Pruning and Scarring My Portulacaria afra Forest, The Bonsai Zone, Sept 2021
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- Опубліковано 13 вер 2024
- A month and a half after I hard pruned my Portulacaria afra forest, it's time to prune the trees once again.
I'm also trying a new technique of scarring the trunk to get the trees to look more like giant African Baobab trees.
To see previous videos of this forest, click on the playlist here...
• Portulacaria afra, Bao...
#TheBonsaiZone
Nigel,
I have been watching your channel for the better part of the last three years and I just would like to say how amazing of a teacher you are. Whether you realize it or not, you do an excellent job of explaining what you are doing and why you do it. Your frequent updates on the many many trees you have are an excellent way for someone to learn how trees react to certain techniques through watching you do it, and seeing how your trees react.
You and your videos have taken me from being someone incredibly interested in creating my own bonsai, but who is completely unsure where to even begin, to someone who can confidently make their own decisions about their own trees and create something really beautiful through smart and thoughtful care and design choices.
You seem like an absolutely wonderful person, and your channel is an incredibly valuable resource to anyone interested in learning about bonsai. I thank you for the wealth of content you have for us to enjoy.
Thank you and keep up the good work.
You used scissors like ivory. It’s quite fun and instructive. I always learn something from you. Thanks Nigel.
WOW, dear Nigel, I'm sorry to say that the portulacaria afra does not respond to scratches like crasula ovata at all (they are not related at all), the scraches will leave an almost permanent scar that will remain thinner than the other parts of the trunk, the scrach part will dry out and kill some parts of the skin and remain thin. It's good you did it at the back of the tree.
Agree on this comment.
he might be fine with the scars as long as the rings go away😂
It'd be like a real scarred baobab
increasing the authenticity!
@@mralabbad7 Yes it can be the case too, it may look good like this, the catch is portulacaria afra overacts to scaring, in order to have a thin layer of scar it just needs a very gentle touch and very shallow scratch. On the other hand to have all the rings disappear from the trunk, applying a very shallow scrach all the way around the trunk may help it happen with less loosing of the thickness and having a more even look on the final trunk, the catch would be one may has to do it constantly on all the new branches as well.
Scarring a P. afra can force a “cork bark” effect. While it potentially may be unsightly for a time, I think Nigel’s tree will heal. It indeed won’t have the smooth trunk that his scarred Crassula has, but it will nevertheless end up looking distinguished.
@@mirandusings I love nigel forest and his great work that he has done and is doing, I certainly hope so that this happens. I tried the method on one of my ports couple of years ago and the part I scratched remained thinner an uneven until few month ago that I still had the tree. I wanted to give Nigel a heads up and telling what will happen few years from now so that he may make different descision for his tree.
I dont think I'd ever have the courage to try an experiment like that on a plant I've had for any length of time. It looks really good, I hope it yields the desired result. I got my first portulacaria afra a few years ago after watching one of your videos. I'm thinking of trying a video with it. You've inspired me in the past to start some citrus bonsai from seeds and I started a ficus benjamina grouping with a homemade crumbling Aztec temple that I'm trying to make a video on, something else you inspired me to do, a few years ago I'd of been too shy to publish a video. Thanks for all the great videos and all the inspiration.
I'd love to see the videos!!!
@@TheBonsaiZone thanks for checking my videos out!!! You are so cool. I love your hair almost as much as your plants.
I bet you will be happy when the greenhouse is finished. Hopefully it will help house your hardy plants over the winter months.
Wow, that forest is evolving!
Bold decisions made with the scarring. Looking forward to see the result. Experience is knowledge. Thanks for sharing your experience Nigel!
Hi Nigel, your scarring process looks clever!!
I hope it works well and eventually looks natural!
Fantastic forest !!!!! Jade forever!!! Like like green House
Glad your little sequoias are growing so well, can't wait to see them develop. Your green house is looking great so far, the frame went up fast ! 👍
Great find on the smoke bush. Should look great once you start the bonsai process.
Morning chickens 🐔😊 updates looking good 👌 hope those trunks will heal over
You always come up with interesting new techniques to use on your bonsai. Loved watching you work on the Portulacaria afra. That greenhouse is looking FANTASTIC!
So nice!thank you....love❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰
The master at work. Great looking forest. An early morning video to start the day. Great tutorial and can hardly wait to see how the experiment turns out.
lovely Baobab slideshow and music Nigel. It really is those growth rings that deter me from Jades. I can't unsee the Michelin Man. How are the cork bark cuttings getting along?
"...and now it's time to prune them back" ^-^
"Everything's been reduced to stumps..." •-•
Nigel I love your videos and they give me confidence in my bonsai journey
Many thanks!
Hi from Arizona! I know you have so many seeds from everywhere, but I wanted to know if you might like some Saguaro Cactus seeds? The botanical gardens here in Scottsdale have them. Just let me know! Thank you for all the hard work you do so we can enjoy bonsai with you.
Your small forest is looking good Nigel... Nice update... Stay safe... 😍😍😍
Awesome job Nigel, it was a pleasure to install your internet the other day. These videos are great! the amount of time you must spend both shooting the videos and editing them is impressive. I hope you have continued success!
Thanks Colton, the internet is working really well! You did a really good job of the installation and it was nice meeting you!
