Silver Maples and a Nightshade Vine, The Bonsai Zone, Jan 2023

[@fredgrech1498]

Awesome video Nigel it just goes to show you don’t need a lot of money or expensive plants to enjoy this beautiful hobby

[@Stettafire]

Most of my plants are from seed, cuttings etc. I did pick up an Alberta white spruce for £2 from the local spar. You don't need expensive plants to enjoy the hobby :)

[@iPheek]

Thank you for not making short 1:00 minute videos. They are annoying and have no value to the bonsai community. Your videos are very educational! Thank you again!

[@Stettafire]

A more detailed explanation going into different thoughts and nuances is always welcome. Much to learn :) My main issue with shorts though is the vertical video, it just doesn't play nice on desktop

[@mattbrennan647]

Forest plantings are very rewarding. ALL of yours inspire me. Thanks, keep growing

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Having an afternoon cup of tea while enjoying the video. Nice looking maple forest. Always work to do.

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Nightshade you thought up of was a great idea. I have mine started and it is outside housed in the microclimate. Yours is really looking good.

[@Tybold63]

Can support the info you got about the nightshade vine and know of an individual in the wild that I seen for 15 years or so, its living at the foot of a small bridge over a creek so easy to monitor. They seem to keep a living base that matures but here in Sweden they do dieback alot so sometimes it is like a thick low-level stump with numerous shoots. The longer shoots can last for a few years to a certain length (including some dieback) but my observation is to expect random change. However, this vine has always been a favourite of mine and often vigorous and love the flowers.

[@vorg_]

Watching you work is sometimes like Bob Ross; you do something that makes me think "NOOOO, RUINED!" Then at the end it's always perfect. Perfect.

[@marnoevmlebanon1826]

Wow what a beautiful place thanks for sharing love it stay connected fullpack my dear friend

[@smack09]

This channel is invaluable to all the noobs which want to propagate from cuttings and seeds from the most random of trees.. Suits My preferences.. 👍

[@marysoldeeley2218]

I love your little videos like this. Filled with wisdom! The truck on that nightshade! Love the way it looks!

[@skrounst]

The upload speed is CRAZY! Two videos in one day, love it! Also wanted to comment on the theme song without the loud cymbal strikes. I sometimes fall asleep and let your videos play during my nap, but the cymbal strikes in the theme sometimes would wake me up. I appreciate the tuned down volume of them you've been using recently! Thanks Nigel, hardest working man in bonsai!

[@Stettafire]

I think it's two days for me since I'm at the other side of the globe 🤣 Greetings from across the ocean

[@skrounst]

@@Stettafire Greetings from Baltimore! Yeah I think I saw earlier that the videos were 10 hours apart. so I got one in the morning, and the other in the evening here.

[@succulenthouse]

영상 재미있게 보았습니다 2023년 건강하시고 좋은 영상 기대할게요 여기는 Korea 예요

[@generalkrudler]

Love the nightshade Nigel!

[@ggevergreenbonsai1259]

Thank you Nigel. I’ve just been given maple seed from a fellow bonsai hobbyist. I didn’t think to put them together like a forest so you’ve inspired me to do that 👍

[@guywatson-bognorregisbonsa7370]

What you say about learning how to look after trees before splashing out 'loads-a-money' on a high quality specimen tree is so true. My biggest spend has been £28 (45 Canadian dollars) on a Juniper and I'm glad to say it's still doing well but I am still killing some other trees after 6+ years in the bonsai hobby and learning all the time. 😀😀

[@jcbizthekey]

It's crazy how that side of the country is always so much warmer in winter. 4 Celsius! Sitting here in alberta with lows of -22, afternoon highs of -15... and that's considered warm here for this time of year! Another great video. Can't wait for the growing season to start again

[@MaybeBonsai]

Forest and nightshade both looking sharp. I hope the maple forest leaf size will reduce over time. I won't be at the meeting tonight, too much work and I am exhausted!

[@Snailmann01]

Lovely! I have 5 young silver maples I’m trying to start as bonsai. I have had them separate but I think now I will create a forest. You’ve definitely inspired me!

[@ChrisVidouras]

I just pruned one of my two Acers yesterday! Happy New Year Nigel!

[@Stettafire]

Are your acers under cover or outdoors? Also what kind of climate do you have? I'm curious you see because I have an Acer and been wondering at the right time to prune it

[@ChrisVidouras]

@@Stettafire Hey! I live in Northern Greece, so we go down to around -7 at the peak of winter. I prune them 10 days after all the leaves fall so I can see the branch structure and the buds clearly.

