Trunk chops - how to heal chop wounds with the Hans Van Meer technique

In this video, I show a bonsai technique to help heal over wounds on the trunk. I am working on a European Hornbeam, which needs defoliating and some winter pruning, before carving open the deadwood and folding down the live bark and cambium onto the wood.
Take a look at Hans Van Meer's links:
The Bonsai Blog of Hans van Meer - hansvanmeerbonsai.com
KZbin channel - Hans Karamotto - / hanskaramottobonsai
Please hit the Like 👍 button to tell KZbin you enjoyed this video!
Subscribe: kzbin.info...
Hit that Notification bell 🔔 button to get notified of all my upcoming videos.
Tools I recommended in this video:
The tools are a Dremel Lite cordless (rechargeable) and a Bosch Rotary Professional "GRO" + L-Boxx Case, 2 Li-ion batteries and charger. You can see them at Amazon at these links:
Dremel Lite (US) - amzn.to/3fDt0Ms
Dremel Lite (UK) - amzn.to/3fFRTr0
Dremel Lite (DE) - amzn.to/31GLfII
Bosch GRO (UK) - amzn.to/3wjdWJX
Bosch GRO (DE) - amzn.to/2R4asuF
These links take you to Amazon with my affiliate ID. So if you click then decide to purchase the tool, you are also buying me a coffee without costing you any extra! Thank you.
I have both tools, but to help you decide: the Dremel is lightweight and great for simple carving jobs of up to 30 minutes. The Bosch is more powerful, and the li-ion battery lasts over an hour, so it is my tool of choice. However, the Bosch is also bigger and heavier, and more expensive than the Dremel Lite.
Follow me on Instagram: @blueskybonsai
Visit the website: blueskybonsai.com
Music credits - a BIG Thank You to these talented artists for their wonderful music:
Aurora Night - Wait
• Chillout Music 2021 | ...
The Ambientalist - Meant to Be
• The Ambientalist - Mea...
Serge Pavkin - Crystals
Music: Crystals - SergePavkinMusic
Music Link: • Free Music / Electroni...
Flow M - Open Your Eyes, Reprise
Flow M - When Trees Dream
• Flow-M - When Trees Dream

[@TheBonsaiZone]

An interesting technique Dave and well shown!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Nigel! It was quite hard work though, I wouldn't want to do this more than once a year!!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

@@BlueSkyBonsai I bet it was, you picked a tree with very hard wood too!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@TheBonsaiZone definitely, but there's an advantage, the nails will hold still!

[@sukantaghose]

Amazing 🙏

[@salvatoregiorgiopecorino2588]

Hi Dave, thanks for another high quality video, with a lot of information!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi Salvatore, thank you - I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@HansKaramottoBonsai]

Thanks, Dave for making this well-made video! This way it will reach so much more Bonsai enthusiasts!🙏👍 Cheers, Hans van Meer.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Hans, I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for your inspiration and support; I'm still learning every day! Cheers 🍻

[@memberphil]

Hi Dave, thank you for your kind reply. I will do so :)

[@jonnecleef5548]

Beautiful hornbeam you have there!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks so much! And its a very forgiving tree to work on too...

[@tgambill85]

Thanks Dave, I’m just about to do this so a preview helps!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Tom and good luck with the carving. Enjoy it!

[@RosarioCostanzo]

Very impressed, never seen this technique before! Thank you for sharing it and great worl

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! Glad you liked it! This technique is defo worth a try. But also be aware that sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. In any case, the worst that can happen is after cleaning up a failed attempt, the sides will callous over just the same as you had simply sawn across the chop site. So the idea is to try to heal it over in a shorter time.

[@Bonsaifly]

I always learn something new on your channel. I’ll try this in the future :)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Glad to help!! try it first on a tree that's not tooo valuable!

[@Bonsaifly]

@@BlueSkyBonsai haha yes, it doesn’t seem to be too easy of a procedure. Did it come to you easily or would you say it’ll take a couple of tries?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@Bonsaifly well it looks like you're no stranger to carving on trees so you should have no problems! Actually the first time I tried this procedure two years ago was better than this attempt. I think I was too careless this time, with the tool skidding on the hardwood so I damaged the bark more than I wanted. Anyways I've just seen your channel now and subscribed immediately! You have some lovely trees and great videos 🌳👍🏻

[@Bonsaifly]

@@BlueSkyBonsai I can imagine that it’s easy to damage the bark from the inside, especially since carving tools can get away from you a little sometimes. Thank you Dave, I am glad you like my trees and videos and am glad to have you as a subscriber! 🔝🌱

[@VIJAYPAL-RJ-13]

Very nice and informative tips 👌

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks so much!

[@soberhippie]

Some dentistry and cobblery in a bonsai video ) I always wondered if removing wood and keeping the bark was possible, now I know it is

[@maraflute]

Well shown. Nice example

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks @maraflute! 😊

[@edition-deluxe]

Two notes on technique. First when cutting the "flaps" in bark, cut from lower to the top, so you don't go to far, as it's very easy for a knife to get away once in a cut. Second, the rotational tool should be used in only one direction, never back and forth. You will notice when using one they go very quickly in one direction and slowly in the other. You want to use the tool in the direction where it goes slowly. This will be the opposite of the heads rotation; otherwise you are just moving the tool along a cut and not really removing material, and it is very easy for the cut to go much to far. Most likely resulting in a ruined piece of bark like in the middle section. Also, thanks for offering this technique, I'd never heard of it, and it seems very useful.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks for the tips! 👍

[@bonsaiavia7902]

Thank you for sharing!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

My pleasure! thanks for commenting!

