Teunis Jan Klein: Techniques to thicken a Bonsai trunk

The trunk of a Bonsai deserves specific attention, as it is one of the most eye-catching features of a tree. The following features will be discussed: The Nebari, tapering, thickness and overall shape of the trunk.
These movies were made by Bonsai Empire and a panel of international Bonsai experts, to celebrate Bonsai Empire's 15th anniversary.
Music: Hiatus
Website: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/st...

[@ITookYourBic]

Videos like this are amazing. It really shows the technique that I feel alot of us beginners don't get taught enough about

[@bonsaiempire]

Happy to hear that!

[@bibnida7945]

I rewatch these videos frequently, they are so instructive. And I'd very much like to see how this tree has developed since Mr Bonsai Iligan passed 💚❤

[@LEO-xo9cz]

That is the most logical explanation I have heard. Nice video.

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@benhubbard7793]

Great video... would be fun to see the progress on the trees he used as an example, as it's been 7 years. I bet they turned out amazing.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Very well explained!

[@melp9884]

Very good clear information much better than other videos around.

[@9svm]

i'm blown away by how much this makes more sense. not one 4 meter branch but 4-1 meter branchlets

[@Taotao515]

Hello from China ! This is an extremely informative video on the topic of thickening trunk, thank you for providing valuable information unselfishly. Wish you the best health !

[@sharpshader]

Its one of the only videos which explains thickening on a fundamental level. So many beginners are pruning their little nursery material as if it was a mature bonsai you see artists working on. Then they're wondering why isnt my tree getting any thicker.

[@stephaniesamulski4890]

Guilty as charged 🤣

[@NYBraveheart]

Thank you. This video is so helpful. I liked the detailed demonstrations. And this might sound silly because I know it's not rocket science, but it can feel like rocket science to a beginner. So when I saw that the video was almost over, I felt a little lost, and then, like answered prayer, Teunis Jan Klein gave the short 3 step summation/review at the end - and I was found. With the short summary in mind, I can go back and listen to the video again and internalize the information. Thank you again.

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks Helene, Im glad this was so helpful!!

[@joeypangilinan6833]

Thank you so much. Very informative.

[@paulbruniera2081]

I view lot's of bonsai videos, and every now and then one will change the way you look at your tree's.... this is one. Thanks for the tips.

[@-ChrisD]

Great video, very informative, instructive and explanatory!

[@malcolmalexander5246]

Excellent video and explanation. Thank you.

[@nilsborgesius6728]

Thank you. Very clear explanation. And my compliments for the small tree in the background. It’s so beautiful.

[@moonbee03]

Thank you so much! You make so much sense!

[@christinap.2258]

Thank you for such detailed formation! Your trees are stunning! Thanks for sharing.

[@JohnSmith-vx2uc]

Best ever thank you sooo much it was more information than anyone else I've listened to.

[@andrewpaterson2670]

Amazing video. I learned so much. Great explanation and visuals.

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mariairenepintocoelho6508]

loved you video, very classy and all info we have been searching for long time and in ENGLISH, thank you!

[@rajeshmarfatia4250]

These demonstrations have been incredibly helpful. Thank you.

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@antoniosantoru2993]

The most informative video I have seen so far about this topic... Thanks!

[@timbaake1986]

fantastic! Honestly thats all I have to say. Is the garden open for visits? Great knowledge, I'm a great admirer, thanks! Teunis-Jan, setting the bar for Europe! Love it. Your jealous southern neighbor Tim!

[@Tore1972Wisdom]

Great great video. You explain it so simple. Thank you for that.

[@PaulOrientedotcom]

Very interesting techniques. Thanks for sharing.

[@Rahulhfm]

Short and to the point ! Beautifully explained. Vital information. Thank you and regards from India !!

[@Alex-qc6bg]

Very Important and Clearly explained tipps. Thanks a lot!

[@EH18]

This was so helpful!

[@SimonWadaKlaris]

Amazing knowledge! Thank you so much Mr. Klein!

[@NathanNostaw]

Thank you for such valuable information. I have been doing it wrong (with slow and limited results) for many years. It makes perfect sense to need a balanced ratio of foliage to gain trunk diameter. I really like the stabbing technique to stimulate the difficult areas of trunks. Cheers.

