You missed a spot …

very nice trunk!

How much water to give is a function of the soil mix. My soil is engineered for very fast drainage with some capacity for moisture retention. The purpose of this is to be able to use time release chemical fertilizer on the top of the soil, and in order to introduce the fertilizer into the soil the tree needs to be watered a lot.

I will be covering the repotting of Japanese Black Pine in December/January, and pruning of Black Pine in February/March/April depending on the weather. Pine pruning will follow the methods taught to me by noted bonsai author and demonstrator Ernie Kuo.

Depends on the type of juniper, the time of year and how sharp the shears are. On these San Jose junipers I get a few brown tips but they heal in two weeks or so. The brown tip effect is worse with Japanese garden junipers. Better to pinch those if you are going to show them. With Chinese junipers I have never had brown tips from using the shears.

do you find that using the scheers will cause browning of the foliage ??? i just pinch because i was told the scheers will brown the tips of the foliage … but i really never used the scheers ..

Cool, I’ll transfer to cactus soil once we get back from vacation, as the soil now holds water fairly well. I pulled a somewhat small juniper out of my yard today and I am going to attempt to train it, however it is 26″ tall so should I snip the vertical tree part to prevent more growth or should I wait until a certain height? Thanks again buddy!

That’s it — you have to replace the original potting soil with the cactus mix, get the moss going, and water from the top until the tree gets established in the pot.

So tell me what I am doing wrong here. I take the bonsai out of the plastic pots that it came in to dunk it, but the dirt won’t stay attached and it just falls apart, should I put it in the cactus mix and start the moss ontop and just water it by can until it is somewhat attached together before I try to dunk again? Thanks!

Some nurseries sell “bonsai soil” and you can even get it on Ebay. If you cannot get pumice, decomposed granite, or fired clay pellets, then palm tree or cactus mix is better than the bonsai soil you find in the nursery. As far as pots go, you will probably have to go online to fine good ones.

It is probably better for the tree to water it more often in the heat, but make sure that the soil is not still waterlogged by the time of the next watering. With most junipers, if they are not getting enough water in hot weather, you will see little diebacks on the upper parts of the tree. If they are getting too much water, they usually turn grey and die from root rot. Also, keep it in the shade during the really hot weather.

Hey like the video I bought a juniper 16″ tall and it’s a thing called dragon style bonsai I believe and I live in the valley so it’s hot. When we bought it in san fransisco she said to submerge it in water twice a week but with the heat I do 3 or 4 will that kill the plant?

There is no specific soil for Ficus bonsai. I use my standard mix — see my Bonsai from nursery juniper, part three video for specifics.

Alrighty, do they sell a specific type of soil for a Ficus Bonsai? Because I dunked it in the water like some people say to do and it is still moist 3 or 4 days later, and do I need to order a good Bonsai dish or is it likely that I will find one around town? Thanks again!

First, bonsais need good drainage, so I am going to assume that you do not have any soil problems. With that said, keep the tree in semishade (like under a lath type patio cover) and keep it watered every day. If this fails to generate a natural moss growth at the base of the roots, then try putting a little buttermilk on the soil. (I have not tried this last — I get pretty good moss growth with regular watering and little else.)

Ok, I will do that. I found out it is a Ficus that I have, which is supposedly good for beginners, which should be good for me. Do you have any tipes on getting moss to grown on the soil of my new bonsai? Thank you so much!

I would let it grow a little before pruning it. It’s always good to observe a tree and get a personal feel for how it grows before you start cutting. This will allow you to plan more effectively for future pruning and branch development.

Hey, I am extremely new to the art of Bonsai. I picked up my first tree at the store today (still trying to identify it haha) and it has a thick base with three (almost four) connecting trunks, the entire tree is only about 7 inches tall and the branches are still very thin, should I just let it grow for some time and when the branches get larger, start to prune them and take the ones I want off? Thanks for the video, it was very helpful already!!!

I actually disagree, better to have him telling you too much than too little : )

make sure the scissors have two cutting edges(NO FLAT EDGES)

I’ve been doing demos at bonsai clubs for about ten years, and the running commentary while working on the tree is a carry over from that, and something that I picked up from watching demos by some very prominent names in bonsai. Youtube is a new medium for me, and my videographer and I are still working on adapting bonsai demo techniques for Youtube.

You can, but make sure they are sharp and be careful in cutting. Bonsai shears have a much sharper edge than household scissors or office scissors.

Can you just use regular scissors?

Nice tree but you talk way to much in you video’s.

Concise and informative lecture. Nice bonsai!