[@terryhogwood6178]

Great video,keep up the good work, thank you

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks so much Terry, I appreciate that!

[@papabonsaimadrid]

Ty Dave, interesting technique.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Papá Bonsai! recomiendo intentarlo primero en un bonsai que no tenga mucho valor.. esta técnica puede fallar y te puede dejar con otra herida dentro de dos años que tienes que "arreglar" otra vez...

[@mattbrennan647]

Fascinating. Thanks Dave 👍🏻

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Matt! I'll probably do an update on this tree in a year's time. 👍🏻

[@abhinav3101]

Nice technique I'll Surely use this trick each time Thanks

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! It was quite hard work though, I wouldn't want to do this more than once a year!

[@pratasmuggler6940]

Well done 👍

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thank you! 👍🏻

[@isidroalbertgarcia2396]

Nice to have News from you Dave!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Isidro! Unfortunately my spare time is very limited at the moment, hence less frequent videos...

[@ernsttencate6699]

Beautiful technique. Needs a lot of skill with tools. I am going to try it too. Glad to see you back. Good video. 👍👍👍. I need to work on my tool skills.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks a lot Ernst! In the event, my tooling skills were better in my head than in reality in my hands!! You can notice quite some flecks of damaged bark where the tool bounced off the wood.. my bad! You can also see a bloody graze on one of my fingers at some stage... so yes I also need to improve my tool skills!!

[@raymondplodzien7459]

Wonderful technique. I was happy you showed how it is done in an easy understandable demo. Thanks!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Raymond! Now we need to wait a few years to see how well it worked...

[@living_sculptures_za]

Thank you Dave. What a great video. I'm loving this technique. Well done.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thank you Liam, glad you enjoyed it!

[@TropicalBonsai]

Amazingly detailed video, thanks for sharing. This will be useful.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks, glad it was useful!

[@PlantObsessed]

That is interesting. I have only used it when the original chop was made. Thank you for showing us this.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! This old chop wound was never going to heal over, so I had to do something. If this doesn't heal over well in a few years I'll try something even more drastic...

[@SysterYster]

It's funny how violent we can be to the little trees and they're like: "Okay..." :P

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Yes it's weird.. and some species like elms and hornbeams / boks seem to not care at all! It's always good to remember that trees don't have brains so they don't feel pain! 😂

[@SysterYster]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Yeah! Lucky for them, lol. Imagine being able to feel pain, but unable to run away from dangers! :O

[@bonsaibro]

Good video. Thank you!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Bro!

[@claudiahawkins2648]

Wow thank you, I am learning so much from you.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! Glad you're finding my videos helpful!

[@onizukateacher7992]

Great quality vid thanks.a lot.👍👍🤘🤘

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thank you!😊👍

[@dcads2290]

Fantastic advise and well explained down to finest detail as always. Thanks

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks, glad you liked it @

[@cherylandrews3195]

You always have something awesome to teach us! Love that tree btw :)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Cheryl, glad you enjoyed it! I also love this tree, I think it'll look great when it's finally in an appropriate pot 😊

[@jacktaylor6190]

Nice work!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Jack! I'll update in a few years time! 😉

[@BackGardenBonsai]

A very Interesting technique. I can’t wait to see the outcome. Hans has some awesome trees so I am sure his method will work very well 👍👍

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Cheers Ian! Yes he does, but it remains to be seen how well my one will work! 👍🏻

[@TreeVibes]

This is a cool technique I haven’t seen before. Think I have a tree I will try this one

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Yes I would recommend first try it on a tree that is not one of your favourites "just in case" - it does sometimes go wrong and you only find out 2 years later...

[@TreeVibes]

@@BlueSkyBonsai that's a good idea 😁 but it's a tree I am just experimenting with

[@bonsaiexoticpets741]

Awesome technique and lesson to us godbless sir 💕💕💕

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks!!👍

[@brawltvs8303]

Good work

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks BTVs!! 👍🏻

[@ArbeRamos]

nice 🎉

[@Derrick8WLee]

Hello Dave, I love it when the whiteboard comes out. Cool technique. Will have to try. Thanks for sharing and teaching.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi Derrick and thanks! Noted, it seems that the videos with whiteboard seem to hit home better than straight tree work. My advice is try this technique first on a tree that you care less about, "just in case"! It's tricky and you don't know if it has worked until 2-3 years later...

[@WonderEco]

Hi Dave, That's a cool technique.I learned a lot from you. Can't wait to see the results..🌲🌲

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Kalana! It might be a long wait, but there'll be plenty of other video updates before then!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

Wow, THAT was impressive. I’m impressed by your attention to detail. Hopefully it works out! Keep CHOPPIN bro!!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hey Colin, thanks so much! And "CHOPPIN" is now known universally so you started a new craze there!! Ps. DRW still didn't arrive so I'm making inquiries at the post office to see if they have any record of it..

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

@@BlueSkyBonsai major bummer, but I guess that’s the risk we run. Chin up, ONWARD! Spring is right around the corner!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@BostonBonsaiIdiot yer right, roll on spring! Anyways, not giving up yet, all is not lost!

