fun process. Cheers man!

[@cell32005]

What a lucky find and what a fucking majestic beast! I hope it does well, it seems to have positively exploded in new growth, please keep us updated. I've just prepared an air-layering of a wisteria a week ago. Loved the Colin's Yamadori Tips; absolute gold there, given away for free, this man Colin must be mad!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

I'll definitely keep this one in the update loop. I doubt it will look anything like this in a few years, better or worse!

[@thelazybonsai]

Holy heck it pushed out massive growth!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

After a couple weeks, shit just EXPLODED! Dealing with some pest issues but all in all I think we're well out of the woods.

[@erdojjones]

Was in Boston in October for a conference, there were a ton of cool old trees around!! definitely a cool-ish place to live

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Absolutely man. Frederick Law Olmsted (same guy who designed Central Park and many other important American green spaces) had a heavy hand in designing most of Boston’s “emerald necklace.” If you’re ever back in town, try to get out to the Arnold Arboretum. It’s absolutely spectacular. Cheers man! -Colin

[@RosarioCostanzo]

Wow it's a beast!! Everything perfect, including your tips 👏👏I think it's hard to make style decisions, at this point! But it recovered and it's growing like a pig,so you will have a lot of options

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Lol yup, and great point...way too early. Will have to see what opportunities come in the future.

[@guywatson-bognorregisbonsa7370]

Nice dig m8. That's going to be one awesome tree !

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Fingers crossed, thanks man!!

[@beardedbonsai]

It looks like it is doing great.

[@bonsaiunikdarialamsemesta2593]

Salam persaudaraan dari Sumenep Madura 🙏

[@bonsaibuenobyalexb]

Nice catch... Bright future ahead... 😍👍👍

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks Alex, I hope so! Cheers man!

[@TheMightyYak]

What a beast! Maybe some Graham Potter style carving on that thick ass trunk?

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

I definitely think there’ll be some carving in the near future for sure. I’ve also learned [from watching a recent Sam Doecke video] that wisteria wood tends to rot away extremely fast, so I may just wait to see what lives and what rots. LIVE VEINS Y’ALL, LIVE VEINS!!!

[@wriv819]

Yamadori nothing but a fancy way to say digging a tree from a ground lol

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Amen to that!

[@banjopete]

With the view to producing Bonsai.

[@jefsbonsaiandfarming]

Dude! You can’t ask for a better response from yamadori. Nice video!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Fingers crossed, amarite?? Just gotta make it through the winter now and we're home free...-ish.

[@jefsbonsaiandfarming]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot my fingers are always crossed haha. You’ve got this one in the bag bud.

[@TropicalBonsai]

Good work. I've seen some bougainvillea that size to collect.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

It’s the “JUMBO” size, and I love it! Cheers man!

[@d.v.crystal5589]

Been a longtime fan of Nigel, and found you in my feed due to a wisteria search. I grew one from seed and needed care tips. I’m happy to have a local bonsai mentor!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

We’ll I hope you’re not referring to me as a “mentor!” The truth is I don’t know what I’m doing but have learned all that I know from this channel. I’ve made some great friends, some of whom I rely on heavily when I’m in a pinch for advice. The wisteria took a hit this winter (as did all my bonsais) because a mouse went absolute berserk and killed, or almost killed, the majority of my trees. I thought the wisteria had escaped his wrath, but just noticed today that not only did he attack the wisteria but he made a burrow in its pot. I’m not totally sure the extent of the damage or if it’s even alive, but time will tell. Hopefully soon we’ll know. New videos coming out very soon, thanks for the comment! -Colin

[@katedodd79]

Frickin' awesome!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks man!

[@bonedrybonsai4109]

Damn that was a badass find…thing had some serious energy built up. Nice video! Some footage of you looking like a dork with your selfie stick next time please 😂

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Hahah there's only so much cringe the world can take man! And yeah, she was an old beast for sure. Took a couple weeks, but when she finally popped, she POPPED!

[@bonedrybonsai4109]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot lol! Hope it does well for you, mine’s really acting slow this year, probably shouldn’t have repotted.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

@@bonedrybonsai4109 yes I saw, but it still looks really healthy (or at least it did when you posted the video!)

[@Mbahlosd007]

Spirit....💪💪💪

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

For sure!!

[@beautifulzindagi]

Great video 😊😊

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thank you!

[@leighharron]

A selfie stick. Yeah, I follow the Boston Bonsai Influencer…

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

OK to be fair, my "selfie stick" is my tripod, a word that I doubt many influencers would actually understand.

