The First Work on My Water Jasmine, The Bonsai Zone, Aug 2023

I'm doing some initial work on my new Water Jasmine (Wrightia religiosa) bonsai that was a gift from "The Tropical Bonsai Inc". I'm focusing on the root system, getting it sorted out in a radial pattern, flat on the bottom and tapering from the trunk into the soil.
To see a previous video of the trees at "The Tropical Bonsai", click on the link here....
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Check out the selection of trees at "The Tropical Bonsai" here....
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#TheBonsaiZone

[@skrounst]

I don't think I've ever seen you start working a tree from fairly progressed bonsai material. You always grow trees from seed, cuttings, or unrefined nursery stock. It'll be cool (and informative) seeing how you handle this in the future.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

It will be interesting!!!!

[@jennychan1164]

My fave plant...hv 4 bonsais. Easy beauty.

[@andersnrregren9087]

Thank you for sharing

[@mattbrennan647]

WOW! Hope it survives. Thanks, keep growing

[@Greblin]

I think that pot might actually a kitchen utensil! In Japanese they're called suribashi, the grooves on the bottom acts like a grater/grinder for root veg. I guess someone punched a hole in the bottom to turn it into a plant pot.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Interesting, thanks for the info!!!!

[@lukasmihara]

Suribachi, not -bashi by the way (すり鉢)

[@ianrowe9337]

A brilliant start to what should develop into something quite special.... griping from start to finish, thanks again Nigel for your insight .

[@bartstellink307]

Wow, that's a nice tree. Love the delicate flowers and small leaves.

[@Eric.D.519]

Whoa! You went Full-Nigel on this tree!! It looks nice with that rock on the right side, especially if you did end up creating a forest/landscape in the future.

[@adamnorris8006]

lol full Nigel 😂😂

[@goo757]

just perfect

[@brianbarnes1362]

Another beautifull tree Nigel! Can't wait to see it progress.

[@michaelcowart6100]

Gonna be a beauty!

[@teresagalbreath7452]

That looks awesome! I was about to call Bonsai root protective services for abuse of the roots. lol

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Lol, the tree seems to be doing really well!!!

[@dkstott29]

That's going to be quite the daunting task of overcoming all the scarring and wire marks. I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses in the future.

[@patsfreund9164]

Your tree does have an awesome trunk! Yes, your Wrightia religiosa should recover well. They seem to bounce back quickly. They do produce lots of shoots from the roots. Have you ever tried cutting into the "rut" created by the wire with a knife. We do that with bonsai here in Florida. It helps to heal the wire marks. Cuttings do seem to take easily. I like how you have exposed more of the trunk flare by trimming the roots. Be careful of this tree in your winters. It really doesn't like much cold at all. It is one tree that I bring indoors when we get a "cold front" here in southeast Florida. (For us that's temps in the 40's F.)

[@MukeshMPillai]

Lovely plant 🌱 ❤

[@patrickfo967]

Some viewers may think that was a brutal root operation, but this is actually what it takes to develop good rootbases from „Prebonsai material“ the top of the tree is usually more developed than the roots and there are several rootlevels and the trees are sometimes very rootbound in nursery containers. Healthy and vigorous deciduous (nontropical) Prebonsai material can take his kind of root operation too! I think you made the right decisions Nigel ! Although I really liked the semicascade idea, but maybe that’s something for the future !

[@7puggiescyndycarruthers193]

Nigel, lovely work on this ‘Fairy Tree’!

[@RyanFish825]

Always awesome to get a new species in the collection, this one will be cool to see how it reacts to the The Bonsai Zone spa treatment. A very nice tree indeed! Thanks Nigel!

[@robryan9841]

An awesome tree 👍

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@joekerr5152]

I’ve always wanted one of these! Very jealous👍

[@FrostBiteBonsai]

Wow! Yikes! Oh boy... (Takes notes) I'm sweating watching that root pruning! What progress looks like! Terrifying!! Thanks Nigel! 😅

[@justlucky13]

Wow you said it Intense root work !!! Thanks

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Indeed!!!

[@DavesBonsai]

I really like the pot you put this one in! Nice work as always Nigel!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Dave!!👍

[@thetinyforest]

Great video! Will be a fun project to follow!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Awesome, thank you!

[@tspsycho9505]

the water jasmine is like the black pine of the tropical bonsai. Their strongest point is they grow super fast. Their weak point - they grow SUPER fast. Imagine taking care of a trident maple in spring/summer, but it's all years long. If you want example of bonsai water jasmine, search Thailand/Vietnamese bonsai.

