This is an Ilex crenata, which I bought in a garden store for about US$5.
In this movie I'll show you how to create a bonsai from this plant.
After pruning and wiring, this was the result.
[After]
This Ilex, or Japanese Holly, is about 4 years old
and like I said it cost me about $5.
And it's very cheap because this is not a bonsai tree, right.
This is just a plant that you grow a small hedge from, or something like that.
But I saw it and I thought okay, this could have some nice bonsai potential.
The plant has got three trunks, so I think I'll keep all three.
But the size of the tree will be much smaller.
It will be much more compacted than it is right now.
This won't be a bonsai overnight.
So just by pruning and wiring today, it won't look like a bonsai yet.
And maybe it never will, but let's see.
But at least today we take the first step in the progression of this tree.
And then a year later, the tree will grow new branches over time
and then we can give it a second styling, and a year later a third styling.
Overtime, the tree will be more compact and more shaped as a tree
because right now, it's just a bush.
So let's begin with pruning, and then after that I'll also wire a little bit
and see what we can make out of this plant.
The tools we use include wire, a wire cutter and a twig shear.
When pruning larger branches, we'll use a concave cutter.
All these are available at specialized bonsai nurseries or on our website.
If you're just starting out though, feel free to use any standard pruning shears instead.
The tree has several straight trunks.
I choose to reduce their size and I also remove one almost completely
to simplify the structure of the tree.
Deciding on the design of a bonsai isn't always easy
especially when a tree is as full and overgrown as this plant.
Try to apply the pruning guidelines we just mentioned to your own trees.
And if you are interested to learn more about these techniques
consider enrolling in one of our online bonsai courses.
Here, expert teachers explain the relevant techniques
and you can ask them questions.
For a free lesson, go to: bonsaiempire.com/courses
This tree is dense and we are pruning a lot of branches.
Classic bonsai design usually starts with a main branch on the back of the tree
followed by branches on the sides of the tree.
This pattern then continues up until the apex of the tree
with branches higher on the trunk gradually reducing in length and size.
The front is the most open part of the tree, as you want to be able to see the trunk.
Okay, I think this is all the pruning that we'll do for now.
As you can see we really took off quite a lot.
I think this is about 2/3 of all the foliage
which is a bit more than I would usually recommend to prune from a tree
but this tree was incredibly healthy, and we'll also make sure to provide it good aftercare
meaning that we'll protect it from frost, fertilize it well
and not touch it after today.
We'll wire it a bit after, but from that moment on
this tree will just be left to grow and recover.
Repotting the tree is not something that I will do today, or anytime soon.
the earliest I would think about repotting this tree in a better looking bonsai container
would be in the next early spring.
But I could also decide to wait a year so that the tree will be even more healthy.
But for now let's start wiring a few of these branches, not all
just to set it in main shape.
And then like I said we'll wait for a year until the tree is growing again
and then we can prune and wire again.
Because we cannot anchor the wire very well
we stick it in the root-mass before wrapping around the trunk.
Next we wire the main branches
starting with the lower branches and slowly working our way up to the apex.
Try to wire two branches with one piece of wire.
Between these two branches make sure to wrap the wire at least once around the trunk for stability.
We aim to apply the wire at an angle of 45 degrees.
The wire should be thick enough to hold the branch in the desired shape once we bend it.
A rule of thumb is to use a wire of about 1/3 to 1/2 the thickness of the branch you are wiring.
Once you finish wiring the branches you can start shaping them,
moving your way up the trunk towards the apex of the tree.
For this initial styling, this is all we will do today.
As mentioned earlier, we will provide good aftercare
and wait until the next spring before pruning the tree again.
Now that we are finished styling the tree
we place it in shade for about a month.
Keep a close eye on the branches
as the wires might create ugly marks on the branches as they grow thicker.
Usually wires need to be removed in about 3-4 months’ time.
[Before]
[After]
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel
so you can see the progress of this tree over time.
Learn how to create your own bonsai trees
by enrolling in one of our online bonsai courses.
We explain techniques like pruning, wiring and repotting
and you can ask questions to the teachers.
For the curriculums and free lessons, go to: bonsaiempire.com/courses