[@BostonBonsaiIdiot]

@@BlueSkyBonsai 🤞

[@bouggiesandmixbonsai4603]

Thanks for sharing sir 👍💯 it is very inspiring

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

You're welcome, thanks for your kind comment!

[@jeffhurst4744]

Good morning, my friend. And Happy New Year to you and family. A very good instructional video on addressing limb-chops and how to make them look even better in the trees shaping and styling. Had not seen this method addressed in other Bonsai video sources before now. Thank you, now I’ll use this knowledge to address two of our trees. Keep them coming. 😃

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi Jeff, thank you!! Keep in mind this is just one technique, alongside others which I would like to demonstrate too in the future. This technique sometimes fails so I recommend trying it on a less important tree first. Other possibilities are: peal back thicker strips of bark before carving the heartwood. Or create an "Uro" and make it look natural. Or carve the wood then thread graft a thin branch to speed up healing. None of them easy but all fun!

[@Realistic-isopod]

I'd give ten likes, if I could. Many thanks for this!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! Glad you liked it, even if you couldn't ten times! 😊

[@mick681]

Great video. Very informative showing a technique that I have never seen or heard of before. Nice tree with great movement. Please keed us update in a year or so.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! I will definitely update on this in the future.

[@MauricioVarelaE]

Esa técnica es la más difícil de todas, sólo me ha funcionado en fresnos en época de crecimiento. Gracias por compartir!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Muchas gracias también por compartir tu experiencia con esta técnica. Pienso en que si funciona, perfecto. Y si no funciona tampoco importa, porque tenía que tallar ese trozo del tronco de alguna manera, o sea que si no funciona, lo vuelvo a tallar.

[@BonsaiBoise]

Another great video Dave! And that's a really great idea that I'd not seen before. Keep work mate.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Mike! 👍 I'll report back on this wound in a couple of years!

[@johnlewins8931]

Dave, I wonder if it might have been feasible to peel back the bark you wanted to preserve first, protect it from the drill and drying out, then carve out the desired shape.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi John, thanks for the suggestion - in retrospect I think that might have been a better idea. I'll return to this wound in 2 or 3 years, if it has gone bad then I'll have to re-carve anyway... at that stage one of the options will be to peal back more bark, as you suggest then paste it down afterwards. Another option could be a large Uro, with a possibly a v-shape split down in the bark to create the impression of a naturally damaged trunk. But I think the bark on this hornbeam doesn't yet look mature enough for a Uro to look realistic. Thanks again for your comment!

[@jarheadbonsai]

Cheers Dave!!! 😎🍺🍺🍺 great to see another video from Marid. I love this trees trunk flow. Thanks broski

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Jered!! heheh yeah I always have to add a bit of the Madrid sky so you see what it's like living here! The trunk flow, yes it's really nice, let's just hope this big carving heals over nicely in a few years! 🍺🍺🍺👍

[@jarheadbonsai]

@@BlueSkyBonsai i have no doubts

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Great video and the first time I have heard or seen this technique. You have just got yourself another subscriber for that!! I look forward to looking back through your videos :)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it!

[@javierg7905]

Hola Dave, muy interesante esta tecnica para curar la herida del carpe. Deseando ver como progresa la misma. Saludos.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hola Javier, muchas gracias! El problema con esta técnica es que puede fallar, y no sabremos hasta dentro de 2 años. Sin duda mostraré el progreso 👍🏻

[@jenr1982]

Great great video. I love the white board explantions, very good. And all the graphics. Well done.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thank you very much! Do you plan to try this technique on one of your trees? Sometimes they heal faster, other times they don't work so well, but they all seem to heal over in the end after a few years.

[@jenr1982]

Yes, maybe in the future when appear some tree with a scar like that. Thanks for the video.

[@davidmorgan3508]

Aussie Dave here, welcome back and happy new year 🤗. Again a very well presented video great information 😀

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks a lot Dave! Happy new year to you, hope it's a good one.

[@majkthebad3835]

Oh that is cool! I’ve one hornbeam with a very similar trunk chop done last year. Now, next year I might give it a try with this technique. Good luck with yours. Fingers crossed. Mike.shohin .

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Mike! An alternative to this technique (I might also show in a future video) is to first peel down some strips of bark with sufficient sapwood inside, then to carve the heartwood to shape then pin the bark back on. However that method has different risks. There's no easy way! Cheers👍🏻

[@baldyeti]

Whoa! Mind blown here, Dave. Great execution of the technique. Sure do appreciate you sharing the detailed step by steps! I took some serious notes here! I liked the Lego man scale! Hehe

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

thank you!! I'm glad you enjoyed it! The lego jedi knight was my third attempt at demonstrating the scale, the others just looked flat by comparison (a battery and a memory SD card). So let it be, the standard method for demonstrating drill bit size... 😊

[@cbrusharmy]

I think the limb the "branch that had to go" was sitting on probably also has to go; it's too big, and it doesn't resemble a split trunk enough to stay. That Van Meer technique looks great!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks, and good call - that whole primary branch could possibly be chopped off. Hey, there's always another year! The Van Meer procedure, is cool but it's something I wouldn't want to do more than once a year...

[@cbrusharmy]

@@BlueSkyBonsai I think I'm going to have to try it this year!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@cbrusharmy try it first on a tree that you're less emotionally attached to... just in case!

