Great video. Super informative. I appreciate your expertise and you taking the time to put all of this together in terms of allowing us to see your work. Thank you.
Excellent video again Terry! Lots of great tips as usual, especially love the way you fill hollows on old wounds! Also love the tip to wire against the trunk when bending braches up or down, thank you :-)
Great stuff Terry! What a tree! Seems like someone grew the first half correctly with time and patience. And then someone else came along and tried to rush it in order to sell it quickly. Things you mentioned 100% needed to happen
Thanks Andrew. Without having fact I am hesitant to speculate however bonsai is a business in Japan so many decisions would be motivated by return on investment. I think what might possibly have happened is that a higher price could be paid for a taller/larger tree hence that last bit was developed quickly to increase the overall height. However as I mention, this is pure speculation.
Love to see you and Ruth the top of the maple tree I have trees that I try rooting but that is a hard one for me so if you show that part where you end up with the two trees I would love to see it and then the grafting I’d love to see how you graph the tree to position branches where they should be loved your video hope to see some more of your work you have aGreat speaking voice and you show how to do things easily.
Thank you so much Gary! The season to attempt the air layering is late spring so that is about 2 months away for us. Grafting of course can be done through the growing season. It’s not my tree so I’m not sure when I will work on it again but I am pretty sure it will be soon and I hope to show the work to you then. Thank you kindly for watching and for your kind words.
Thank you Terry. Hope to see you next Friday too. This handsome tree is in a very beautiful pot. You touched on the timing that the tree physically crossed hemispheres and in so doing also swops seasons. Purely out of interest, What times of year are best to import a tree from the north and how do you manage the tree when it gets here? So it would seem this tree had half a winter in the north and is going to have half a summer here in the south. Amazing.
Thanks Liam for the question. New video going up tomorrow, hope you enjoy it. I try to import my trees during dormancy if at all possible. Managing the tree, as you put it, can be complex depending on the species and what time of year it is. This is why I offer my customers that backup service, to help them help the tree to transition.
Thanks Colin. Of course something which favours N, or nitrogen. I’m using solid organic canola cakes with 53 N g/kg, 12 P g/kg, 14 K g/kg so around 5:2:2 or so however you could go with higher numbers too but then it would be chemical or at least chemically fortified. Nothing wrong with that though.
Hi Jatt, those were made by Masakuni and have long been discontinued unfortunately, however we finally have been able to get something from Kaneshin which is quite good too: www.bonsaitree.co.za/products/kaneshin-defoliation-shears-140mm
Hello Terry. Am I right in thinking that if the cavity is small, say the size of a pencil, you can simply fill it with this sealant to close the cuts? My maple has a cavity from an unsuccessful attempt to graft a branch
Yes for sure. When you cut the tip of the branch it will stimulate back budding as the auxins which cause elongation of a branch will move back into the branch and cause the dormant buds at the base of a leaf to begin growing.
Heard you say knobs and I ran and grabbed the doorknob. Great video I just started my maple this year. I plan on buying a 10-year-old tree, but they all look grafted, Is that OK?
Ha ha Matthew. You can put the doorknob back now. Mmm. It’s mainly fancy maples which are grafted. If the graft is unsightly it may disappear with age to some degree and you might be able to reduce any swelling and get it to callous. However try of course to look for one where the graft is not that obvious as it can take many years for it to become less obvious.
Good question. Usually late spring. Perhaps middle summer (but then you need to shade it) The tree needs to be healthy each time. It should be done between growth spurts.
Those are discontinued Masakuni leaf shears. No longer available. I have however found a suitable Kaneshin substitute www.bonsaitree.co.za/products/kaneshin-defoliation-shears-140mm
We don’t sell this apron, it’s given to customers who spend more than a certain amount with us. It’s made for us and stamped with our logo. However any good leather store would be able to make something similar. I believe the basic design is for a hair stylist.