[@adinkabank]

Try indonesian water jasmine bonsai

[@shahesfelazi8549]

Water Jasmin's in a favourite bonsai plant in SEAsia ❤ from Malaysia

[@DavesBonsai]

I might be hearing rain on my greenhouse before the snow flies!!!!😊

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Dr Saunders in root surgery. Great technique. Great surgical work. Excellent in my book!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Tom!!!

[@baldyeti]

The root work was fantastic, good sir! So educational and interesting to see. I am definitely interested to see how you develop this and redesign the trunk line. Especially how you will reduce the off side of the trunk. I’m in for the long haul, brother. I’m diggin it

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thank you kindly Yeti!

[@Minstera]

Crazy !

[@palomaresed]

how relevant, i got some cuttings of this just yesterday

[@vallvds]

That was a brutal root work ;-) I hope the tree lives. Reminds me of the root work I had to do on many nursery plants.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

So far it's doing really well, there is an update on today's video!

[@Stettafire]

A trick to stop your serving plate sliding around is to put a damp towel underneath it, it's a trick used by chefs when they're cutting on a chopping board. Having it slipping arounhd can be dangerous, so hope it helps

[@arindumghosh3786]

Nice work sir❤

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks ✌️

[@dim2035]

Oooooh such a pretty tree. Can't wait to see what you do with it!

[@thenaturecreater8906]

That was one he'll of a root job. But it was needed. Great work nigel. Kinda like that sumo jasmine 😂

[@carlossoares712]

nice plant, got god base and great potential as a whole

[@paulschaefer5241]

I notice you did the root work before the top. Though we are often taught to do this the other way around, the top first, I leanred the hard way not too long ago the value of doing the roots befoe the branches. I had a tree where I had cut the top back severely leaving only one small twig which was accidentally snapped off while working the roots. fortunately the tree did survive and I still have it.

[@peterbatyi1844]

Very nice!🕉 Dear Master!😄

[@TheBonsaiZone]

😊

[@ReyZar666]

i have seen the video where u are showing the bonsais from the same place u got this tree, and i was thinking to myself if i get one of those trees how can i deal with this if it looks so complicate and mature, so its always nice to see someone like you making a video about the thought process and how u deal with it, without panicking

[@nolesfan8900]

Fast grower and good healer. I think you are correct on the big cuts. Small to medium heal nicely but those big ones will rot out. Some faster than others. My favorite tree is a fairly large one ( approx 30” tall) that has a completely hollow trunk. I can stick my arm straight down through the canopy and out the root ball when I’m root pruning and repotting. The more you cut it the faster it blows out new growth and suckers. Cuttings root easily. The only struggle I have here in south Florida is occasional leaf miners. Overall easy to care for.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks, great to hear!!

[@user-wx3cr5tr4d]

一個極度根盤的檢驗修剪，為了將來的根盤很讚

[@TheBonsaiZone]

到目前為止，樹木長得很好，我已經做了一些主要的根部修剪！

[@Tybold63]

Nice species and it looks fairly healthy so that might be something in future in your hands. Worried about the severe wire scars but got the feeling those branches/trunk may eventually be replace with other new shoots. Be nice to follow what you do with it.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

So far the tree is doing well, I show an update on today's video!

[@bonsai_life_style]

Use all that tick roots for cuttings. They look interesting they have movement .

[@wdrury1]

what a beautiful tree this is going to be..in your experience what tree has the worst roots to deal with. as in most tangled and gnarly..im asking because this tree looks like it would get out of hand quickly.

[@lukasmihara]

I think the pot it had before was originally a mortar and it has that profile to grind things. Looks like they make good bonsai pots, too, if you put a hole in them! That was quite some rootwork... but the tree has potential, and its future development will be interesting to follow!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Lukas!!

[@minh.ngnn410]

u can propagate with water jasmine roots and branches

[@shahesfelazi8549]

How is this plant nigel? Cant wait for the update....

[@mmjnice97]

When I see you root prune I always think to myself is it really Necessary to take them back that far? When and if this tree Survives the new roots will without a doubt tangle up again. If you bought the tree for market value would you still take the pretty big risk of taking back the roots so far that you definitely need to remove 95 % of the Foliage to balance the tree. And also you haven't even had experience developing a water jasmine. And Lastly... do you go the Casinos🎉😂

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, roots are important to me, I'm always trying to create a fantastic root base on my trees. Once this initial root work is done, the maintenance and further development get much less risky. The tree is doing well so far, I think it will do just fine. I would never be happy with a tree that has a poor root structure.