[@Stettafire]

@@ChrisVidouras Thank you that's very good to know :)

[@mattbrennan647]

Very curious when and why you started sealing almost all of your cuts. Seems to be a new addition to your pruning process. Thanks

[@LetsDoBonsai]

Great work as always Nigel everything looking as good as it can do! Fantastic!

[@PatriciaOConnorBonsaiBalcony]

With all those leaves on the ground, it looks like a perfect winter forest

[@PatriciaOConnorBonsaiBalcony]

Also night shade berries show up in many old stores both as a poison and as an alluring eye makeup that would cause women's pupils to dilate and make the hapless mens fall to their demise over them. To look that goodl and to make so much trouble makes this one cool tree in my book

[@emmitstewart1921]

Outside the building I live in is a nightshade plant that the landscapers don't know is a weed. They have clipped it into a shrub about 40 inches high and just as broad. It's quite a sight when full of flowers and red berries. It fits right in with the Holly bushes planted around it.

[@Stettafire]

New Zealand nightshade, a cousin of the nightshade, is grown ornamentally where I live for its purple flowers. It's typically grown as a mediumish tree. I have one on my property and quite keen to taking cuttings from it

[@betulaobscura]

Cool!

[@RyanFish825]

Since you're pumping out more content than Netflix maybe you should possibly consider changing the name to The Bonsai Zone Productions. Great to see all the winter work, it really shows that this hobby is an every day commitment. Thanks Nigel!

[@cbrusharmy]

I have dozens of silver maple seedlings I collected in '21 before cutting down the silver maple hanging over my house in and power lines in '22. It was sad to lose the tree, but I'm excited to see what I can do with its offspring. Thanks for the ideas.

[@Stettafire]

2:50 I've planted a bunch of "red" (I don't know the species) acer helicopters during the autumn. I suspect they're a Japanese maple. Will be interesting to see if they sprout

[@Stettafire]

Update on this, several have sprouted. My native maple (field maple) is also doing well. It had weak growth last year but is now doing much better. Time for a repot.

[@mmjnice97]

Those night shade weeds grow everywhere in my yard I hate them.. they kinda have Hollow wood inside so the thought of bonsai kinda floated out my mind.. boy you're definitely not Conventional I love it. I thought they were more perennial type plants that die and grow back every year..

[@perlakuanbahanbonsai3530]

👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

[@hsvfanjan17]

Hi Nigel, what made you apply rubber cement to all your trees now? I now the advantages of it but you didn't seem to apply it (as much) like half a year ago. What changed?

[@gayefanner731]

His hair?! ✌️

[@mmjnice97]

That forest is 5 years old???? Wow I would expect it would be much larger.. some of them look straight like saplings.. they still have that red color all north America maple saplings have.. I have a bunch of sliver maples I'm growing in forest and clumps and informal Japanese pine upright style.. as I watch the video I noticed that most of the red was from wips of new growth,,, I gotta stop messaging before the end of the video lol.. I thought you were listening to jazz at first.. that Canadian geese

[@Stettafire]

I thought it was his wind chimes 🤣 Mind you I have an excuse, I'm loosing my hearing 😬

[@michaelcowart6100]

Nigel, are you concerned about the greenhouse being too warm over the winter and eventually weakening the trees? Ive always heard that hardy trees need a certain number of days under 40 f to remain healthy. thanks for another good video!

[@Stettafire]

I'm not sure about that. 40F is 4C and many of our winters don't get that cold. I think it would depend on the species of tree and where it came from. I can see it applying for things like Norwegian Spruces, which originate in cold climates, but for oaks and acers I wouldn't be so convinced.

[@SFix7]

Hello, I have a bonsai from a 3-year-old pomegranate tree, can I shorten the length of this tree, that is, cut a little from the trunk, remove the piece in between, and then combine the rest, do you think?

[@TeamFishweights]

Hey Nigel. How can I get in touch with you? Thanks 😀

[@scipio109]

Why do you need fancy trees if you can have beautiful local trees for free?🤔

[@Stettafire]

For me, our local trees are being cut down, our forests destroyed in favour of concrete car parks and apartment buildings. Nature is being destroyed and I seek to preserve it in my small way. Give nature a small haven in my life while others seek to destroy it. Plus these trees are fascinating, and being able to look at them up close and watch their growth teaches you more then any textbook could.