Styling the 12 Dollar Juniper, The Bonsai Zone, Oct 2021

Can I create a nice looking tree from this 12 dollar Tamarix Juniper?
#TheBonsaiZone

[@gettang]

"im not removing any live material" Proceeds to take half the tree off 🤣

[@romino23]

classic Nigel, love it!

[@salr.f7644]

Great Video! Would be great if you did this with other trees you can buy from the store.

[@Stimm002]

Looks great. Thats a hell of alot of stored energy you removed though, I doubt it will do much for a very long time. Junipers store the energy in their foliage rather than in their roots or super structure. I'm pretty sure he knows this but others might not. Sometimes when designing junipers you have to leave some branches with foliage on that you want to remove to be removed at a later date if you have taken alot off already. The tree will recover its energy stores quicker and start growing sooner, correcting the root to foliage ratio. Sometimes you have to do it just so the plant will survive. It hard cos you want it looking good from the off but you can remove it later and you will be much further along.

[@DOOMBASSIST4]

Pretty sure nigel knows what he's doing lol

[@Stimm002]

@@DOOMBASSIST4 'Pretty sure' i said in my comment that he knows this 'lol'. An that it was for others such as new comers to bonsai, even if I hadn't said it outright in my comment I would of thought that was obvious 'lol'

[@DOOMBASSIST4]

Nah you were trying to flex :)

[@Stimm002]

@@DOOMBASSIST4 yea cos talking about how different plants store energy is a flex... It was info I didn't know when I first started and is pretty helpful.

[@lewisbulley3564]

Thankyou I cut Mt first 2 juniper back hard so hopefully they'll survive

[@edinborogh]

Awesome video Nigel, thank you.

[@TheElderOne28]

I thought you had to be careful with junipers, not pruning them this much at once. I guess opinions are mixed... Also is it the best time of year to do it ? Or is spring better ?

[@onizukateacher7992]

What's the white soil Nigel ??

[@DriverGuy23]

I literally just did this today. Found a nice Juniper with some crazy branch curls for $9 at Home Depot. Took a couple of hours to clean it up, remove all the dead stuff & prune out all the overgrowth. The trunk was perfect underneath with about 6 or 7 nice horizontal leads coming off with no center. Wired it up & got a nice glazed bonsai pot for $9. It turned out spectacular & looks like a wind swept ocean tree. I saw some bonsai junipers at my local bonsai nursery that were half the size for $179-$200. Total cost for mine was less than $25 including everything. I love shopping the big stores for bargains I can turn into nice bonsai.

[@thedragonsdencollectables4937]

I just did the same. It was a fun project

[@williamaitken7533]

This was a good video! I think the big takeaway for me is how ridiculous it is that places try to sell really juvenile juniper cuttings as "bonsai" for like $50.

[@MikeHunt-lz2hq]

And ppl buy them and display on Facebook bonsai groups as finished bonsai with captions like even tho it's winter I'm putting moss spores so it'll moss up nicely in a month or two and I don't need to style at all since it's already a bonsai .meanwhile the tree looks like a whip wired into a question mark .

[@musicointempero2256]

The funniest part is if you take that $50 and buy a couple of landscaping trees that are juveniles, with a little work, you are often closer to a respectable bonsai and you get a few for the same price. Only new bonsai enthusiasts think bonsai is about a completed tree rather than the long journey towards perfection.

[@IgnacioAtenas]

That's why I buy in regular shops, not bonsai shops

[@guysolis5843]

@@IgnacioAtenas The whole concept of Bonsai is to create and follow rules that are meant for guide lines. Anyone can go out an buy a "Bonsai" but its the creation from ones one mind and hands that set people apart.

[@Stettafire]

@@musicointempero2256 Funny thing is you can buy a respectable sized tree in a large pot for about £20. You get the advantage then of a thicker trunk and you can take lots of cuttings. £50 is too much for a juvenile that's not well developed. Mind you, I'd pay £50 or much much more if it's well developed and the person clearly has taken care and knows what they're doing

[@dabblingwithbonsai]

I should have gone to see the nurseries before the outdoor plant section closed... This video didn't help a bit! I want to prune something!!! :D The trunkline is very nice, can't wait to see future updates on this lil fella!

[@diytwoincollege7079]

Nigel has the perfect hair for bonsai. All kidding aside, thanks for the great videos.

[@mikegillespie5218]

I always enjoy listening to you describe your thought process, Nigel. That was a good find!

[@mirandusings]

I like the foliage on that juniper. It reminds me of that of your cedars. Excellent start, can't wait to see how it grows over the next year (and beyond!)

