Thickening the Trunk of your Bonsai

Walter Pall explains how you can grow a thicker Bonsai trunk - by letting the tree grow strongly, or by growing a sacrifice branch.
Bonsai Empire celebrated its 20th anniversary in December 2020, and to celebrate we asked our followers to submit questions - these were answered by a team of international Bonsai Experts. We like to thank al experts for answering the questions and of course we also thank our followers! All topics are also discussed in further detail on our website:
www.bonsaiempire.com
The website of the expert: walter-pall.de/
Ever since we started Bonsai Empire 20 years ago, it has been our goal to serve as an educational platform and to share the fascinating world of Bonsai with you. All information on our website is freely accessible. And we also sell online courses, taught by world renowned Bonsai teachers. For free lectures and more information, please go to:
www.bonsaiempire.com/courses

[@donnanelson9181]

Finally! Someone who explained this in totality in a way that makes sense to me. I’ve been searching videos for weeks and weeks trying to find out exactly what needs to be done and how to do it and when to do it. Thank you so much. You have helped me tremendously in my bonsai journey.

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lukzfresh4708]

This was really helpful. It’s just hard to believe getting something so beautiful takes 20% of my life span 😢😢😢.

[@cjc2611]

That's why it's important to start with many many many trees early on.

[@thepaperstaggering]

“It has about ten years to go, and it will be ... pretty good.” I love this stuff. Bonsai is like, “I can’t wait to be a grown up”. Seems like it was just yesterday.

[@5877user]

But do I have 10 more years?😊

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Always fun to hear from Pall. Also fun to hear him imply that top notch trees “still have a ways to go.” If that tree has a ways to go, my trees have light years to go.

[@vossome1]

This is wonderful and his greenhouse looks like Lothlorien in miniature.

[@youareanincompetentmoron]

Oh I see....You are a man of culture as well : )

[@EMATREMA]

I watched many many bonsai videos, Walter Pall is the best because he can make it so so simple! Bonsai is an hobby to enjoy not a problem, his simple approach makes this hobby much more enjoyable and trouble free. I feel most people tend to complicate things way too much, he makes it simple and he has amazing results. Learned so much from him from horticultural points to bonsai critiques. Thank you Walter.

[@240Sil]

Out of all the bad internet data on bonsai , this guy actually simplifies this concept. Thankyou , more from him please!

[@Rene_Voortwist]

This is good, sound advice from someone who knows what he is talking about. Great video!

[@smack09]

Yeah boii, Walter Pall!!!

[@renanmoreira8974]

Friend, the beggining of july in Europe is summer or spring?

[@Rene_Voortwist]

@@renanmoreira8974 That would be summer.

[@renanmoreira8974]

@@Rene_Voortwist Thanks!

[@OutsidethePot]

Interesting. You see for those of us that are in our 60s and would like to see a beautiful tree nurtured by our hands may not have 20 years. Personally I’ve been using Yamadori to do this.

[@miketabback2635]

Your explanation was clear and understandable. I will catch up with your old videos and look forward to the new ones. Thanks so much, Mike from NJ USA

[@OddBonsai]

Another great post from a nice set of anniversary videos. Walter Pall is another one of my first Bonsai heroes.

[@joelshack85]

3:41…….”you have to sacrifice momentary beauty for future quality”…….one of many notes I kept but this one sticks out the most. Thanks for the advice and hello from North Carolina USA

[@hogdog567]

I’m not a fan of Walter’s pruning techniques but I have the utmost respect for his pragmatic approach and search for progression in the art. Thank you Walter.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Are you referring to his hedge pruning?

[@hogdog567]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot Yes, I feel that it’s understandable if if you have hundreds of trees like Walter but totally unnecessary for the vast majority of people.

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

@@hogdog567 right, I tend to agree. Those of us with fewer trees can afford to micromanage and make more specificity branching decisions throughout the year. That said, I think the principle and timing remains true: let grow for a part of the year, and then cut back...crudely or not!