[@smezley50]

The best explanation I have heard! I have subscribed.

[@MrYoumitube]

Thank you, I learned so much! Can't wait to try it on my Bonsai's

[@mversc10]

hele heldere uitleg. ik hoop dat je nog meer van dit soort filmpjes blijft maken.

[@hanslaping9532]

Thanks for the info!! Very important subject explained simply!!

[@thepaperstaggering]

Ahh. Excellent tutorial. Thank you for sharing.

[@xw591]

Great video, just fantastic. 👏 👏 👏

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@johnnywhite1681]

wonderful knowledge and very good examples, thank you.

[@nathanlukas1365]

This was extremely helpful and informative. Thank you

[@wasimahmed5941]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge...I just entered into this hobby (less then one year). Collected some bonsai from local store but propagated a lot of new types seedlings. What I want to add here is that (for me) big pot, stronger fertilizer and placing the bonsai in outdoor environment is critical for bonsai thickness (growing effects thickness). Although, I prune my bonsai so much these got significantly more thicken in one year. Now, I realize I did a big mistake. If I would have left these grow wild, I might have come up with at least one or two near show quality bonsai.

[@johnxavier6483]

thank you for the tip , will change the way I prune my bonsai.

[@PEduO]

WOW!!! best video of this subject. easy to understand, direct to point. very informative!! realy Thanks!!!! very helpful!!

[@deemurchie782]

You made it so easy to understand. Thank You!

[@BenBSeattle]

Great lesson. Thank you

[@BonsaiIligan]

Very nice explanation on how to thicken trunk. But If I may add a technique which I learn from the internet also is the Co lander method. As you said you need to allow the root to grow large to support the long branches growing above. The tree is planted on a basket before being planted in the ground. The roots can escape and can be harvested once in a while for trimming outside the basket say every 2 to 3 years. By the time you need to transfer the tree into a smaller pot you have a dense but small root ball.

[@bonsaiempire]

+Bonsai Iligan That is a great way to reduce (or keep reduced) the rootball. Its not linked to thickening the trunk quicker, or is it?

[@JennyMcFrosty]

Bonsai Empire Yes, I think what he ment was that in order to have a thick trunk you need to have thick and dense roots to support it (you even talked about it in the video), which is done by this method he mentioned.

[@erterrill]

Thank you very much for the information. Answered a lot of questions I had!!

[@sarthakmohapatra3738]

Superb video, tons of info. U r a savior dude. Thnx a lot.

[@inatobonsai8963]

thank you for that information. i learned a lot

[@zoricarajic2117]

Great information ! Thank you very much.

[@maxkinmonth1407]

great video mate...enjoyable and informative....cheers

[@nicholashurley5659]

Beautiful trees your video has been so helpful

[@53x15]

I learned something new. Thank you.

[@treelife365]

Amazing video! I learned a lot.

[@SoundBoard8]

excellent tips. thank you.

[@virgilebonnaud5525]

So, basically, lots of patience, letting the tree actually grow in length and not caring about the aesthetic for a while.

[@jacobstree9877]

This was great!

[@michaelcalicut1868]

Good explanation............ Thanks for sharing..................

[@Wrokzor]

very helpful, thank you!

[@grazia9398]

Thank you so much so well explained!!!! Xxx

[@Cosma_Tv]

Very very thanks you are very good teacher, 🙂😊

[@bonsaiempire]

So nice of you

[@rudyramirez2471]

The information given on various ways to thicken trunk sound great, can we see an update on the trees shown?

[@helenchen3665]

Thank you for the sharing.

[@dibiodepaint]

very cool

[@alaskavaper2490]

Excellent.

[@KR000129]

Thanks. Very clear.

[@matthewevans3718]

How long would it take for my Brazilian rain tree trunk to grow from the circ. Of a pinky finger to that of thumb?? Am I looking at years for that kind of difference

[@magmyr]

With the tihrd tree, the small one with the long branches, how do you stop it from growing higher and only growing to the sides? Do you cut the trunk in the desired height? Same question if I decide to repot my tree in a big pot to thicken the trunk, how do I do so that it grows more to the sides and not so much in height?

