Turn a cheap Christmas tree into a Cascade Bonsai !

Around Christmas the shelves are full of cheap Picea Christmas trees. These young plants are flexible, and can easily be turned into a small cascading bonsai.
From selecting picea branches for bonsai to bending a big trunk and repotting picea bonsai, all covered in this video!

[@acer_p_bonsai]

Great episode Jelle! Especially love the discussion at the end about the tree continuing to show “apical” dominance!

[@givetanks]

I've done so many of these that I'm now sick of spruce 🤣

[@peterlandry8809]

Beautiful work , I would have never thought of doing that with a dwarf Alberta spruce . Very inspiring , thank you

[@therasan]

De video’s die je maakt hebben me geïnspireerd ook aan deze hobby te beginnen. Heb al wat plantjes staan waar ik bonsai van wil maken. Nu alleen nog de moed verzamelen om te beginnen.

[@tomigunzdmv]

Ah this is the Christmas tree video you were telling me about! I got 3 trees plus one cutting. I will try and cascade one now! It was great meeting you in DC. -Black Hat

[@KurisuBonsai]

I quite like working with Picea, after a few mins the spikiness isn't so bad and with plucking the extending new growth in spring you can make some really nice pads over a few years. Great work!

[@thenaturecreater8906]

Great video jelle! You gave me ideas on my cheap informal upright spruces now! Let's get bendy

[@JeffBelttari-fp7pd]

I love this tree

[@sueb1317]

So interesting! Wonderful videos on showing us how to think outside the box. Would love a follow-up when you do decide to prune. This is going to be a great bonsai.

[@Sketchylemons]

Wow just wow Jelle. Very cool and super inspiring

[@GrowingBonsai]

Thanks so much!

[@danielkalyanrai]

Beautiful transformation

[@FrostBiteBonsai]

What a difference! I still have trees from the Christmas I did the challenge!

[@thepainter5728]

I am totally amazed at how "rough" you can treat these without damaging them, I have been much too gentle I'm afraid! Very well narrated also!

[@GrowingBonsai]

I think you may have interpreted the use of force for being rough :). I was really gently with the tree, taking time and providing support for the strongest bends ensuring no structural damage was done! But yes, often coniferous trees can be bend much more than people think

[@nwilliams1540]

Nice work on the cascade creation. That pot is really great!

[@ravaginggoatman]

I have three of these from last Xmass, always plenty of material like this to practice with. Thank You for the wonderful video.

[@GrowingBonsai]

You're very welcome! Enjoy the styling!

[@scheers100]

I really like the tourniquet technique to stimulate higher roots. I used it on two trees last year with great success, it feels safe and it is very easy to execute. Thank for your content, greets from Belgium

[@WanderingBobAK]

Glad it worked for you. I'm sure very few people have any clue what you are talking about. I sure don't!

[@pesoverwatch9324]

This Xmas I gonna buy 5 trees I guess, and non of em gonna have balls in em...nice work Jelle!

[@blusukanbonsai]

Cool bro, nice report is the Christmas trees

[@nerinat8371]

What beautiful work you've done with this tree... amazing

[@user-te7zz8mv3x]

thanks so much for sharing! i saw some mini christmas trees today and was so tempted to get one… glad i resisted! will wait for the christmas sale to nab a bargain to try 🤭

[@GrowingBonsai]

Happy holidays!

[@BassRepublic89]

Incredible

[@rebelliousbrands3253]

Love your videos. Nice tree.

[@GrowingBonsai]

Glad you like them!

[@wallygrandpa]

great job. Keep going strong

[@trybonsai]

Great work and very informative 🎉🎉

[@Bonsaicrazy]

Great video Jelle 👊👊

[@googleboy7530]

Impressive

[@mcbabs7495]

Super intéressant, un grand merci pour la vidéo!

[@bonsaisn]

Tuyệt vời, cảm ơn bạn chia sẽ video hay ❤

[@Hollylivengood]

Gonna try this. After Christmas, they give them away around here. It'll go with the free Japanese Maple that I have. I hope to also get a free cedar by a cutting, but that's still a hope - it - works.

[@GrowingBonsai]

Sounds like a plan. This tree was also a christmas clearance tree!

[@HavardStreAndresen]

Amazing video, Jelle🙂Most videos, concerning these trees are without updates. I reckon its because the trees dies because of to much abuse, during first styling. You seem to have struck the perfect balance.

[@HuyPham-io4vu]

Could you tilt the pot so the lowest part of the trunk will receive light and auxin hormones reach it?

[@GrowingBonsai]

This is indeed what some people do to keep a cascading branch healthy and trick trees into switching dominance.

[@GreenPumpkin767]

Is winter the best time to prune and wire a pine

[@GrowingBonsai]

Not sure it is the best, but it certainly is a good time!

[@bonsaijimmy]

Yes, listen to the tree - especially to its Latin name. For the cascade style choose a prostrate juniper, Prostrata , Procumbens - their NATURAL growth habit is to creep on the ground so they can easily be trained growing downwards. The Picea conica ( like the Full Moon maple/ Acer japonica) does not hold its form even after years of training ! Try to work with nature - not against it ! Chye Tan

[@GrowingBonsai]

ok

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🙂

[@ludwigcodjambassis8866]

🍁🍁🍁🌹

[@GrowingBonsai]

:)