[@katedodd79]

Gorgeous hornbeam, mine is currently a nice trunk with very tiny, thin primary branches, but the branches grow so fast I'm hoping I get similar ramification to yours in a few short years!?! Love beautiful red sky shot and of course the clear blue sky is a sight for sore eyes! Take care x

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Kate! heheh yeah I always have to add a bit of the Madrid skies so you see what it's like living here! The branches do thicken up quite quickly on these, probably because of the abundant leaves and leaf surface area. In just a few years you already have to start pruning back to avoid over thickening. I'll have to make another decision in a couple of years to maybe chop off the thickest primary branch... which looks lovely at the moment but is almost as thick as the trunk. We'll see.... thanks again!

[@OddBonsai]

You did a great job on this lovely tree Dave! Never heard about the technique until now but it sounds like a good shortcut to healing big wounds. Are the flaps suposed to fuse together? It's not clear from the video if they are joined flush and you put the cambium layers in contact or if they just overlap where they meet. One would need some good tayloring skills to make them match perfectly. 😁

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Stefan! The technique has mixed reviews - there are some people who recommend not to do this because they have not seen it working. But this is my second time, and the first seems to have worked ok... but... it's extremely fiddly and difficult to get the flaps the right shape to fit together. As you said, good tailoring skills needed... and always better in my head than in the reality of my hands! For example in this video the bit that broke so I had to cut it off. In the end, I think a perfect bond is not necessary between the flaps because the callusing balloons up so much that you can't really see the original bark after a few years. The thing that *is* important is to ensure the flaps are pressed down flush against the wood. I'll come back to these two trees in the future...

[@OddBonsai]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Thanks for your answer Dave! I hope you get good results with this on both your trees and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the healed area looks like.

[@danteantonio6711]

Like new intro :)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks so much!! I really appreciate that you liked this change! 😊

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

Third. Nice tree.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi Jason, thanks!

[@Steviejapanesegarden]

Hi Dave I have just subscribed really enjoying your channel very professional.can I do a major chop on my mugo pine now I’m in the uk would like to send you a picture of it so you can give me some advice thanks Steve

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi Steve thanks so much! Pines are more delicate than deciduous trees regarding major chops, and especially mugos. I'm not an pines expert, I only have two pines, one of which is mugo. I know that you should reduce height gradually over several years. Don't chop more than half the foliage mass in any given year. And don't do more than one major job in any 12 months, so if you do any big chops now, don't repot it this year. Here's a great resource from Harry Harrington who has a lot more experience with pines: www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Pinus%20page2.html and www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATMugo%20Pines%20Indepth.htm

[@tobywilson4876]

Thanks for showing this Dave I've never seen this techinique before! I wonder if you can show a similar techinique where a cut wound hasn't fully healed over and instead as produced pithy dead wood? I've seen some artists remove this wood and fill the gap with filler so that it can heal over

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Good idea Toby, I would love to do a video like that. Also some other "natural" healing techniques, like carving a long way down into the deadwood and a v-shape in the bark, then making it look like an old split trunk that has rotten inside. So it never heals over but looks natural. If only I had unlimited time I would already be working on it!! Cheers 🌳👍🏻

[@1Mutton1]

Very interesting technique. I think I'll be sticking with the traditional way though. .

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Good thought, yes most of the chops I wouldn't do this, but it's worth a try for the occasional tree work.

[@1Mutton1]

@@BlueSkyBonsai bonsai is about experimentation and I'm interested in seeing the outcome. Can you please tell me you filmed this 2 years ago so you can do an update reveal.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@1Mutton1 I'll show an update in 2 years' time!!

[@user-fb3pu3qx3t]

Second to comment! Missed you dude!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Q!! I wish I could do these videos more frequently... lack of spare time...

[@jeffwatts4264]

great video dave , i have an oak that i collected that ill need to carve ,as its quite a thick trunk, does the cut paste allow the wound to breathe?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Jeff. The cut paste serves two theoretical purposes, and one definite demonstrable purpose. First, in theory it stops microscopic spores of fungi from entering the open cambium, especially when rainwater drips onto it. And secondly, apparently the Japanese cut paste brands encourage faster callusing, so the wound heals over faster. The third purpose which is true (but not always necessary) is that it stops the wound from seeping sap or "bleeding" as some people call it. However... In my opinion the best wound sealant is the tree's own sap, which is plentiful in summer, and so I don't bother trying to stop it from seeping out sap then... I only use cut paste in winter because it's likely to rain. And in winter deciduous trees don't produce sap from wounds while they're dormant. I don't believe chop wounds need to breathe. If you do a chop in Spring, the wound might produce a lot of sap, potentially enough to weaken the tree while it's trying to push put buds, so then paste is useful. But, I would recommend not to do any big chops in spring but wait until late spring or early summer. Did that answer your question ?? 😊

[@backbudbonsai]

Incredible video…… I really appreciated it! At what time of year did you perform this technique?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks! It's nice of you to ask! I did it in December 2021. ie. Early winter.