[@jiggermast]

A lovely calm & easy to listen to voice sir,, most relaxing & fitting for such a video & hobby. I suppose like everything else, there are a dozen right ways to do anything & all slightly different in some ways. I find listening to ANY advice from experts is always more than worth it, especially such a knowledgeable gentleman like this, one look at his work in the back ground speaks volumes.

[@yusefsvacina9389]

So much exceptional and useful knowledge delivered in just seven minutes. Thanks Walter.

[@Tomrainsallnight]

Well I'm 72 and I love bonsai. When I was a child my father said you never finish what you start. Boy was right!

[@NyaanVegan]

Thank you for reminding us to be patient and letting our bonsais go through an ugly growing up phase (and not prune them for temporary beauty) before we can get a nice trunk! To also echo what others have said in the comments, that tree is beautiful ^^

[@renanmoreira8974]

Hi, friend. I'm from Brazil and didnt understand when he said to cut back the trunks. Does he meant cutting or pinching? Thank you!

[@denvernow7294]

Cut means cut. Pinch means pinch. 👍

[@BackSeatHump]

An extremely useful video, Walter.

[@geoffreydowen5793]

Dear Walter my first viewing of o e of your posts and I found it easy to follow clear to understand which perfectly promotes your knowledge. Thank you from England in 2022 I'll use this concept on my yes and maples. God bless and stay safe.

[@greeneboi123]

Great explanation to thickening the trunks and great video thank you for sharing 😀

[@marcus7836]

Love this kind of content. Thank you!

[@Koveras117]

Good advices with an exquisite tone.

[@MrChausner]

Awesome lesson, I did not think out letting a single back branch grow several feet to thicken the trunk. USA Michigan

[@MultiZNB]

another great movie you helped me a lot, best regards.Merry christmas and chappy new year

[@edgartavoraneto3848]

Concise e very instructive, thank you!

[@javierricaud9182]

Thank you, your advice is very specific

[@Swamiraj12]

Very well explained, great specimen 🙏

[@davidjohnson7508]

Valuable video for new people and veterans.

[@chamindakumanayake1719]

Wow ! scientific explanation. Thank you

[@wartbiter]

Walter is the Dude.

[@billyckjelson]

Great video! Straightforward and to the point. I like bonsai videos that offer practical knowledge about how to develop trees over time. Because they do take time. So many videos show trees that are basically at finished stages, and that’s just not as helpful. So great job there. I’d also like to add another well known tip about thickening trunks. You can also keep a very low placed branch on the trunk that you let grow out and cut back once or twice a year as well. This branch is sacrificial so it has nothing to do with the trees composition other than thickening the truck. This method works amazingly fast. He does dismiss field growing to thicken trunks. But if you have the space there’s no faster way, and there are so many methods that you can use to make it easier to dig them up. What takes 15 yrs on a pot takes maybe 5-7 years in the ground dependent on the species an conditions of course.

[@meare5592]

Yes, field grown trees are the fastest to grow trunks.

[@karamelkezit9125]

Thank you for the great content, i loved your video

[@frankshewmake9753]

Wonderful advice. . . thank you.

[@mariapaulacarvalho4180]

Thank you SO much 🙏 Very clarifying video, my compliments.

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BONSAIenCORTO]

Great tips. Thank you.

[@alphamusic8797]

Oh my word this man has quite the collection fantastic

[@The_Dood]

Great explanantion of thickening!

Very nice explanation, thanks.

[@gf2390]

Excellent video thanks

[@simonep6709]

This video was more helpful than ANY of the others I’ve seen. Thank you

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@quangvietphi9483]

Thank you very much for sharing!

[@wadmadhushan4434]

Very beautiful bonsai

[@chrisrolfe4107]

Sacrifice momentary beauty for future quality.....never a truer word spoken.

[@Lilliancooks]

I wish I would have started my bonsai journey 30 years ago instead of at age 62😞

[@ramontorres4850]

😢

[@Henryk-lx7mx]

Thanks for the video

[@lennyvazques206]

Lovely person. Thanks for your video.

