Too big for bonsai? Can I successfully air layer an 18ft tall tree? (Results in the video)

[@judgetoogood1033]

Tony you did good….. ❤❤❤

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Nice, I'm glad the Oak is doing well!!!

[@TonysBonsai]

Cheers Nigel. It's a great feeling when we help to pull a tree back from the brink

[@saalikreynolds3064]

The beach should look good if the hawthorn odd anything to go by. I really admire your attitude Tony, keep smiling.

[@davedixon7080]

So good to see you Tony!

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks Dave. I'm still cracking on as well as I can

[@BonsaiCornwall]

Pair of legends you two! The air layer is awesome, I expect to see a trunk bend video on that mate 😆 nothing a bit of vet tape and thick wire couldn’t handle 😂 Brilliant stuff Tony, thank you 😊💚

[@kiwibonsai2355]

Quality Father Son moments. Good team 👌

[@AndrewJohnson-el1of]

Great work Tony hawthorn looks beautiful. Got to say rather jealous or your dads oak. 👍

[@TonysBonsai]

Yeah it's coming on well. Hopefully it has a strong spring r so we can work on the ramification next year

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Not a lot more i can say apart from Bravo!! Keep on fighting and keep on bonsaiing :)

[@Boru06]

You always have the coolest projects T. 🙂

[@dorritsmedsgard5900]

I'm very interested in the hollow trees. Where I was born and raised, hollow poplars was very common. Think of "The Tinderbox" by Hans Christian Andersen.

[@TonysBonsai]

Now there's a blast from the past. I've not thought about that story in a very long time

[@mikec3820]

you can tell its a sharpe chain on the big saw from the long noodle like chaf its pealing out. had a silver in the yard as a kid. would love to find one near me to air layer. thanks tony and dad. nice fatty starter tree.

[@TonysBonsai]

Yeah my dad takes pride sharpening his chainsaws. You'll have to keep your eyes peeled for a nice Birch to layer next May

[@nerinat8371]

That was impressive wow, long live the Silver Birch 😊

[@danbehrens1621]

Thanks for keeping the videos coming Tony. Your dad’s a great guy. Seems like he’s your project buddy. This is pretty interesting. I want to try it.👍

[@shanewatson8581]

This was brilliant Tony Thank you

[@TonysBonsai]

Cheers Shane. Glad you enjoyed it dude. It's going to be interesting to see how they get on from here

[@phillipwaterman5721]

Nice job Tony and dad keep up the good work mate thanks

[@sueb1317]

OMG - you and your Dad are just two peas in a pod!!! You guys did the work of a thousand woodpeckers on that 18 ft tree lol! I didn't realize one could air-layer silver birch - really valuable information! Absolutely lusting over that hawthorn - a thing of beauty!!!

[@TonysBonsai]

Yeah it's fun what can be achieved with basic tools I do love the look of a hollowed trunk

[@andrewclack4881]

so glad about the oak. I have a similar one that I dug up in February and I thought it was dying but now it is growing well.

[@TonysBonsai]

These oaks like to keep us guessing Andrew

[@An1Kum]

The hawthorn turned out to be real stunner

[@jazzrat2000]

I love my little 6 inch chainsaw too :)

[@LoveBonsai902]

You never cease to amaze me Tony. I was “What, air layer an 18ft tree?!” Thought your dad was giving the trunk CPR until the shot panned down to the pot 😂 Absoutely brilliant, the sky’s the limit with your bonsai experiments!!

[@josephboone8962]

Love that you and your father are out there enjoying your time together. Best wishes to you and the family. God bless.

[@kevinwilkes5969]

That was incredible Tony. And both trees will look amazing in a few years. Who needs Kevin Wilson to carve!!🤣🤣

[@AdriOnFilms]

Love ❤️ you Tony! You’re awesome 👏

[@bonsaijourneyuk]

I love seeing your videos every day! Thanks Tony

[@chrisswales1174]

Loving the t-shirt. Hope both bits of the silver birch survive. The look on your dad’s face when you asked him to punch the whole - priceless!😮😂

[@janeplatt8254]

Great tree Tony love to you ❤jane

[@maryweber4176]

Amazing hawthorne Tony.