[@Whylon]

Hola Dave gracias por compartir! I am thinking in an iteration of this technique. What do you think that would happen if you make the cut leaving a stub slightly leaned in a way that, in the future when you empty the wood the peel completely seal the wound? (I dont know if I explained myself with clarity with my spanglish sorry)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hola Joan, yes, what you suggest should work better than my attempt because you should be able to cover the entire wound with cambium/bark. My only worry would be if there are any air gaps inside, that could cause the method to fail because it could prevent your peel from bonding with the heartwood. Also be aware that this technique (how I did it) is not guaranteed to work... some people said that they have never seen it work well. But in my opinion it's still better than an obvious trunk chop...

[@oldmanfromscenetwentyfour8164]

Interesting. How's it looking so far?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks. The wound will stay under paste for another 1 - 2 years so we won't see if the technique was successful for a while yet. Of course it's stillcovered in leaves so not much to show st the moment flic.kr/p/2nSdFCu I'll take another pic after I defoliate again in January.

[@lougriffiths]

Interesting, what kind of metal were the tacks , thanks dave

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Louise, they're ordinary steel tacks, but very thin. They rust in time but that doesn't appear to be a problem.

[@christophenoisette3301]

Hello David. Muy impresionante ! ¿No eres dentista ? La verdad es que tenía la impresión de asistir a una operación de cirujía dental. Buen trabajo, y técnica interesantísima. Saludos.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi Christophe, Gracias! Jajaja si yo fuera cirujano dental, estaría muy preocupado por mis pacientes!! 🥴😂

[@roohisaxena107]

Hi Dave, I’m from India. I’m learning a lot from you. Thanks for making so informative videos. I specially like the whiteboard demonstration. Can you please explain why you pushed the nails in the trunk; I couldn’t understand. Please help.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi, yes the nails keep the bark and xylem tight onto the heartwood. I keep the nails there for about two years then carefully remove them, but I still keep the wound sealant on for another 1 or 2 more years after that. HTH

[@roohisaxena107]

Thank you

[@luigiluigi2098]

I do wonder if you can precut the flap fully as if air layering before cutting off branch and doing it one hit. Just a thought. 😊

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Worth a try on a non-precious bonsai.. if you decide to give it a go I'll be interested to hear your results!

[@ev815]

Curious, can you do something akin to a skin graft, and cut a strip from another branch, and put it on the wound? I think one of Trident maple trees, someone did that, but I've since chopped further down and now I can't investigate.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

I've never tried that but it's definitely worth experimenting!

[@MrTributes]

i wonder if you could do a patch bud graft to cover a wound completely

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Good question. Maybe. But I think that wouldn't have worked on this big chop wound because it had a large area of deadwood from several years ago. But on a fresh chop wound maybe it could work??

[@jeremiahshine]

Mid-spring I broke a major branch. I did a similar thing and wrapped the flaps with electrical tape. I left on until early winter. Voila!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Good work Jeremiah! Did you have to carve the wood inside the flaps before taping them down?

[@jeremiahshine]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Nope. The break left a big flap That laid down...er... "up"., I should say.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@jeremiahshine sounds ideal!

[@joelhiggins6156]

Interesting technique, it seems one advantage may be a more natural wound when all is healed? Im wondering since you still have some fibers under the cambium when you nail the flaps down would this result in a cavity after it heals over? Not sure if I am explaining that clearly 😅

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Joel! A more natural wound at the end of it, is a theoretical advantage but in practice we still get ugly callusing - from experience of my first attempt. The advantage of this method is faster covering over the deadwood, but I'm not yet convinced it will look like a natural trunk feature. I'll do future updates on this for sure. Re. Fibres under the cambium: Hans Van Meer explained that they are needed to avoid the cambium from breaking. I don't think there is risk of a cavity because the callusing balloons out in all directions and the cambium seems to bond downwards ok. Maybe if you could do a perfect shaving of the sapwood without harming the cambium, it could work better... but it's really difficult!!

[@naturgeist]

What kind of lavalier microphone do you use? I really like the sound quality. :)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi, I use this, it cost 130€ when I bought it, but now I see it at 99€. amzn.to/3TjFUQl I'm very happy with it, very convenient being able to walk around without worrying about the mic cable pulling the camera/tripod over! There is a manual volume adjuster on the receiver, I always turn that down a couple of clicks before shooting, otherwise any loud words can cause distortion. I use NiMH rechargeable batteries and recharge them before a day of shooting. The batteries have only run out once while shooting, and I hadn't recharged them beforehand. So that's something to watch out for. Hope that helps! BTW That link has my affiliate code so if you go ahead and purchase, without paying any extra you buy me a coffee!

[@criszf]

Hola, Dave! Una suscriptora nueva en tu canal y que también vive en Madrid. Te conozco desde hace dos días y no dejo de ver tus vídeos. Tienes unos árboles maravillosos y un gusto exquisito en los diseños. La edición de los vídeos es fantástica. Enhorabuena!!!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hola Cris en Madrid! Muchas gracias, me alegra que te gusten mis vídeos. Qué tal tu inglés? Te lo pregunto porque no tengo subtítulos en todos los vídeos, es cosa que gradualmente estoy intentando hacer.

[@criszf]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Morning, Dave. To be honest, personally it's not a problem. I am an English/Spanish translator and I am married to a British man from Cambridge. I also have to tell you that your English is wonderful and very easy to understand. I got to know you a few days ago through Nigel's channel. I follow many Bonsai channels (Japanese, Spanish, English, Canadian...) and your channel is one of the ones I like the most. It is very didactic and very well edited. Congratulations again.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@criszf thanks again! Interesting how nearly all the Spanish in UK eventually come back to Spain, but all the Brits in Spain want to stay here!

