Turning young Japanese maples into bonsai – the first steps
In this video, I work on several small Japanese maples from nursery stock. I start them on their journey to becoming bonsai trees in the future using several techniques including wiring and pruning.
As always you demonstrate what great movement you can achieve with early wiring. A year on those look fantastic Tony. As I always seem to be saying…I just wish I had been as bold with the 80 maple saplings I obtained back in 2015. There ok having used clip and grow, but i know they could have been so much better. Just keep showing people that wiring is easy and produces great results. Cheers, Xav
You’ve really gotten very proficient at your wiring techniques. Interesting tip on that first tree getting the wire to secure both at the base instead of sticking it into the soil and the top branch. Great improvements on all the trees. Thanks, keep growing
Morning Tony working on your maples whilst on my bike so thank you for entertaining me, the maples should develop over time. Keep videos and I’ll keep watching.
Tony another good video ..what i love about the way you work is that you read what the tree is saying to you and use it to do your twists and bends its a great technique.and i love it .happy pottering on.
I don't like Japanese maple… I have probably close to 50 tree's now and not one Japanese maple.. they do nothing for me in general but every know and then I see one that catches my eye but cost too much for my hobby level of investment.. I think I feel like it's cheating to make a bonsai because of the super short internode spacing or maybe because I just don't like the leaves that much although I have two I put in my Japanese Zen garden I did last year 🤷🏿
Your Maples are looking good Tony, i have ordered some vet tape to try and hope to take my shaping to the next level of extreme! It looks like your blinking well and the surgery has helped..i hope your healing continues to be a positive journey mate. 👍
Nice twisting Tony and you've set them all up nicely for the future. I agree with you that spending time looking at and thinking about different possibilities for the tree is invaluable. I have left mine outside my back door and looked at it over the period of a week before doing any actual work on it. I wouldn't recommend looking at it whilst downing a couple of cans though as some strange shapes suddenly appear sometimes which can be a bit off-putting! 👍👍
Hey Tony, i have a blood good maple that really needs some pruning. However i would like to take some cuttings to root from it. Is it too early in the year to do that? I have a tent i start my tomatoes in that i can keep them in rather than being outside in thr cold. Lemme know… Thanks
I agree on ur decisions on the last tree. U def gave some great pointers on that one. I have a few jm that have really long internodes and it sucks that they wont just bud between the length so i think im going to start grafting on them with the same branches and see how that works out. Have u ever tried to graft in between these internodes?
Really like your pragmatic approach and the way you explain it. Those trees will be fine. Don't know if you follow Aussie Bonsai Bloke (Sam Doecke), but he's fallen silent since November. Any ideas?
35min with Tony today. Happy-go-lucky when I saw that at work today. I feel that everything I do when I do bending with wire. It all becomes a s shape. Or Cork screw. Do you feel the same 🤣😆
I've been taking cuttings from my neighbors different types of Jap Maples. I'm looking forward to spring to see what I've got. I've found that Jap. Maples tend to snap after around 3/4", but anything less thick are super easy to bend, and always leave at least a 1/2" for dieback when clipping branches.
Wow that was marathon session, I had to watch you in two parts. I have a katsura that needs looking at in this way you are a great reminder. Went to greenwood's today got a few pots and another tree my first hemlock. Keep growing.xx
27 Comments
As always you demonstrate what great movement you can achieve with early wiring. A year on those look fantastic Tony. As I always seem to be saying…I just wish I had been as bold with the 80 maple saplings I obtained back in 2015. There ok having used clip and grow, but i know they could have been so much better. Just keep showing people that wiring is easy and produces great results. Cheers, Xav
Well done bud more trees going in the right direction, literally.
You’ve really gotten very proficient at your wiring techniques. Interesting tip on that first tree getting the wire to secure both at the base instead of sticking it into the soil and the top branch. Great improvements on all the trees. Thanks, keep growing
Them young B&M maples are great to work on ,well done tony.
Morning Tony working on your maples whilst on my bike so thank you for entertaining me, the maples should develop over time. Keep videos and I’ll keep watching.
You make wiring look easy! You'll have some nicely shaped trees when these grow. Hope you're feeling okay after your operation – best wishes. 🇦🇺
How’s the eye doing Tony hope you will be able to blink it again.
Tony another good video ..what i love about the way you work is that you read what the tree is saying to you and use it to do your twists and bends its a great technique.and i love it .happy pottering on.
I don't like Japanese maple… I have probably close to 50 tree's now and not one Japanese maple.. they do nothing for me in general but every know and then I see one that catches my eye but cost too much for my hobby level of investment.. I think I feel like it's cheating to make a bonsai because of the super short internode spacing or maybe because I just don't like the leaves that much although I have two I put in my Japanese Zen garden I did last year 🤷🏿
Man I hear a cracking on the very first bend not really on the second bend
Your Maples are looking good Tony, i have ordered some vet tape to try and hope to take my shaping to the next level of extreme! It looks like your blinking well and the surgery has helped..i hope your healing continues to be a positive journey mate. 👍
Enjoyed the wiring tips , take care
Nice twisting Tony and you've set them all up nicely for the future. I agree with you that spending time looking at and thinking about different possibilities for the tree is invaluable. I have left mine outside my back door and looked at it over the period of a week before doing any actual work on it. I wouldn't recommend looking at it whilst downing a couple of cans though as some strange shapes suddenly appear sometimes which can be a bit off-putting! 👍👍
Hey Tony, i have a blood good maple that really needs some pruning. However i would like to take some cuttings to root from it. Is it too early in the year to do that? I have a tent i start my tomatoes in that i can keep them in rather than being outside in thr cold. Lemme know… Thanks
Your processes and your courage equally inspire me. Thanks and cheers.
This title caught my attention immediately! I am going to enjoy watching this.
I agree on ur decisions on the last tree. U def gave some great pointers on that one. I have a few jm that have really long internodes and it sucks that they wont just bud between the length so i think im going to start grafting on them with the same branches and see how that works out. Have u ever tried to graft in between these internodes?
Really like your pragmatic approach and the way you explain it. Those trees will be fine. Don't know if you follow Aussie Bonsai Bloke (Sam Doecke), but he's fallen silent since November. Any ideas?
For me maples are the best , love um . Hope ya recovering well mate .
Good video Tony I’ve got my acer’s coming up Tony. Just bought 2 acer Palmatum ukigumo can’t wait to see them in spring. 👍👍
35min with Tony today. Happy-go-lucky when I saw that at work today. I feel that everything I do when I do bending with wire. It all becomes a s shape. Or Cork screw. Do you feel the same 🤣😆
Great video Tony……mat
I've been taking cuttings from my neighbors different types of Jap Maples. I'm looking forward to spring to see what I've got. I've found that Jap. Maples tend to snap after around 3/4", but anything less thick are super easy to bend, and always leave at least a 1/2" for dieback when clipping branches.
Wow that was marathon session, I had to watch you in two parts. I have a katsura that needs looking at in this way you are a great reminder. Went to greenwood's today got a few pots and another tree my first hemlock. Keep growing.xx
Great video Tony. I am interested to see how this vet tape works in comparison to raffia when you take it off for the first time.
The trees are looking magnificent! Look forward to watching these grow in the future. Thank you for sharing!
Great to see you back Tony. Hope you are healing well. I only grow JM so I really enjoy when you focus on them.
Keep up the good work. Hope the surgery was a success
👌👍🙂