Terry, when would you cut some Japanese maple whips. I just got six young maples and would like to get them going down the right path. Four are currently one meter long straight whips while two are half a meter long. I'm going to put some wire down low to get movement down low, but do I let them keep growing long to increase trunk or top 1/3 off to encourage branching?
Good question Rick. The best time in my experience to make drastic cuts in order to encourage back budding is late spring when the spring leaves have hardened off. You will need to make a cut most likely to get the back budding as currently all the auxins are simply causing elongation of the trunk. Cutting back drastically will also begin your tapering.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai currently they are one meter tall and not even as thick as a pencil...just one year old whips. should I let them grow to encourage trunk thickening or cut them back?
Super interesting video Terry. Can you share with us how can we grow japanese maples with a non fashion way (akama, kiryu, wather with osmosis)? I love japanese maples but in my country i cannot get this 3 things that i mention to you previosly. Do you know an effective method of cultivation that we can apply to aur maples to have succes?
Thanks Sabik. I am not sure of your question but I believe you are asking how to grow Japanese maples in a growing medium other than akadama, kiryu etc? In my experience you do not need these mediums to grow bonsai. When these mediums are really of great benefit is when you have a more refined tree in a very confined bonsai container. However when developing the trees or if you are prepared to use larger containers then your growing medium options are wider. I don't know what you can get in your country, so it is hard for me to suggest what to use. Do you have crushed LECA, its a fired clay product used in hydroponics. Not the whole ball, but the crushed in 2-4mm size works well with a long fibred peat (not sphagnum). Let me know.
I was looking for the leca and i can only find leca in the ball presentation. What i can find is peat moss, perlite, vermiculite and plenty of lava stones and pumice. I do no know if i can do something correctly with this materials.
Awesome! Did you say you were going to air-layer on autumn? I have a Trident Maple on thickening stage, it's autumn here, and I pretend to make some selection pruning next spring, but I've also wanted to propagate it from the excessive branching (with cuttings or air layering) so I don't waste it, since it's my only Trident Maple. But I'm kind of confused on making the timing between it work...
There are several times to take cuttings or perform air layering. I have found taking Trident maples cuttings in autumn to work best and to air layer in late spring, when the leaves have hardened off.
Terry-I too get confused on timing for various jobs since we are out of phase by 6 months. It would be really helpful for those of us i the northern hemisphere if you would regularly state whether you are doing a certain job in early spring, late spring, mid-summer, later summer, early fall, etc. That said then when is the best time to defoliate Japanese maples and tridents?
Thanks for your question and suggestion. Apologies, I usually do state when I am doing a particular video for this reason - perhaps i forgot in this one. The best time to defoliate the species you mention is in late spring when the leaves have gone from juvenile or tender leaves to a sort of leathery feel. I should add that with Japanese maples I would approach defoliation with caution and rather than a full defoliation, perform a partial version of it by cutting the leaves in half or only every alternate leaf. Additionally in weaker areas of the tree I would not defoliate at all. Tridents are much more robust so it’s usually ok to do full defoliation on them.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai Thanks Terry. Being a UA-cam creator I realize how easy it is to cover every base in a video, especially when not working off a script. I have a J. maple forest with one tree in it that always looks like crap by the end of June, I think it just can’t take as much sun as the rest. I had considered defoliating it to get a replacement set of leaves but may just air layer it out and put in a replacement next spring.
@@blueridgebonsai9155 interesting. Well of course it could be genetically weaker than the others, assuming you did not use cuttings all from the same mother plant for the forest. However is more likely a root related issue, unless it’s a tree on the interior of the forest which would indicate it’s not getting sufficient sunlight. However in your comment you seem to suggest it might be at an extremity of the forest in which case ignore my last suggestion.