[@leighharron]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot 😂😂

[@Boru06]

Cool tree!!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Cheers bro, thanks!

[@Boru06]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot Ever consider using a battery ripsaw thingy to cut a circle around the rootball? Im gettin old and more fucked up by the second so im thinking of less ways to screw my back up. My kids think of new ways to do that everyday.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

@@Boru06 Hahaha yeah, I hear you on the conspiring kids. Funny you mention the sawzall though, a couple points: this tree had such an easy root base that it was really only that tap root that required any effort. Second, I've got a battery powered sawzall on my counter right now in preparation for a potentially killer yamadori day tomorrow. It's late in the season, I know, but the opportunity is too great to pass up. Stay tuned!

[@gandrungbonsai]

Ctompletly folowing your hunting material bonsai 👍 Greeting one hobies from indonesia 🖐🖐🖐👌

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thank you my friend, there will definitely be updates on this material in the future!

[@leighharron]

So that appears to have been a great success, vibrant tree with excellent growth and shoots from everywhere? I bet those IKEA bag handles did some field triage on your shoulders on the walk home though 😉

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

One of the bummers about not having any meat on your arms, for sure. Yup, tons of shootage & shootery, but the more i read about wisteria bonsai, the more I learn that they are destined to rot away to nothing. Fine by me, I love a good rot. We'll see what happens in the long term.

[@leighharron]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot I have zero experience of them other than there’s one trying to open my neighbour’s house. Be good to watch this one progress. Are you just gonna let it grow for a while?

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

@@leighharron Oh for sure. To get any taper at all on the future trunk, I'll have to let a single runner go for a year or two. I don't know if i can copy pasta into the comment section, but check out this guys blog post on a wisteria he collected: bonsai-south.com/the-accidental-wisteria-bonsai-needs-some-work/

[@leighharron]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot good read and good to know about the rotting issues. Hopefully you’ll get ahead of that, definitely appears to be off to a good start

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

@@leighharron yeah it seems like even if it rots, you end up with something cool. Call it a “self carving bonsai!”

[@robertwappel1768]

So glad this one made it! Great work and Great videos!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Hey thanks man! I was a little worried because recently I heard someone say (possibly Sid pavey) that wisteria roots shouldn’t be exposed during the winter, and mine stayed out in account of the fact that It rooted through the pot. I guess we’ll see what happens…we’ll see in the spring. Cheers man! -Colin

[@chakkakhan7552]

*crackerjack editing* again thank you for including result/update in one package

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

It’s easy when it takes months to produce a single video! Cheers bro!

[@BertBonsai]

Nice materials

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks Bert!

[@eck709700]

Thanks for this great video. I am about to do the same with a wisteria in my yard!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Excellent!! I feel like it will take a long time to develop into something, but well worth it. Go check out Smoky Hill Bonsai’s channel for some inspiration, he has a GREAT wisteria, with similar trunk but much better ramification and overall development. Cheers man, thanks for the comment!

[@HAJUBONSAI]

Nice

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks bro!

[@AlexBraunton]

Yes! Another fantastic video mate. Great job getting that beast out of the ground! You're becoming a bit of a pro now when it comes to yamadori hunting. I was just thinking about the plastic bag method and then you went ahead and did it. Was all of that growth from the tree then? Did it cut through the bag?

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks my bro. I honestly can’t believe it did so well considering how late I dug it up. I pulled the bag off when it started to smell funny lol. It had started to bud out a little by then, but soon after that the thing exploded! I can’t even get a good shot of the trunk because of all the growth!

[@ajithareddych]

very nice

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks Ajitha!

[@arifgerrard]

nice material sir

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Thanks Arif!

[@erdojjones]

How long was it in the bag? do you do this with all your collected trees?

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

YES, I do this with all my collected trees. Harry Harrington recommends it, especially for suckering species (this is not a suckering species, but still). Basically it helps in the way that you would expect: damage to the roots can often lead to moisture loss making it harder for the tree to recover after collection. I probably left it on for a couple weeks, or until the bag gets shredded in the wind. Whichever comes first.

[@hazeltripp2772]

Do you leave your wisteria pot outdoors during winter? Or do you put them in a shed? I’m in zone 6b and curious if it can survive a MA winter.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

I left it out all winter and it’s coming back beautifully! Normally, I would have put it under the deck and buried it in leaves with the rest of the trees, but it was so firmly rooted through the pot and into the ground that I couldn’t move it! Who knows, maybe that helped ensure that it survived? Cheers Hazel, good luck with yours! -Colin

[@mazultav]

Bye Jeep brah