[@Stettafire]

Yes I love the blue tint of the junipers. Very pretty

[@MaybeBonsai]

That bush sure looks like a tree now! I am sure it will survive without trouble.

[@mattaustralian6584]

Nice little starter tree, a good explanation of every cut. Thanks Nigel

[@Rosa-mb5yp]

It's so facinating to see your work in progress, I still found myself holding my breath.

[@tomsmith2215]

looks like a sea green juniper chinesis btw. i got one that looked damn similar

[@elizabethrosario5659]

Thank you for inspiring me to attempt making bonsai with junipers. I have two that I'm currently working my nerve to work on.

[@Pasakoye]

I got golden cypress and golden juniper the first of October. $10 each. They are pretty but I'm still struggling to design one of them.

[@dustinparsons18]

Nigel, your mane is wonderful..have you been pruning your hair for ramification?

[@lindagordon8914]

Omg who does yr hair? Or did u just wake up? Cut it!

[@RomelBacchus]

Very rare to see a juniper go through clip and grow. Excellent results actually 👍

[@ThePhilClark]

I notice you pass on a lot of opportunities to make jin/deadwood on this juniper. Is there a design reason? Personal one? Not there yet? Thank you from a Bonsai White Belt

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

Nice Job! I love this project and seeing you take a simple nursery tree and give it new life as a Bonsai. Impressive!

[@Kwood10]

I like how slow & methodical you are ,for a beginner like myself it’s much appreciated.😊

[@Brunofied]

I wish I could share pics of my clearance junipers. They were $9.99 superior junipers. I was inspired by a Dragon tattoo I had seen. It now looks like dragons talons in a wind swept styling. Your videos are quite enjoyable Nigel. Thanks for sharing your gardens. From somewhere in the midwest, 🇺🇸 between Chicago and Milwaukee.

[@MrMackanno]

1:50 "all I"ll be doing is scraping the surface soil" . . . 35:25 "pretty well doing a full repot here, aren't I?". Gotta love it!

[@rebeccahunter725]

I am really interested to watch a juniper develop as clip and grow. Only ever see it as a wired plant, so this will be fun to see over the coming years - assuming it lives!

[@roro2.00]

Incredible transformation! Always a pleasure to watch your videos. Absolutely wonderful

[@triston2112]

Nigel the juniper looks quite like your hair sometimes

[@JasonLorette]

Totally saw this as a potential cascade...then he cut that branch...sigh. Be interesting to see where this ends up.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

It's doing well, I'm taking it slow on the styling, trying not to reduce it too much at once.

[@sallyjjdavis]

foist

[@dubsydabster]

GANG GANG!!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Captain James T Foist of the USS Enterprise!

[@sallyjjdavis]

@@TheBonsaiZone hahahahaha

[@zackstrigin]

When I first started the video I thought “okay, I’m prepared to see him turn this into a nub” 🤣

[@theb.f.g9927]

I know you don't like using wire but you really need to Get some wire on it nigel, repstion a few of them branches. But it is a good fined not meny trees come from the garden centers like that one, very nice project tree. Would be Shame not to wire it up and achieve its true potential

[@raulgil8459]

Your hair could use some styling also... :)

[@BlueJayBonsai]

I missed the live stream, but at least I can have lunch with you Nigel again today! 😃

[@MaybeBonsai]

you and I both

[@BlueJayBonsai]

@@MaybeBonsai you’re buying! 😉

[@RosarioCostanzo]

I liked the process and the result. You are one of the few who styles conifers in a natural way. And I missed having breakfast with your videos. You're great, dear Nigel

[@anicetomaldonado]

Not bad, clipping it back without wiring is always good for new branch growth. That will mature nicely.

[@GrimsleyAllyn21]

Looks like a great foundation to build from, Nigel! Great video!

[@geofftrivers5078]

Foist

[@stefanraresmindirigiu1724]

Great start to a new project, Nigel! Be careful in the future with cutting the foliage. I would not touch that juniper for a year at least. Intense pruning will get you juvenile foliage (similar to normal needle juniper foliage) and it's hard to get the mature (cedar like foliage) back. Also junipers have a lot of growth hormones in the tips of the branches, intense pinching will weaken the tree. I've started almost 2 years ago a 'blue chip' juniper, extremely similar to yours, and I've cut a lot at once and a year and a half later it still has the juvenile foliage produced as a reaction to my lack of knowledge.