Have you tried a soft wire brush for scarring Nigel - even a hard toothbrush can give you a far more delicate touch and much finer scarring.
Nigel are you also gonna tear down the current green house and build another big one at the backside?
Hilarious! I'm the same way. Can't help munching a few leaves when pruning a portie!
Great one sir
Excellent video. I follow the evolution of its portulacaria landscape with great interest. I have several portulacarias and crassula ovata shaped like bonsai in my private collection. And I also have a landscape of portulacarias in formation. They are a fascinating type of plant. Congratulations on the new construction of the greenhouse, it is looking great Thanks for sharing Greetings from Spain (Barcelona) and until the next video.👍😄
I have been thinking about scarring some of my ports, this may give me some inspiration. I am patiently waiting for my crassulas to get big enough to work.
To prevent drying out more and therfore thinner trunk where the scraches accure maybe you can put some vaseline on the scratches (putting vaseline on succulent may be more risky due to rott and fungal infections so maybe disinfect the area before that?) or cover the tree with plastic bag, this way the scar may stay smaller.
I really like this pot you have for the portulacaria (: looks like a Nice hardstone or something
Hi Nigel! I love this composition of jade baobab trees! I know that you water your non-succulent trees very frequently. But can you talk about what your routine is for watering your succulents? Do you use the same fertilizer/water combination with the succulents every time you water them? About how often do you water them? Is there any care that you don’t do for the other trees that you do for succulents? Do you use the same bonsai soil? I know - so many questions!!! I hope you will find it fun to do a whole video on succulent care one day. 🙂
Can't wait to see how the trunks heal over! I sure hope your experiment works! Everything is looking so lush and beautiful!
Lisa
The glass greenhouse reminds of the glass Louvre Pyramid
Interesting video but was good decision be careful with this scarring as some other posted too. However I have both type of "jades" so will definitely try it on the crassula myself and wait on my portulacaria and await how your experiment will turn out. Good luck and as always thanks for another excellent video.
thanks for your videos, they have been very helpful. I ask you if cuttings should be brought inside for winter (zone 7/8) especially perennials. thanks again. Peter
Can this be done to a ficus tree? To make some swelling in the bark. Maybe a way to correct a slight reverse taper?
Hi Nigel. Haven't seen ficus microcarpa "plain" in a while. How is he doing?
Hi Nigel! I came across your channel in my search for advice. I've had a portulacaria afra bonsai for 10 years or so. Unfortunately, it was over watered by someone taking care of it for me for a while. It's a long story, but it eventually it lost 75 to 80% of its leaves. Yikes! 😲 I was broken hearted!💔 I thought I'd lost it! But... I repotted it in appropriate succulent soil and softly pruned it back. It's recovering nicely, but most of the leaf growth is on the tips of the long stems. 🙄🫣 I'd like to give it a hard prune - like in this video - to reshape it in the hope that it will grow in fuller. My question is, should I fertilize it at any point to help it grow? Or is fertilizing not necessary? Thank you for reading this long post. Being somewhat of a beginner, I would appreciate any advice that you or any of your followers would be kind enough to share with me. Take care! 👍Peace! ☮️
Hello Linda, yes, they actually love fertilizer!! They can even take more fertilizer than most trees. In nature the seeds tend to develop in Elephant dung. Once you get a good root system and they are healthy, it should be quite safe to prune them back hard.
@@TheBonsaiZone Thank you so much! Very helpful information to have!! 😉👌
Nigel could you please give me some info on Meyer lemon trees I have 4 very small ones in small pots do they need to go dormant for winter or should I bring them inside for winter I grew them from seeds i really could use your knowledge thank you very much my bonsai buddy I hope your new green house turns out beautiful 🙏👍👍
My wife and I were also wondering about how many trees do you have I say over 150 my wife says only about 100 we have a bet going 👍👍👍👍
@@itsmecienna3653 Hello Cienna, last I counted it was 170 trees! The Lemon trees are temperate trees, they like a period of cool weather over the winter, but they need to be kept above freezing. A cool garage or basement is best if you get cold winters below freezing.
Uncle Nugget I cut back my large elephant bush after watching you prune yours. It's growing back nicely. noy I just have to try eating a leaf☺️ have you ever sprinkled grass seeds in your mini forests? How would that work?
Hello Kalesia, great to here yours is growing back well. The leaves are really good and often used in salads! I tried wheat grass, but it grew really tall quickly and the roots created a dense mat in the soil. I think moss is better and less invasive in the pot.
👍
Nigel. There is a guy on FB that carve his ports to look like bark. Maybe you wanna check it out
Will the new Greenhouse be heated?
You could 3d print an elephant to size of the tree and use that to scar the tree
Awesome idea!
Like updates
Hi Nigel. You seem very taken by the African style trees. If you've never been down to Africa, you have to come visit in South Africa! The photos, although beautiful, do not do the actual trees and experience justice!
Don't you think it would be much nicer if you let it gro wild so that the trunk and branches can gro faster?
You're out of control!
Im waiting for the day he spins the tree right of the table with his turn tablr
First to foist.
Noisest of the foistest....
Don't you think it would be much nicer if you let it gro wild so that the trunk and branches can gro faster?