[@pusarameshkumar9798]

Excellent video, sir

[@aditeka1173]

Very informatif, thanks so much

[@drosenstroem]

Looks world class to me

[@lynnoble8229]

So helpful…thank you 😅

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joeychan1717]

Very helpful, thankyou : )

[@baffingirl4648]

Wonderful! He reminds me of Christopher Plummer as he speaks!

[@MrYetiman82]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@bonsaiempire]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hasansas9428]

Amazing from Indonesia

[@TreeVibes]

Love your greenhouse 🙂😁 want to live in it

[@kalandrakasartbonsai5400]

Great idea sir... Watching from philippines.. doing same content..

[@michaellohn4262]

The wonder of photosynthesis 👍👌

[@bobbymalta73]

Thanks for sharing..

[@JonSteitzer]

Wonderful simple direct video with great practical advice.

[@i6oVices]

Thanks

[@paulmorris6177]

Great video... Bigger canopy = thicker truck

[@lXlElevatorlXl]

+longer canopy

[@paulmorris6177]

@@lXlElevatorlXl...my canopies are not LONG, they’re LARGE.

[@lXlElevatorlXl]

@@paulmorris6177 LONG Duration of NOT Cutting

[@paulmorris6177]

@@lXlElevatorlXl...agreed. Do not cut the canopy for a LONG time and it will give you a LARGER, THICKER trunk.

[@Dan-in-the-Wild]

Fantastic advice you don't find in the books. Took me nearly 10 years practicing bonsai to hear anybody talking about these things. An "Ah ha" moment for sure

[@lamvuondep]

Love bosai

[@yaneryperez5995]

Great video, thank you! Wondering if we can thicken the trunk in a shallow or small pot? I’ve read mixed things online says to get a bigger pot. I currently have a dessert rose in a tight pot with her ball root above the soil but want it to grow thicker/bigger? And I’m also growing Moringa trees (tree of life) from seeds, they are starting to sprout and just want to make sure I’m using the right pot to encourage the thickening of the trunk. Do appreciate your advice and video! Hope someone can help with my question! ❤️🏠🙏

[@MasterWingman]

OMG look at all those bonsai trees.

[@dwibonsai8318]

Wow its cool....

[@aripereira6716]

Show Mister Pall

[@dalifer3000]

wow! great explanation. Im already trimming my 1 year old tree thinking that it already a bonsai, haha

[@uprightape100]

Letting the wind blow trees around thickens them up nicely......then again I live in Arizona and only native desert species survive the heat and shockingly sudden wind storms. Got some pretty nice specimens though.

[@BackSeatHump]

That does not thicken the trunk.

[@jimjam6598]

@@BackSeatHump it creates more roots to stabilise the tree, which will result in a larger nebari and thicker tachiagari

[@BackSeatHump]

@@jimjam6598 The title and subject of this video is "Thickening the TRUNK of your Bonsai".

[@jimjam6598]

@@BackSeatHump the tachiagari is a part of the trunk

[@jimjam6598]

@@BackSeatHump plus more roots produced due to wind will help towards the thickening of the trunk 😊

[@XxPetitNuagexX]

Vielen Dank, dass du dein Wissen mit uns teilst. Ich fand gerade dein video hier. Ich würde gerne aus einem Magnolienast einen Bonsai ziehen. Hast du mit dieser Sorte schon Erfahrungen gesammelt? Die Äste scheinen mir sehr porös und eher schwierig mit draht zu formen. Hast du vielleicht ein paar tipps für mich? Liebe Grüße, Lisa

[@terryc8674]

How wet / damp do you keep trees that are stored over winter ?

[@Nick1814]

When he says to let it grow and then cut back, how far back are you supposed to go?

[@abrahamlincoln8913]

How many times in one season would a person cut back? He makes it sounds like a couple times. Or cut back once every season ?

[@michaelraffa8682]

What should the PH be on a bonsai tree are the PPM

[@54114142]

So many people don't understand that trees grow literally out of air, by taking the carbon from CO2 and releasing oxygen. The soil and fertilizer are just addition to that. That's BTW also the reason why burning wood is CO2 neutral because you are just releasing the CO2 again that was used to create the tree in the first place.