Terry, thanks for your replies. It was obtained in a workshop on making forests so probably was just what they picked up at a local nursery. Oddly it is the only tree in the group of 5 that remains red all summer so definitely is a different variety. I have treated it each year with fungicide but the leaves still curl up at the edges and die back which is not good since it is the tallest tree in the group. I have several,other generic green leaf ones ready to add to the group next spring so I will definitely be pulling that one, but air layering it could be a way to save it for a single.
@@bulebonsaibatam1758 then that is why. It needs dormancy period. You should put inside a fridge or something at around 5deg C for a few months. Water it every now than then and give some fresh air. Then it will become strong again. It will die eventually if you do not do this.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai Thanks Terry. I have a small fridge and I’ll for sure let you know the results. Great info and presentation on your videos. Keep up the good work👍👍👍
Decidious trees mostly have a big wound. Conifers have lots of jin. Bonsai growers shortcuts. "Just hit it with a Dremel and cutting paste, or dremel and lime sulfur. Not referring to you Terry.
Thanks Andre. I personally do not like deadwood features on deciduous trees which is why I try to heal such wounds. However there are growers whose attitude is that deadwood is as much a part of deciduous as conifers. They’re not wrong of course but I think the difference is how the deadwood is worked which is either sensitively which results in a convincing result, or poorly which produces an artificial result. Creating convincing deadwood requires skill and patience.
Fall there vs spring here in scandinavia can be confusing but then you start talking in the nice south african accent and i go uh yes he is on the other side of the world
Menos hablar y más trabajar habla mucho y poco hace un buen ejemplar pero muy mal trabajado de poda lo siento no me gusta como trabajas este Arce Trident
Thats fine, there are plenty of other channels you can watch I am sure. On my channel I try to convey useful information and this is why I have the subscribers I do. Good luck and enjoy your bonsai.
This tree is very lucky to have you working on it, great assessment and execution!!!
Thank you very much Nigel! Appreciate the comment and for watching :)
Great video. Super informative. I appreciate your expertise and you taking the time to put all of this together in terms of allowing us to see your work. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful Benjamin! Thanks for watching and for the feedback.
Wow, where have you been all my life? Well, at least the last 10 years. Excellent presentation. New subscriber. You have got to be a master.
Wow, thanks! But no, I am very much still a bonsai apprentice!
Excellent video again Terry! Lots of great tips as usual, especially love the way you fill hollows on old wounds! Also love the tip to wire against the trunk when bending braches up or down, thank you :-)
Pleasure man! Yes that wire tip is useful, no more wrapping of wire around the trunk.
I came here for bonsai styling and I got life philosophy instead. This channel is amazing.
Ha ha, I am not sure if this is sarcasm or serious so I will say a reserved thank you! :)
@@TerryErasmusbonsai I meant it sincerely! Please keep up the good work.
Gorgeous tree you have there. A long road ahead of my tridents to get a similar canopy.
You can do it!
Great stuff Terry! What a tree! Seems like someone grew the first half correctly with time and patience. And then someone else came along and tried to rush it in order to sell it quickly. Things you mentioned 100% needed to happen
Thanks Andrew. Without having fact I am hesitant to speculate however bonsai is a business in Japan so many decisions would be motivated by return on investment. I think what might possibly have happened is that a higher price could be paid for a taller/larger tree hence that last bit was developed quickly to increase the overall height. However as I mention, this is pure speculation.
What an amazing result for a difficult situation!
Thanks Raymond. This is what makes bonsai so interesting, every tree and situation is different and a challenge.
Great high level stuff! Thank you. I’m learning something in every of these videos
Great to hear!
What a good start in saturday morning,watcing you Terry☺️
Morning Harriet! Thanks for the kind words :)
@@TerryErasmusbonsai godmorning Terry. Thank you ,and have a Very nice bonsai day☺️🌳
Lovely material, 100% WITH YOU ON THE AIRLAYER. hope to see that in the future.
I hope so too!
Fabulous tree and an excellent presentation as usual. Thanks for taking the time!