[@LuisRamos-lx9ri]

very good video!

[@andrewbrazil9720]

Thank you!

[@bonsaiguy65]

Thank you for your illustration. I do have a couple questions on your techniques. So we elongate a branch to thicken the trunk part that is below the branch correct? So say with pines and junipers, how far below the branch typically, can this occur? Also, your injury method I think you said 2-3x/month, but what about on a symmetrically round trunk with no indention...do you perform this injury, around the entire circumference? Thank you again. Nice video and very nice work, art pieces, bonsai. Could use your help with my mugo and white pines :)

[@BackSeatHump]

You are very good.

[@dddmmm21]

To you point about needing bigger roots to support bigger branches, can't we assume it is always advantageous to keep your plant in a much bigger pot or on the ground while you are shaping it (by pruning and expecting new growth)? I see you showed some plants you are trying to develop but you keep them in a Bonsai pot - Aren't you tremendously delaying the process by doing that? I am just trying to understand if there is any advantage which I am not seeing in keeping your plant in a Bonsai pot since the beginning. Thanks a lot, great video.

[@bonsaiempire]

Hi DTM, if you start out with young material with virtually no trunk and/or taper; place it in your garden or in a very large container. You're right. The stock in the video is slightly more mature than that, so it was placed in a (still quite large) Bonsai pot.

[@ThePTxTREME]

Bonsai Empire Yeah because, the tree have already a large trunk, so keeping it in a "small" bonsai pot will promote thicker growth. In the opposite situation if you want to make the trunk bigger you need to put it on the ground or on a large pot, just after having a nice trunk you need to create small ramifications so the bonsai pot will limitate the size of the new growth. Hope that you understand. Greetings

[@altugyeniay6270]

Awesome explanation, the best video I encountered in this subject. Thank you so much. You mentioned to have new sprouts just above the part you want to thicken. Is there a natural or artificial way to encourage creating new sprouts in the desired place?

[@deveshg1996]

@altug you can use the method of approach grafting. Bend a young nearby branch (while still attached to the tree) and fix it to where you want the branch to be. Wait for a couple of months till it attaches itself at the new point. Then cut off the original attachment. Voila! You now have a new branch where you want it

[@sketchalater4656]

Great video! I have a cotoneaster seedling. Can't wait to transform it into a beautiful bonsai :)

[@mlawrobertson]

Sketchalater - 'Cannot wait' and 'bonsai' in the same sentence? Good luck.

[@sketchalater4656]

I gotta lot of patience, maybe can't wait isn't the right word, it's more like excited. And I also grow cacti and succulents, with some growing an inch or hardly growing an centimeter after a year

[@mlawrobertson]

Yes, it was clear what you meant. I have the same feeling about the trees I recently planted in my garden, even though I will probably be dead before they reach maturity. This was a superb video, so I enjoyed reading through the comments.

[@garyb8888]

Thanks!

[@iqbalyozanda1207]

Sir still about inverse taper, if its not possible to grow new buds on the base, what about with grafting? Will it work the same?

[@samwilbur6155]

I heard recently that length is not as important in thickening the trunk / branches, as is the foliar mass. If you have good foliage that is thick and healthy gathering lots of sunlight, that will thicken the branches much more effectively than just growing meters?. So much information to filter through.

[@wypimentel]

interesting, the question is: is it possible to increase the trunk thickness at the same time that you give some movement to the plant? Or should I make the movement first than create a big branche apex to sacrifice after?

[@ryanmitchell1721]

Thank you for the video. I have a question regarding sacrifice and leader branches. I'm working on a lemon tree that is approximately 2-3 years old and approximately 36 +/- inches tall. The base of the trunk at the soil line is approximately 3/4 - 1 inch thick. My plan for this tree is to have a trunk base of 4 inches, which would leave the total height of the tree at around 24 inches. This tree is currently in a 15 gallon pot as I cannot currently plant it in the ground, but should have sufficient room for the roots to develop. The tree has good branch growth from top to bottom, with more density towards the top. I was planning on pruning much of the branch growth towards the top, while designating a few towards the bottom to act as sacrifice branches so it will focus more of the thickening towards the base. What are your thoughts on this? Also, what are your recommendations for the leader? Is it advisable to continue to let it grow out to promote overall trunk thickening if I am happy with its current movement? I know that to create movement in the trunk, aside from wiring which I'm not sure I can do at this point, the performing "trunk chops" will create the movement. If chopping was something I wanted to do, at what point would you recommend doing this? Thanks!