[@barndad2220]

I’ve just started in bonsai this past spring having acquired some nursery stock. I currently have everything sitting in a cold frame which I built this fall. My question is do I water during the winter dormancy? Everything went into dormancy having received a good drink of water. Do I resume watering in the early spring when things are beginning to wake up? Any tips you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I reside in Indianapolis, Indiana.

[@danieldalton8125]

Your trees need very little water during dormancy since they have no leaves for transpiration, saying that never let them dry out if they are covered and won't receive rain.

[@thepaperstaggering]

@@danieldalton8125 perfect instruction. For conifers, however, transpiration still occurs throughout winter so just don’t let the soil dry out.

[@Dave_en]

During dormancy period give very less water such that the soil doesn't dry out completely killing the roots of the plant. If you are watering twice a week in growing season, do it once a week or 10 days just to maintain moisture in the soil. No or very little fertilizer to be used during that phase. During growing season you can mix the fertilizer in small amounts in water and feed the plants whenever needed.

[@nurultakengon7051]

👍👍👍

[@shostime3164]

Can you also combine sacrifice branches with this technique?

[@WalterPall]

Sure, this is a good idea. Go ahead.

[@shostime3164]

Omg i didn’t think you would personally answer my question I love you so much haha P.S. ich finde es richtig cool dass auch Deutschland einen großartigen Bonsai-Vertreter hat. Danke

[@cloudchaser5535]

His video camera is very good qaulity

[@amapolarestrepo809]

What kinda tree is that?

[@luckybarrel7829]

You can also rub the bark with sandpaper. Compensatory growth will then make it thicc.

[@Dave_en]

Does it work that way?

[@luckybarrel7829]

@@Dave_en It's worked with my Ficus Audrey

[@Dave_en]

@@luckybarrel7829 I have ficus banyan. I don't know whether it will work on this. The plant is just a year old. I'm thinking to let it grow, then try all methods.

[@luckybarrel7829]

@@Dave_en It works even better on younger plants since they can bruise more easily. If you have a test plant or take a cutting off the current plant and prop it you'll get a test plant to try the technique out and see if it works for you.

[@Dave_en]

@@luckybarrel7829 I have used dishwasher liquid and an old toothbrush on my other plant (ficus religosa, Peepal) to clean the surface. The thin bark comes off revealing the clean surface. After few days new bark grows again. Another advantage is that new shoots start coming from the exposed area if regularly sprayed with cold water. Unfortunately I lost that bonsai last winter.

[@mahmoudbamarni3803]

can I use compost and gravel as bonsai soil

[@WalterPall]

no

[@mahmoudbamarni3803]

@@WalterPall why?please. can l make bonsai soil at home

[@danieldalton8125]

Use a mix of substrates like akadama, pumice, lava and pine bark for good drainage. But at the end of the day you can grow a tree in mud if you have nothing else.

[@thepaperstaggering]

A soil that does not drain well is not good for bonsai. Compost holds LOTS of water. Not much room for air in waterlogged soil. Also, roots will not be as fine in such heavy soil as compost. Gravel alone would be better.

[@mahmoudbamarni3803]

@@danieldalton8125 thanks for this information ⚘⚘⚘

[@h3ttam570]

It takes 10 years before he talk on how it has to be done

[@german3937]

Hello! i think that the technique that Paul has mentioned, should be done in large containers, not in bonsai pots, because the tree will never thickening the trunk in other way. Any body agree with me?

[@daltonlucas5529]

It will still thicken, but much, much slower.

[@andreasweber1533]

Well, the root system obviously needs to meet the demands the foliage makes on water supply.

[@andersnrregren9087]

I keep my trees pruned all The time and just give it time cus you Will never in your lifetime get The big cut sites to fully heal

[@raikj1078]

If I eat more i get more Thiccer hehe

[@simpleking100]

lol needels or leaves, needels are leaves.

[@iamaduckquack]

There is a reason they're called pine NEEDLES ;)