So nice of you DR! Thanks
Madre que bestia..... Great job and great tree, I love the pot..... Just amazing future and great bonsai. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Terry. Cheers
You bet Shaun!
Love to see you and Ruth the top of the maple tree I have trees that I try rooting but that is a hard one for me so if you show that part where you end up with the two trees I would love to see it and then the grafting I’d love to see how you graph the tree to position branches where they should be loved your video hope to see some more of your work you have aGreat speaking voice and you show how to do things easily.
Thank you so much Gary! The season to attempt the air layering is late spring so that is about 2 months away for us. Grafting of course can be done through the growing season. It’s not my tree so I’m not sure when I will work on it again but I am pretty sure it will be soon and I hope to show the work to you then. Thank you kindly for watching and for your kind words.
Thank you Terry. Hope to see you next Friday too. This handsome tree is in a very beautiful pot. You touched on the timing that the tree physically crossed hemispheres and in so doing also swops seasons. Purely out of interest, What times of year are best to import a tree from the north and how do you manage the tree when it gets here? So it would seem this tree had half a winter in the north and is going to have half a summer here in the south. Amazing.
Thanks Liam for the question. New video going up tomorrow, hope you enjoy it. I try to import my trees during dormancy if at all possible. Managing the tree, as you put it, can be complex depending on the species and what time of year it is. This is why I offer my customers that backup service, to help them help the tree to transition.
awesome work, thanks for the excellent video. What ration of NPK would you use on this type of tree when the primary branches need to thicken?
Thanks Colin. Of course something which favours N, or nitrogen. I’m using solid organic canola cakes with 53 N g/kg, 12 P g/kg, 14 K g/kg so around 5:2:2 or so however you could go with higher numbers too but then it would be chemical or at least chemically fortified. Nothing wrong with that though.
Hi, great video. Can I ask where you got the cut paste at @26:30.
Thanks for the compliment! It comes from Japan. I sell it on my store here www.bonsaitree.co.za/collections/sealers/products/cut-paste-30g
Please provide link to leaf cutting shears at beginning of video. Thnaks for awesome video
Hi Jatt, those were made by Masakuni and have long been discontinued unfortunately, however we finally have been able to get something from Kaneshin which is quite good too: www.bonsaitree.co.za/products/kaneshin-defoliation-shears-140mm
Thnaks so much for reply friend .
Saw the link
Nice
How much would it cost to ship to USA NY if can ship overseas
Thnaks
Jatt
@JattSinghRandhawa thanks for asking. We only use DHL express for international shipping so not sure it’s going to be worth it for a single tool.
Another super video, thanks 🇩🇰🇩🇰
Wonderful presentation, I learnt so much. Thank you so much for the abo0ve
You are very welcome Mike!
Great work cheers from Ojai
Thank you! Cheers!
Hello Terry. Am I right in thinking that if the cavity is small, say the size of a pencil, you can simply fill it with this sealant to close the cuts? My maple has a cavity from an unsuccessful attempt to graft a branch
Correct. A filler is only needed when it’s a large scar and usually when rotting wood is involved.
@TerryErasmusbonsai thank you
@danhip2442 no worries.
Nice materials
Thank you! Cheers!
Can we prune young branches that are still green and expect back budding?
Yes for sure. When you cut the tip of the branch it will stimulate back budding as the auxins which cause elongation of a branch will move back into the branch and cause the dormant buds at the base of a leaf to begin growing.
Hi Terry thank you. I’m learning something every time from your video's What times of year are best for air layer! autme or spring or summer
Thanks Johan. Autumn or late Spring when the leaves harden off are the best time.
Heard you say knobs and I ran and grabbed the doorknob. Great video I just started my maple this year. I plan on buying a 10-year-old tree, but they all look grafted, Is that OK?
Ha ha Matthew. You can put the doorknob back now. Mmm. It’s mainly fancy maples which are grafted. If the graft is unsightly it may disappear with age to some degree and you might be able to reduce any swelling and get it to callous. However try of course to look for one where the graft is not that obvious as it can take many years for it to become less obvious.