[@yung_bonsai]

Some juniper's mature foliage stay quite spikey depending on the variety. for instance, Blue Star juniper will never develop that soft mature foliage. It will take very long for it to develop for things like Procumbens, and Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana). There's also varieties that will grow mature foliage very easily like Juniperus Chinensis, and San Jose Junipers that produce mature foliage very easily compared to others. There are a lot of factors that go into it, but it's mainly about the ratio of foliage to roots, which is something you should wait until you get to a point closer to the refinement stage, after you have already developed it to the design you had in mind for the tree. Also, pruning off the tips of the branches is good for encouraging back budding, which can be very useful, depending on what you want the tree to do. He definitely did the right thing in my opinion as far as pruning off that much foliage. You don't want the tree wasting it's resources on branches you aren't going to keep (other than letting sacrificial branches grow to help make the tree thicker.)

[@stefanraresmindirigiu1724]

@@yung_bonsai I 100% agree that Nigel did a great job with the initial styling! As you said, there is a fine equilibrium between the roots and the foliage when it comes to junipers. I've listened to Bjorn's podcast, Bonsai Network, and he cited a study about the balance of root hormones and growth hormones (that helps the foliage direct itself towards the light, regulate a bunch of things etc.) . His conclusion was that you should definitely not hedge prune your juniper to shape. And also, junipers have an evolutionary response to big amounts of foliage gone missing at once. It is believed that the juvenile foliage is a form of self-preservation against wild animals. Disclaimer: I am a noobie when it comes to horticulture but I try to learn from where I can.

[@mrt5017]

Good to know. But too late as ive just chopped the hell out of a juni last week.. oops. Maybe ill bury it in my garden for a year and let it go wild.

[@VinciecBonsaiJourney]

Ive only ever seen Junipers with wire for days, so im super keen to see how a clip and grow approach works on this species! Good work Nigel, good tree for $12 😁👍

[@carlosrocha750]

Great work Nigel, it leaves an idea how the tree will gonna look like in the future! I ll do one like that soon. Greetings from Portugal!

[@punyarthshukla9812]

Foist?

[@andersnrregren9087]

Finaly a juniper i love em

[@carynludwig6667]

Isn’t it a little late for so much pruning? Will it stress it for the winter? Will you put it in one of your greenhouses to protect it? Do you ever wire anything?

[@danbarnett9570]

Knowing where to start is such a difficult part great tutorial nigel.

[@longfootbuddy]

when i was a kid, i laughed at a guys bonsai tree because it was so decrepit looking.. a sorry sight when you are expecting a nice full happy looking plant.. he gave me the evil eye

[@BonsaiJCan]

Nice job, its looking tree like already. It will be exciting watching this tree develop. 👍

[@hoser9463]

can't see past the giant limb, wish you would make a point of the apex, during the video, but i'm still watchin at 1.5 times speed.

[@JoeandAngie]

We know that youre artsy, but have a try a controlling the hair direction . Not persuasive.

[@Juan_Mattos]

Great stuff can be accomplished from raw material, a few nice opportunities missed to create “shari” and “Jin” from the initial trim, but a great video nonetheless. Thank you for sharing

[@jonnecleef5548]

Nice video Nigel! I got a few junipers in my own collection, really like to work with them. Seeing this video makes me want to buy more of them haha.

[@TheSharpsCanada]

Great video! Where do you get you bonsai soil? I'm in Sudbury, not a lot of bonsai stock at the nurseries lol

[@aaronleslie1581]

Man I wish I had a Polly house right now!!!! Just worried for my trees outside, I hope I do alright this winter!!

[@nadirin776]

Kenapa orang sana kebanyakan ngomong..tirulah orang China kalo buat konten bonsai tanpa kata tapi jelas dan mudah di pahami dan enak di tonton..praktis dan hasilnya luar biasa...kebanyakan ngomong hanya membosankan..pakailah pribahasa" sedikit bicara banyak kerja..jangan banyak bicara tapi sedikit kerja"

[@edmilkovitz297]

Looking good. Always a lot of branches on a juniper. It cleared out nicely.

[@emmitstewart1921]

This is true serendipity. You went looking for a group of Thujas and found a wonderful juniper. If it prospers, that tree is going to be a high point of your collection.

[@romino23]

I am really looking forward to updates on this one.. looks spectacular already!

[@patsfreund9164]

Great investment of time and money in this Juniper. Well done!

[@ifragpsn6431]

My dude! You did it! You got a Juniper going, I love it!!

[@Moicc]

What type of soil did you add on 37:30 ? Can you tell the specific type of soil?

[@holyperceval6310]

Hi Nigel, thank you for one more cool video ! I recently bought 2 similar 10$ juniper and I was planning wait late winter to work on them, do you think it's ok to do it now ? I'm from Switzerland but the climat her is more or less similar to yours.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I think it's OK to work on them now, especially if you give them some protection in winter.