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks Nigel. They're my favourite, but I must admit I'm growing very fond of larch

[@SebTheGardener]

Great video Tony ❤

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks, this was fun and it'll be really interesting to see how the two halves respond

[@wshow11]

Cheers Tony! Another wonderful day to be alive! So happy to see you at it with your enthusiasm! Rock on brother!

[@johnrb9397]

Nice one Tony and dad. It’s wonderful what you two are sharing at this time. I hope all father and sons can experience the same.

[@notionbonsai]

Nice one Tony! I remember when you did that hawthorn last year! Great to see that it has bounced back!! I hope the birch does the same 😄🌳🌳

[@TonysBonsai]

Yeah those hawthorns are so tough. It'll be interesting to see how this air layer gets on. I wrapped up the base with some fresh moss so I'm hoping that it sends out some extra roots from where we cut through the bark. As for the stump in the ground, I reckon it will sprout out in the spring with several new shoots

[@Mr10russ10]

Nice one Tony, 🤞 for the airlayer. The one in the ground should look good in a few years

[@stevenclowes7770]

Fantastic news on the oak Tony… what a relief that must be.

[@union310]

So ironic that this was just the video I was looking for and up it pops!

[@jimmyheimish]

Hi Tony, this is absoluter inspiring. Thank a lot. And....cool T-shirt, mate👍

[@32temest]

Great video as always, it was good to see the uodate on your dad's oak. After seeing the original 'emergency repot' video, i followed your advice as my 30yr old oak was behaving exactly the same, im glad to say, thanks to you, it also has survived, i had no idea what i was doing so thank you for your suggestions and bonsai mastery👍

[@michelreyder8954]

Fantastic project again Tony! I follow a lot of Bonsaipeople on KZbin, but none of them does Bonsai the way you do Tony!!! The kind of projects you do, the tools you use and the way you work on the trees (styling, bending etc) are a real eye-opener for me. Without wanting to seem startstruck, i have to say that your channel is the biggest insparation for my own Bonsaiwork. Greetings from germany.

[@alaskarocket]

AGREED!!!!

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks for such a lovely comment. I'm really glad that you are enjoying my videos. I just try to show Bonsai as I see it and have fun 🙂

[@jasongannon7676]

Can't wait to give this a try

[@MEGATestberichte]

Awesome experiment. Thx for sharing the results. Did not expect that this is possible with such a big trunk.

[@dreamingofbonsai]

That is such a brilliant idea to hollow out the tree like that. So very cool!

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks, it seemed like the easiest way to me. How it now develops I'll leave in nature's hands

[@dreamingofbonsai]

@@TonysBonsai that’s a good point too, about leaving it in natures hands, because it’s amazing how nature will surprise us and take a tree in different direction then what we would have even thought. Nature keeps us on our toes! 😄

[@joegarland4885]

Another success Tony, I can see your head getting bigger and bigger with all these successes, soon you won’t be able to get through the door😅. Joking apart there is the making of two great trees assuming the one still in the ground succeeds as your other one did. Stay full of enthusiasm my friend.

[@TonysBonsai]

🤣🤣 I've been eating well that's for sure Joe. salad for lunch tomorrow I think 😎

[@joegarland4885]

@@TonysBonsai you eat what you like my friend who cares just keep having fun with your trees.

[@earthladyadventures5018]

I’m so glad you have the cahoomas to do this kind of magor chops cause I don’t think I would be able to do that. But I’m very great full that you are doing and sharing it with us. ❤

[@bonsaigardenwithmarksander968]

Brilliant video and it’s great that your Dad is helping out. Love the oak tree you saved, I’ve got a maple tree which is only about 2ft tall and it was in my mum in law’s garden,so i said can I have a go at trying to save it. I’ve done a re-pot and some free draining soil in a slightly larger pot to help the root system. I’ve had the tree for a few months now and it hasn’t done anything at the moment. Great videos with lots of information so thank you to you both. Looking forward to seeing some more videos. Best wishes Mark 🙏🏻🎋🪴🌲

[@dermo1981]

Thanks Tony 👍

[@andrewdobosz3682]

I'd love to see you yamadori that giant tree behind you, what a project that would be 🤣 glad you had success with this experiment.