On what season can you defoliate a tree?
Good question. Usually late spring. Perhaps middle summer (but then you need to shade it) The tree needs to be healthy each time. It should be done between growth spurts.
Where do you get this big of a pot?
I imported the tree from Japan and it was in this pot. I am not sure where the pot was made but chances are it comes from China.
Where did you buy the leaf cutting shears ..? those in your hand look big and comfortable
Those are discontinued Masakuni leaf shears. No longer available. I have however found a suitable Kaneshin substitute www.bonsaitree.co.za/products/kaneshin-defoliation-shears-140mm
One more question - the apron you have on seems very useful too, where to buy it, thnaks
We don’t sell this apron, it’s given to customers who spend more than a certain amount with us. It’s made for us and stamped with our logo. However any good leather store would be able to make something similar. I believe the basic design is for a hair stylist.
Terry, when would you cut some Japanese maple whips. I just got six young maples and would like to get them going down the right path. Four are currently one meter long straight whips while two are half a meter long. I'm going to put some wire down low to get movement down low, but do I let them keep growing long to increase trunk or top 1/3 off to encourage branching?
Good question Rick. The best time in my experience to make drastic cuts in order to encourage back budding is late spring when the spring leaves have hardened off. You will need to make a cut most likely to get the back budding as currently all the auxins are simply causing elongation of the trunk. Cutting back drastically will also begin your tapering.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai currently they are one meter tall and not even as thick as a pencil...just one year old whips. should I let them grow to encourage trunk thickening or cut them back?
Super interesting video Terry. Can you share with us how can we grow japanese maples with a non fashion way (akama, kiryu, wather with osmosis)? I love japanese maples but in my country i cannot get this 3 things that i mention to you previosly. Do you know an effective method of cultivation that we can apply to aur maples to have succes?
Thanks Sabik. I am not sure of your question but I believe you are asking how to grow Japanese maples in a growing medium other than akadama, kiryu etc? In my experience you do not need these mediums to grow bonsai. When these mediums are really of great benefit is when you have a more refined tree in a very confined bonsai container. However when developing the trees or if you are prepared to use larger containers then your growing medium options are wider. I don't know what you can get in your country, so it is hard for me to suggest what to use. Do you have crushed LECA, its a fired clay product used in hydroponics. Not the whole ball, but the crushed in 2-4mm size works well with a long fibred peat (not sphagnum). Let me know.
I was looking for the leca and i can only find leca in the ball presentation. What i can find is peat moss, perlite, vermiculite and plenty of lava stones and pumice.
I do no know if i can do something correctly with this materials.
Awesome! Did you say you were going to air-layer on autumn?
I have a Trident Maple on thickening stage, it's autumn here, and I pretend to make some selection pruning next spring, but I've also wanted to propagate it from the excessive branching (with cuttings or air layering) so I don't waste it, since it's my only Trident Maple. But I'm kind of confused on making the timing between it work...
There are several times to take cuttings or perform air layering. I have found taking Trident maples cuttings in autumn to work best and to air layer in late spring, when the leaves have hardened off.
Hey Terry....it was a very informative video as always. What would be the approx price of such a tree?
Hi Anup thank you. You will need to contact me privately to discuss this please. You can mail me on info@bonsaitree.co.za
Hi Terry, please how i can contact with you?
Hello! You can email me through our website www.bonsaitree.co.za
Terry-I too get confused on timing for various jobs since we are out of phase by 6 months. It would be really helpful for those of us i the northern hemisphere if you would regularly state whether you are doing a certain job in early spring, late spring, mid-summer, later summer, early fall, etc. That said then when is the best time to defoliate Japanese maples and tridents?