[@chrisl3330]

Is it possible that these techniques could work on larger trees?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

It's possible, but I've never tried on a large tree. I think drilling out the heartwood carefully without damaging the xylem and cambium, could take a long time. If you have the time it's worth a try !

[@danield.matthews9384]

I like three but what about that long straight branch?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Yes, you're right! that long straight branch needs to be pruned shorter so it can start creating natural movement. For now I'm letting it grow a but long so it gets thicker near the trunk. I'll probably prune it much shorter this winter. If you're interested, here's how the tree looked when I repotted it this year: flic.kr/p/2opsnqM

[@Cgraseck]

Great vid! I hope the operation heals well. One thing that I think may be important is using stainless steel nails. I have heard that copper nails can kill a tree. Cheers, Chris

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Yes that's an excellent point I should have mentioned that. Interestingly though... copper wires are fine for the branches, so I wonder why copper nails are bad. Many years ago it was suggested as a surreptitious way of killing a neighbouring tree that is overshadowing your garden... bang in a copper nail and wait a couple of years!

[@Cgraseck]

@@BlueSkyBonsai maybe it’s just an old wives tail?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@Cgraseck no idea .. maybe.. it would be easy to test!

[@C.padilla]

Gracias por los subtítulos en castellano

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

De nada, espero que te haya gustado el vídeo!

[@memberphil]

Is there a follow up on this one or could you do one? :) Thanks a lot for the high quality content you are producing :)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Phil! I pruned this again a couple of weeks ago but no update on the chop wound this year. I will need to wait at least another year or maybe even two before I start to peel back the dried cut paste. In the meantime if you're interested, you can see the progress on this tree in my Flickr album here: www.flickr.com/gp/davidhseymour/31rr067g3f Scroll to the last photo to see how the chop wound looked by December..

[@memberphil]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Dear Dave, thanks for your kind reply. I checked your flickr album, I like it, by the way :) The last picture really shows, how well the method works and that one does not have to be afraid not to do it perfectly, like me 😅 So I will try it on my beech tree.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@memberphil one more thing to consider: even if the carving goes a bit wrong, after it heals in a few years it can never look as unnatural as the original big straight chop did, which in the case of my hornbeam looked 100% manmade. good luck! And enjoy it!

[@stephenward2631]

Hey, any updates on this van meer healing technique

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi, no video update on this for another year or two, when I'll take off the nails and the dry paste. But if you're interested you can see how the tree looked after repotting in March this year: flic.kr/p/2opsnqM

[@richardandrew01]

Hi Dave. I have a question again about olives. I have another olive tree which I have repotted, but I have noticed that the top portion of the tree (the main trunk) is turning brown. About 1/4 of the main trunk of the top portion of the tree is turning brown. Does this mean that the tree is dying? What measures can I take in such a case where the trunk is turning brown? Am just not sure about the cause of this, but I only water my trees once a week. Today is summer in my place and am not having a lot of problems with my olives unlike during rains. Thanks a lot for your invaluable and precious advice.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hi Richard, it sounds like it might not have received enough water, or possibly after root pruning there was too much transpiration in the leaves that couldn't be provided with sufficient water from the roots. Either way, all you can do now is keep spraying the leaves, keep it in the shade and keep the soil watered but not waterlogged. If it continues to get worse, put a clear plastic bag over it to keep inside 100% humidity for a couple of weeks. Good luck!

[@richardandrew01]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Hi Dave. Based on your experience, how many weeks or months does it take before an olive tree recovers? It has been more than a month now and it has lost a lot of leaves and I am really starting to worry now that I might lose my beloved tree. :( Thanks a lot on your advice on how to prevent moisture loss from the leaves. There are still some few leaves attached to the tree and the main branch is still green so I am not losing hope completely.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@richardandrew01 keep on giving it TLC, keep it humid, no direct sunlight, and don't lose faith!

[@MisterBobi]

Wery interesting method! I hope it will callus over quickly and heal with a good presentable surface. Why are the wounds on the upper main trunk so visible, is it because of the species of the tree, and what type of cut did you make on it Concave, Flat, or Convex? Very best Dave, Can't wait for your new video!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Slobodan! We'll return to it in 2-3 years to see how it calluses over. I bought this horbeam from a nursery about 3 years ago, it already had that massive trunk chop highly visible. So I planned to do the Van Meer for a few years now. I believe bonsai nurseries do their trunk chops with a significant stump visible because the tree is much more likely to survive the chop, with easy room for a bit of dieback. I guess they leave the hardest work for the customer... Thanks again for your comments!

[@MisterBobi]

@@BlueSkyBonsai I see. 👌 Thank you for your reply, and I hope to see more of your videos soon. (It has felt like ages passed that you didn't put up a video, please do something about that it would be great if we were able to see your work more often) Very best Slobodan.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@MisterBobi thanks, I appreciate your comments! At the moment I have very limited spare time hence less frequent videos. If that changes I'll be sure to do more often...

[@GrowingBonsai]

Are you sure the ladybug was a goner ? In December I would expect it to be fully dormant, non-responsive :)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Good question! I don't know if ladybugs can aurvive the cold winter months, even in dormancy. Another person suggested to keep all the leaves somewhere because it might have laid eggs under some leaves. Either way, we get enough ladybugs that I can try to lure a few into my bonsai garden!