[@bonsaiempire]

Hi Ryan, you might want to ask this question as well on our forum for help?

[@AbbeyOmisol]

Sir i have one question, i have a very old tree, it was infected by pests. Fortunately it recovered, my question is, if a trunk has a "shari" will that trunk continue to get bigger? or increase in diameter? Thanks in advance.

[@howardmckeown7187]

very good video

[@bonsaiempire]

Thanks

[@shaunali7183]

This is exactly the information I was looking for as I was always confused as to how to encourage trunk thickness in specific places. Is this technique true for all trees??

[@bonsaiempire]

+Shaun Ali Pretty much, yes

[@ThePozum]

Bonsai Empire what about for confiers that will not bud back on old wood?

[@-ryz5360]

thanks for the explanation, what if we use first 2 techniques together? will it grow slower? or am I wrong?

[@bonsaiempire]

+- Ryz No you can do both. The more growth in length, the more it grows thick.

[@delatroy]

Regarding solving inverse taper - is it possible to graft in a branch wherever you want?

[@bonsaiempire]

Yes grafting is a good way - but it depends on tree species so read up on grafting before you try :)

[@shawnaT456]

can you use the punkture technique on a small olive seedling about 30cm tall but with trunk only 1cm thick?

[@Vortex-xo6cv]

Will this also work with my ficus?

[@jorgejuarez2460]

Wondering if the thickness of the branch has something to do with the weight load instead of the length?

[@matthewsolar7089]

Im watching your vedeo how to care the bonsai..give the idia how grow the bonsai im a

[@saluto1397]

Was it "hey brother you are giving out too much " at 6.00 mins ? Really informative content by the way ..

[@vongvanna]

I have a jasmine bonsai. How do I make the trunk thicker?

[@memphisreines4058]

Where can I get seeds?

[@christiansanchez1486]

So you give some to get some sounds easy enough

[@magnuspedersen2542]

Can you guys teach me how to make two trees grow together?

[@magnuspedersen2542]

If it's possible?

[@bonsaiempire]

+Magnus Sylvester Pedersen You mean grafting? You can read about that on bonsaiempire.com ?

[@connardodeltoro958]

i want to learn this too

[@kryptone3032]

will these techniques work on tropical trees?

[@-ryz5360]

what kind of tropical tree you mean? every tree has its own specialities and you need to treat them 'how they want' not we want otherwise tree won't love you and it's place.

[@kryptone3032]

+- Ryz like a ficus?

[@afernandesng]

yes

[@auttocarcom]

What about Azalea?

[@TheBackyardBirder]

Prima presentatie Teunis Jan. Mocht je ooit een gelegenheid hebben naar Chicago te komen, zouden wij je graag ontvangen en hosten. Willem van Eijk Prairie State Bonsai Society Midwest Bonsai Society

[@wasimahmed5941]

Now, I feel so sorry, I just cut the 2 prolong brunches of both of my ficus bonsai ......ops !

[@yoteslaya7296]

Best way is to plant it in the ground

[@totallynotdelinquent5933]

I want my bonsais dummy thicc, I hope this helps me

[@bonsaiartbogota5556]

como desearía entender una sola palabra :"v

[@jorgegarmendia3487]

sebastian felipe umaña garcia se trata de como engrosar el tronco, las ramas inferiores cuando las dejas crecer engrosarán el tronco debajo de la rama inferior, sin olvidar que las raíces tienen que crecer también. La otra forma es sembrar el árbol en tu jardín y dejarlo crecer. La otra técnica que explica es punsando la parte del tronco que deseas que crezca con algo puntiagudo, 5 mm hacia adentro en varios puntos y el árbol va a reaccionar reparando el tronco y lo va a engrosar.

[@echted]

En nu in het Nederlands!