[@TonysBonsai]

🤣🤣 now that would be a monster! It's actually going to be felled in the next few months. My dad's already removed plenty of the upper canopy in preparation, so I'll be filming the tree as it comes down and the root ball is dug out

[@andrewdobosz3682]

@@TonysBonsai How much are they charging for delivery afterthey dig it up? Im sure you have a pot big enough for that! Its sounds like an interesting video to watch 😄

[@TonysBonsai]

@@andrewdobosz3682 😂😂 my dad will be doing it with a digger and a block and tackle

[@TonysBonsai]

It's a good 50dt high

[@rickgardner4028]

Tony love your passion for Bonsai. Inspiring ..... watching from Sydney. Thanks mate.

[@AIKIDOSILVERDALE]

we tried a silver birch a bit smaller than this and did 4 layerings up the trunk, only one success out of 4 and we used sooo much moss. great result Tony. We put ours into a bread crate still in moss rather than soil and by year two it was full of roots

[@TonysBonsai]

Excellent results.i added some extra moss around this one so hopefully I'll get some equally good results from the roots

[@bonsaioderkleinholz]

What a great idea 👍. I hope it works. Thanks for showing.

[@rebeccahunter725]

Go big or go home! Some really interesting future trees on the cards here.

[@Tinoshke07]

I'm so happy for your dad and you that his Oak tree pulled through ! 🙃

[@Steves_Backyard_Bonsai]

A+ for entertainment value Tony! I’m a little concerned about the air layer, but you’ve given it the best chance anyone could. Hope we see some good new growth come spring. Cheers.

[@TonysBonsai]

In retrospect I think it would have been better applying the layer a month earlier and then leaving it for a few extra weeks. That's what it's do with the next birch, I think this one has a middle chance

[@oachkatzlsmum]

Absolutely flashed by what you‘ve done 🤩 I hope the airlayer will make it. I don’t think this has ever been done before. Did you remove the Sphagnum before planting? Daddy’s chainsaw-performance on the stump was amazing 😄👍 enjoyed the camera work as well 😂 Certainly Daddy shall follow up on that tree 🙏 So happy the Oak survived 😍 Thank you all for this extraordinary episode of Tony’s Bonsai ❤️ Enjoy your day 😘 Cheers 🙋‍♀️ Martina

[@Gooders478]

I think Tony's dad should continue the channel.

[@raymondbirds2392]

Lovely job Tony, enjoyed the video. Thanks

[@Naztalgic]

awesome video. I love any birch work this was a treat

[@TonysBonsai]

Yeah they're great trees. I'm excited about both halves of this air layer

[@matthewturnbull9547]

I have so many trees I’d like to try & air layer! Not the entire tree like yourself just branches. Going to give it a go on the apple tree as it needs trimming back regardless & I’ll get a small tree that’s old enough to produce apples. Think you’ll have success with that birch & the Oakes doing really well, I took inspiration & done the same with a holly & that has really came on this summer.

[@peterzukof7942]

Love everything you do! That birch is going to give you two awesome trees! I absolutely love watching you work with your dad , these are sone of the best videos! I remember you carving that hawthorn and it’s turning out spectacular! You are forever inspirational!

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks Peter. These are really good fun to create, and I believe that hawthorn will properly roll over given time and develop some fantastic characteristics

[@peterzukof7942]

@@TonysBonsai I think this may have solved my styling for one of my troubled elms! It has a bark fungus and is struggling , with bark doing all sorts of weird bulges and shapes. I slip potted it even though it’s extremely hot and that has helped it green up. In spring I was planning on repotting and washing all the roots (I had left too much mucky original soil from the ground at the last repot) now I’m going to do what you did - trunk chop with a carve out ! If it lives it’ll be a superhero - thanks again for the inspiration!!

[@bradleyc9538]

Looks like good fun Tony. Chuffed to see the oak has made it too! Great news

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

Giving Kimura and his chainsaw a run for his money. 😂 Nice results. I checked the airlayer on my big trident maple yesterday and although there were a couple of big roots in the moss, it definitely needs a couple more monthsz

[@robertscarborough68]

I love it when the chainsaw comes out for a bonsai tree 🤣 You legend Tony ❤

[@Warriori2i]

Great projects once again !!! ,,i hav a few shrub oaks around same diameter i wanted to try air layers on but never thought about the left over stump,,, hollowing it out ect ,,,great idea !!!