[@HuitronCuahuitl]

Qué gran técnica. Gracias por compartir tu conocimiento.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Gracias! 🌳👍🏻

[@bobbymalta73]

Why you attached those nails please? Happy New Year. Thks For Sharing Mate..

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

The nails keep the sapwood pressed hard against the heartwood of the trunk. We need them so that it bonds, I think cut paste on its own wouldn't make them bond. Cheers!

[@bobbymalta73]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Thks For your reply mate you'r info is amazing keep sharing your talent with us Please. Bless You and Your Dear Ones!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@bobbymalta73 thanks Bobby take care mate!

[@SysterYster]

I had to google that name, Hornbeam. We call them Bok in Swedish, which literally means "book". They're very pretty trees, and one I'd like to try some day. :) I gathered a lot of seeds from one this autumn, but none of them have sprouted. :( I think I'll need tips on how to grow them. Unless I can find a baby this spring somewhere and take it with me home. :P

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hej Syster, Maybe you could try an air layer on a Bok in nature this spring. If you can find an appropriate branch, and you're sure the pesky forest-goers won't try to unwrap your layer. By late summer it should have produced enough roots in the layer to chop off the branch and plant it in a large grow pot. Just an idea! This way it would be a good bonsai in a short time... whereas with seeds you'll be waiting 5 or more years....

[@SysterYster]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Hej! :) Ooooh! That's an idea. I've never tried air layering before though. But I did watch your video about it. :P I have a nice red-leafed bok nearby actually. I don't think people would poke it, but of course, you never know. XD I don't really see them in the forests here though, so it's gotta be the ones in either parks or the one nearby between a school and where I live. It's a few meters away from the actual road/path though. So I think it'd be safe. Do you carve off the bark or not? I don't recall?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@SysterYster yes you need to make a clean, sharp circle all the way around the bark and it has to be deep enough to also completely get rid of the cambium layer. The circle should be about the same length along the branch as the diameter of the branch. Use rooting hormone powder or gel, press on plenty of chopped sphagnum moss (slightly damp) and wrap tight with clingfilm, followed by aluminium foil. The foil lets you inspect the layer every now and then, but keeps it dark inside for the rest of the time.

[@SysterYster]

@@BlueSkyBonsai So I need to cut all the way to the sapwood? The cambium is the green layer, right? Hmmm... they don't have rooting hormones in my local plant store. I guess I'll have to look online. Any tips? I have tons of sphagnum moss for my orchids. :D Awesome. I'll try this. :) And hope that nobody tries to remove it. XD How long do you think it would take? Like, a month or two?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@SysterYster yes, any cambium left on your layer will try to callus instead of creating roots, so you need to make sure there's no green. Also use a clean, super-sharp knife. If you create your layer in mid March then by mid June it will surely have enough roots to sustain the stem above it. When you saw off the layer and transfer to a pot, that is also a good time to prune off the higher parts of the branch that you don't need so that the remaining foliage mass can be sustained by the relatively few roots. Also, do a couple of them "just in case"... Re. Rooting hormone, yes I get mine online. Each country seems to have its own rules so I can't recommend one. But powder is a bit more versatile than liquid. Watch out because some "rooting powders" don't actually have rooting hormone in them....

[@MircoBussolari]

Hi, is it possible to make grafts on a Korean hornbeam?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

I haven't grafted a KH. I have heard that it *is* possible, but difficult. The graft may die, unless you keep it warm and humidity at near 100%.

[@MircoBussolari]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Ok, thanks for the reply. Your bonsai channel is beautiful, keep it up! 😍

[@SysterYster]

Hi Dave! I think all my trees are still alive. I've moved them up and down to the cellar, like 4 times. lol. But now I'm almost worried it'll get too warm out there. Stupid weather. It's meant to be cold in January, but the other day I had 20 degrees out there! (Because of the glass around the balcony). But so far, they seem fine. So now I'm getting nervous about springtime. XD Should I replant them and cut roots in like February? March? Or is March too late? How are the turtles btw? Still doing well? :)

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Great to hear all your trees are doing okay! Wow, 20 degrees already in January, yes they'll start to "wake up" if they're in that temperature for too much time. The best time to repot and root-prune all deciduous trees is just as soon as you see the new leaf buds starting to swell, before they pop. That means the sap has gone up the tree, so it's pushing out the new leaves, so the roots are no longer storing all that starchy energy. At the same time, the leaves have not yet popped out so the tree is not yet thirsty for the larger amounts of water that it needs in late spring/summer with all the leaves transpiring like crazy. So that's the horticultural reason why it is the best time. Shaving off root mass means less ability to supply water to foliage. (You can do it later in spring or even early summer for some species, but then you need to take more precautions like keep them in the shade and in a humid plastic bag for a few weeks to ensure they don't lose all the leaves to dry heat and transpiration). Do you remember my Gingko forest video? I had to keep that one indoors with higher humidity for over a month because I pruned the roots in May.. Turtles are doing fine .. growing fast .. thanks for asking! 😊

[@SysterYster]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Yeah. It wasn't 20 outside, but on my glassed-in balcony it got pretty warm. It was like 10 outside. :) Gotta remember to check the weather now though and open up if it's gonna be sunny. Alright. So I gotta check them buds a lot soon then. :P I'm like prepared to need to do it in feb-mar anyway. I think it's gonna be warm enough on the balcony for them to wake up then. I do remember the gingko video. lol. Are they doing fine now? It looked very pretty. I kinda wanna try a forest too some day. But it would be too much right now. :P Oh, my citrus trees that I have indoors, I've had to spray them every day all winter. They got bugs in the late autumn, and I figured it was because of the drier air and because the radiators are on now. But they're fine now. :) Some dry leaf edges, but nothing else. Awesome. Thanks for all the info!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@SysterYster tap root, good plan. Make sure you have your pots and new granular soil ready to deploy!!