[@mrincredibox]

nice bonsai master 👍👍 salam semangat

[@sarahbelmonte8888]

I loved this video, starting from scratch! Thanks Nigel

[@Bloomcycle]

I did this for a cpl years at the flea market and made lots of money

[@FeARotc]

man i cant wait to be able to get into outdoor bonsai like this one, love what you did to it

[@عبدالباسطشلالي]

It is great . I want ask you about the fertilizer . what was ?

[@James-tl1cm]

Hi Nigel, another excellent vid. Thank you. I'm just starting my journey with junipers this year. How does one tell how old a nursery juniper is? Rough guess-timation.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

You can try counting the rings on a branch you cut of, it gives you the age of the branch at least!

[@Lilliancooks]

Looks like wind swept style when you bought it.

[@jacquesproulx431]

why the hair like that on your head? It looks like steel wool... It takes away all credibility...

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Why the comment, it takes away all your credibility as a human being.

[@ultramax8032]

so it's okay to prune and repot junipers in fall?

[@tomsmith2215]

10th

[@iffyrichi]

Very informative thank you

[@bobdobalina8680]

Never ever use miracle grow!!!! Find a plant food that is omri listed...!!!!....

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Bob!

[@nrponugoti]

Hi

[@evanatkins1888]

and they say dog owners look like their dogs 😁

[@andersnrregren9087]

Juniperus sabina for the rest of the world we dont realy have it in denmark becus it akts like a host for glitter fungus

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Anders, good to know!

[@louisecolombi6630]

2 or 3 years ago, I got what was sold to me as a "Japanese Garden Juniper " don't know if that's a real thing but I planted it in the garden and it's doing great. It's growing nicely.

[@louisecolombi6630]

@@snowbumenzo thank you

[@mardinoforones8224]

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A BONSAI THOUGH...

Thank you

[@TorontoLibertarian]

With a name like Nigel Saunders, I was expecting a British accent.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Lol, I'm actually Australian, but have spent most of my life in Canada!

[@koseiwatanabe2364]

I think you need to trim your hair too, haha.

[@mentalistsa]

Awesome. I love junipers and have killed my fair share. I know now a lot more. I just cannot buy one in summer and repot and prune in hot temps. Being in cool climate provides lots of freedom. Love your channel And your bonsai style.

[@jfdb59]

Nice find. I've tried to find these numerous times and around my area, junipers with that much branch mass have wimpy trunks like a pinky finger.

[@indocreatv]

Metode ini sangat bermanfaat, saya banyak belajar dari itu, terima kasih banyak dengan tips yang diberikan tuan, salam satu hoby, jabat persahabatan dan berkarya adalah Seni 🙏😊☕

[@700NitroXpress]

Give it two years and you could sell that tree for $1,000 with how thick the trunk is.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I think it will eventually be a good looking tree, I hope!!

[@georginahumphrey7601]

That tree shape you chose was so predictable. Such a common shape.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I didn't choose the shape, that is how the tree grew!

[@bobdobalina8680]

I live in central Oregon the high desert.. a lot of western juniper around here..would this be a desirable species to make into bonzai?? What about these long needle pines???

[@hydrojet7x70]

Final cut looks like his haircut. Lol

[@TexasJack1886]

Wow it LOOKS like you really uglied it up lol BUT I'm sure it will pull up out of the nose dive and everything will pan out in the long run

[@arnoldmmbb]

Nice buy Nigel!! Great price

[@russelllowry1975]

"hold on, I gotta choke a rooster!"

[@guysolis5843]

Nice work Nigel. I've been looking for some decent nursery stock and so much of it here in the US is over priced. I did find Blue Star juniper for $10 but was looking for a Sand Cherry. I better go back for the Blue Star but thanks for the video. What you're doing is exactly what I will be doing and with you vocalizing the process really helps me..

[@michaelkramer3468]

why don't you wire the tree at this point....? or is there a sequel...?

[@michaelkramer3468]

Too bad there is no answer

[@SchmegmaOnToast]

When I'm not looking at my tv I sometimes forget you're not Steve Carrell doing botanical work.

[@thedragonsdencollectables4937]

Awesome video Nigel. I just bought a gold juniper and did a Bonzai with it. This video helped me to learn to trim for structure. I will be starting my own videos soon, hope to see a view from you!

[@Rudi.aus.Lutschen]

You should consider some bonsai work with your hair. 🙂

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Maybe some wire!

[@villarrealblue72]

I seen a beautiful cascading juniper. You kept on hacking away thinking about the future when you had a beautiful one in the right here & now

[@idontinvest1039]

so much for nothing! but I guess art is in the eye of the beholder.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I guess it is!

[@urosknezevic3504]

Now is bonsai 300 dollar hehe