[@luckytoad66]

Love what you have done there Tony, I have some large firethorn at the bottom of the garden which I am going to airlayer and try something similar to what you have done, thanks for the video and tips.

[@mattbrennan647]

Those are three awesome projects to follow Tony. I think I’ll give that hollow out technique a try. I really like how that hawthorn responded. Thanks, keep growing.

[@roryleo5629]

Hi Tony, The hawthorn is really coming along. I hope the silver birch does as well. As always, I enjoyed your teaching videos.

[@thenaturecreater8906]

Amazing work lads! Really made me happy to see the oak lives on! ❤

[@C1tyground5155]

Hi tony ,i would have applied more moss and left it through winter.i did exactly the same with red acer last year and it’s full of roots ,I have just cut it .

[@jazzrat2000]

That is one beautiful knife Tony. Will you make me one please? :)

[@chaddamp2894]

Thanks Tony,another great post.Can you advise me... we have grown from gathered acorn a small tree about 5" tall and now in it's third year ,we took off the tap root and potted on last year...what next?? x

[@TonysBonsai]

Personally I'd be applying some wire to add movement to the lower section of the trunk and the first couple of branches

[@peterjohnson350]

Just like Crocadile Dundee. Call that a knife? This is a knife! I always wondered if birch could be air layered. Now I know.

[@JaniLaaksonen91]

Formal upright? So no vet tape and wire? About the top that you guys removed, you could just make some fire wood from it. Or you could remove some of it's lowest branches, dip it in a rooting hormone and stick it into a bonsai soil and it'll make a good cutting. Next spring the stump will send an unimaginable amount of suckers. Let's hope it will bud along the stump too. It will be an amazing looking sculpture of a bonsai in 10 years if it does!

[@1cleandude]

So a touching video!😢🙏🙏🙏

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🙂

[@Angela-un2tx]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@TonysBonsai]

Thanks Angela

[@Angela-un2tx]

@TonysBonsai I just got my first Hawthorne...a wee little thing. But a Hawthorne all the same. I don't know how to message you....are you scared? I somehow have always cared and felt so close to you. I don't want you to go....You are such a wonderful light.

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi Angela. I'm not scared no. I don't believe that I have anything to be scared of. It may sound daft, but this is not the first time in my life that I have come face to face with death none of us are getting out of here alive anyway, and I can't stand the thought of wasting any remaining time dwelling in negativity. Especially when life is so much fun. I'm really glad you've got yourself a hawthorn. They're the best and I know that you're going to love working on it 🙂

[@donaldslovey338]

Hi my name is Donald I have a white elm bonsai tree that is sick with Stegophora ulmea Disease how can I save my tree any help will be appreciated thank you.

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi Donald. I'm unsure. If that's Dutch Elm disease, I think you just have to burn it? It's probably a goner anyway.so I wouldn't risk allowing it to spread

[@donaldslovey338]

@@TonysBonsai ok thank you

[@GoodSamaritan1972]

Tony why the wheel chair?

[@TonysBonsai]

Hi, I'm struggling to walk nowadays because of coordination isaues and muscle fatigue so the wheelchair is greajt for getting me outside on nice days so that I can still work on my trees Also if keepsy family fit dragging me around cross country. I'm thinking of charging them a fee 😂 🏃🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

[@rcsart6409]

Interesting stuff Tony! Thanks.

[@GoodSamaritan1972]

@@TonysBonsai Hahaha

[@Ad_DOOM]

You don't get this on bonsai mirai!

[@TonysBonsai]

🤣🤣 Ryan needs to come onto my apprenticeship scheme 🤣

[@ugopozzi5353]

what happened mr tony....

[@TonysBonsai]

I've got brain cancer so walking has become very difficult. I'm now happier rolling around 🙂

[@ugopozzi5353]

@@TonysBonsai come on tony...l'ho alwais following you from Italy don't give up ...alwais tale care of your beautiful Sterling. By. Hugo