[@Haunguyen-qv5uz]

I love your youtube channel, I have advice for you: you extract 3 spicy soup, it looks very fast. This tree is called Mai Chieu Thuy, this tree has a big cut that is difficult to heal.

[@passionbonsai88]

Beautiful tree Great work as always ,only problem with water Jasmine is that they can't stand low temperatures at all .

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I found that out, one night it got down to 9 C, and the tree is not looking good after that!

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌👌

[@denisemac118]

I thought you would of had to cut more of the top so there is less stress on the tree.

[@andreas3405]

Amazing! Did the tree survived?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

It did until I left it out in the cold one night and it got down to 8 C. The next day I could tell it had died and it slowly went brown over the next week.

[@matshagstrom9839]

Nigel, Say it like it is. I feel the resistance to not offend the nice people who gave you the tree. It's hard to disagree with your assessment. Maybe this tree will need to be regrown with branches where you want them. I'm guessing the tree will back bud readily from trimming. I look forward to seeing your progress

[@adamnorris8006]

What is everyones favorite tree/forest of Nigels? Mine has to be either the Serissa or the Beau d'arc forest. but there are so many to choose from!

[@Ollieslife101]

Yaya Bonsai.. only ficus I seem to have success with is Microcarpa. idk what I do wrong, but every time I root prune, the tree never recovers..I gotta be doing it wrong

[@dkstott29]

I did severe root on my willow leaf ficus almost 6 weeks ago. It's just starting to get new leaf buds

[@angieb6899]

Please update on this one Nigel. Would love to see how it responds. 👩🏻‍🌾🪴

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Will do!! It's looking good so far, no drooping leaves!

[@alicer3423]

What a beautiful difference.

[@shahesfelazi8549]

This is beautiful what is the update?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I accidentally left it out in the cold one night in the greenhouse and sadly it died. I'll have to get another one. It got down to 9 C and I could tell the next day that it suffered and slowly died.

[@shahesfelazi8549]

@@TheBonsaiZone ahhhh okay love from Malaysia

[@shahesfelazi8549]

@@TheBonsaiZone ahhhh okay love from Malaysia

[@user-mu5zn2qj2s]

hello. how your trees survive so hard root prooning? how much trees died after prooning like this?) I am afraid to cut so much roots in one time cause I am worrying that tree will die.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

The tree is in my greenhouse and I'm home all day to mist and water it, plus a bit of luck!!!!

[@user-pu7rx1dq5w]

Nigel how can we contact you for any queries regarding our plants or if we want to share our experiences with you.

[@yung_bonsai]

usually when the videos are premiering live, he is in the chat talking to viewers.

[@chasingthefish9042]

What is the reason you cut roots at a 45 from the top? I do the opposite. 45 from the bottom. Does it even matter?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I try and prune it to get good flow into the soil, I try and cut parallel to the soil surface if possible!

[@MukeshMPillai]

I think it’s dwarf type WRIGHTIA

[@oldstock]

Hi there Nigel. Oldstock from Malaysia here. When I first saw the video title, I realised... aha! a tree I'm familiar with. I have a few wrightia religiosa trees in my collection, some which I started from cuttings off a shrub bought from a nursery. They are quiet hardy and can survive the severe root pruning you have done. When you took it out of the pot and began looking at the massive tangle, my initial thought was.... he's going to need a saw. Sure enough, that's what you did, hehehe... I had to do the same when I worked on my first water jasmine plant. If you were to place the sawn-off part in some shallow soil, good chance of getting some new growth. Anyway, I really liked the new trunk flair you have achieved. Looking forward in the coming years as this tree develop under your care. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy taking care of this one. Quite a popular choice for bonsai, here in the tropics. Small leaves, small fragrant white flowers and plenty of styling options. Wishing you the best.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks so much, so far the tree is doing well and I'm sure it will become one of my favorites!!

[@dubsydabster]

Foist

[@kbac8800]

"I'm focusing on the root system". But camera not.🙁

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Lol!!!!!

[@Liisa3139]

A new situation you treating a more mature tree that somebody else designed thus far. I felt you seemed less enthusiastic at the beginning than even with young seedlings of your own . I suppose it takes some time before a foreign tree starts to feel like yours. The roots were a messy bundle, but you were more optimistic when you got them in order. Clearly there is a bonding happening.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

So true Liisa!!!

[@nurhasantalukdar6937]

i search water jasmine and first tree that shows u is your tree.

[@luislourenco2915]

You should get someone to prune your hair🤣

[@TheBonsaiZone]

The lawnmower is broken!