Thanks for your question and suggestion. Apologies, I usually do state when I am doing a particular video for this reason - perhaps i forgot in this one. The best time to defoliate the species you mention is in late spring when the leaves have gone from juvenile or tender leaves to a sort of leathery feel. I should add that with Japanese maples I would approach defoliation with caution and rather than a full defoliation, perform a partial version of it by cutting the leaves in half or only every alternate leaf. Additionally in weaker areas of the tree I would not defoliate at all. Tridents are much more robust so it’s usually ok to do full defoliation on them.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai Thanks Terry. Being a UA-cam creator I realize how easy it is to cover every base in a video, especially when not working off a script. I have a J. maple forest with one tree in it that always looks like crap by the end of June, I think it just can’t take as much sun as the rest. I had considered defoliating it to get a replacement set of leaves but may just air layer it out and put in a replacement next spring.
@@blueridgebonsai9155 interesting. Well of course it could be genetically weaker than the others, assuming you did not use cuttings all from the same mother plant for the forest. However is more likely a root related issue, unless it’s a tree on the interior of the forest which would indicate it’s not getting sufficient sunlight. However in your comment you seem to suggest it might be at an extremity of the forest in which case ignore my last suggestion.
Terry, thanks for your replies. It was obtained in a workshop on making forests so probably was just what they picked up at a local nursery. Oddly it is the only tree in the group of 5 that remains red all summer so definitely is a different variety. I have treated it each year with fungicide but the leaves still curl up at the edges and die back which is not good since it is the tallest tree in the group. I have several,other generic green leaf ones ready to add to the group next spring so I will definitely be pulling that one, but air layering it could be a way to save it for a single.
I have a grafted Red Maple and it just won’t grow. It’s very slow to develop new branches. I am using a very course bonsai soil mix.
Interesting. There could be many reasons for this but let me first ask if you get a cold winter where you live?
@@TerryErasmusbonsai No winter here at all. Indonesia
@@bulebonsaibatam1758 then that is why. It needs dormancy period. You should put inside a fridge or something at around 5deg C for a few months. Water it every now than then and give some fresh air. Then it will become strong again. It will die eventually if you do not do this.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai Thanks Terry. I have a small fridge and I’ll for sure let you know the results. Great info and presentation on your videos. Keep up the good work👍👍👍
Thank you for the video 🙏🏼. I definitely think the top 8 inches of that tree can be deleted, hopefully the customer goes for the air layer!
You and me both!
10/10
Thank you very much!
My first thought was the top should be taken off.
Then we agree :)
Decidious trees mostly have a big wound. Conifers have lots of jin. Bonsai growers shortcuts. "Just hit it with a Dremel and cutting paste, or dremel and lime sulfur. Not referring to you Terry.
Thanks Andre. I personally do not like deadwood features on deciduous trees which is why I try to heal such wounds. However there are growers whose attitude is that deadwood is as much a part of deciduous as conifers. They’re not wrong of course but I think the difference is how the deadwood is worked which is either sensitively which results in a convincing result, or poorly which produces an artificial result. Creating convincing deadwood requires skill and patience.
Fall there vs spring here in scandinavia can be confusing but then you start talking in the nice south african accent and i go uh yes he is on the other side of the world
Ha ha ha Anders! I normally cringe at the South African accent when I hear it after I have been travelling overseas for a bit.
nice styling, your ears are huge btw.
They are! I hear everything!
That tree looks completely out of proportion, the branches are two thin for the trunk.
Correct! Good observation. I did discuss this in the video though so not sure if you watched it or not….
Weereens slimgat ou Dan
Menos hablar y más trabajar habla mucho y poco hace un buen ejemplar pero muy mal trabajado de poda lo siento no me gusta como trabajas este Arce Trident
Thats fine, there are plenty of other channels you can watch I am sure. On my channel I try to convey useful information and this is why I have the subscribers I do. Good luck and enjoy your bonsai.
Hi Terry, please how can i, contact with you ?
Hello! You can email me through our website www.bonsaitree.co.za