[@SysterYster]

@@BlueSkyBonsai I will. :D

[@madreportera22]

Hola, puedes poner el link de la broca grande? Gracias

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hola, sí ahora lo busco creo que lo compré en Amazon ES, un segundito

[@madreportera22]

@@BlueSkyBonsai mil gracias! ,🤗

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@madreportera22 Es todo el juego de piezas: www.amazon.es/gp/product/B07ZQMXRND/ Lo compre hace dos años, espero que todavía lo tengan!

[@madreportera22]

@@BlueSkyBonsai gracias ya lo he visto, me lo apunto 🤗

[@monstrous_raccoon]

That's some real plastic surgery 😂👍 Good thing i'm not that far with my trees. Would be scared to use a Dremel on them 😬

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks.. yes it was several years before I dared put a dremel to a tree. But it's amazing how much hacking these trees can take, especially deciduous trees!

[@iamaduckquack]

The leaves on my hornbeam usually drop.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Hehe that saves you a job then! Maybe there are different cultivars with different leaf behaviours

[@iamaduckquack]

@@BlueSkyBonsai Yes that's the likely explanation.

[@bkumaravel5562]

Sir how to grow fast my chinese banyan(ficus microcarpa)in outdoors at temp around28-35C in INDIA

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

I have never grown anything in India, so I can't tell you from my own experience. But here in Madrid in summer, it gets hotter than 35 every day for about 6 weeks. My ficus trees all stay outside with direct sun in the morning (cooler) and in the shade in the hot afternoons. Make sure the soil doesn't dry out by watering every day, or more if it gets really hot. Use a liquid fertilizer dissolved in water every two weeks. If the temperature goes higher than 35C then stop fertilizing and just keep on watering enough. The more leaves you have, the more thirsty the tree will be.

[@sergiopolanco5126]

Where is part 2???

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Part 2 due in 2025 😊

[@Boniature]

Does every plant grow after main trunk cutting ....like 1)mini jade ...will it survive without leaf .??... 2)will banyan tree survive after main trunk cutting? How to determine which plant or tree can survive after main trunk cutting

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Not every tree can survive a major trunk chop. Coniferous trees like pines and junipers must have foliage to survive, and can die if you remove like 3/4 of the foliage in one chop. But most other trees can survive fine. Deciduous trees have no problem with trunk chops in winter or summer (but not good in spring). Ficus, no problem. Mini jade, no problem. You can remove all the leaves of a mini jade, as long as it was healthy and vigorous. Don't do that at the same time as pruning the roots.

[@Boniature]

@@BlueSkyBonsai thank you so much for sharing ...i will make a bonsai for you for sure🙏.....how can we connect on social media

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@Boniature you're welcome. If you want you can follow me on Instagram @blueskybonsai . I'm flattered you would make a bonsai for me, but please don't send it because spanish border control will not let me receive it. They destroy plant material sent to spain without a valid phytosanitary certificate for the plant certified by the department of agriculture in the country of origin.

[@thegreenmanalishiyamadori371]

I would have slowly removed the Bark than dremel it and than put the Bark back so it wont get hurt...

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Good suggestion, and someone else also said a similar idea. I will do that sometime in future video on a different tree.

[@peterboneg]

It will be interesting to see how this turns out. I've never seen the method used successfully and that includes in original article by Hans himself. You don't seem to have aligned the cambium properly between the flaps so I can't see how they could stay alive. Sorry to be negative.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Thanks Peter, that's okay. The first time I tried the technique it worked but I agree the cambium on the flaps was a bit haphazard on this hornbeam. If it works or fails, either way I'll show it in an update in a couple of years. There are a couple of further possibilities I can do if this comes out bad. That section of trunk could still be tapered off significantly more.. or hollowed with an Uro for example.

[@peterboneg]

@@BlueSkyBonsai OK. If I were trying this I would fold the flaps over before cutting them to size so that they overlap, then hold them in place and cut through both layers with a sharp knife before pushing them flush with each other. That way the cambium should line up perfectly. Good to know that it can work.

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

@@peterboneg there is another thing to consider here. The callusing that occurs at all the cut edges creates a kind of ballooning of callus material, so even if you can line up the cambium perfectly, the end result is still far from smooth bark. I just hope it'll look more natural than the obvious trunk chop that was there before.

[@edinborogh]

First to comment!!

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

You were indeed first and foremost! 👍🏻

[@chriskennedy8514]

What’s ramification?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

It's the branching of a tree to finer and finer secondary, tertiary, quaternary branches. You could call it the twiggyness of a tree - it makes a bonsai look more like a miniature real tree. If you're interested, I talk about it more in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYCqcn1rntaKnM0

[@frenchfries2148]

Any update?

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Not yet. Look for an update in Jan 2025!