When all the leaves fall off in Winter and your tree is going dormant can be a good time to tweak those branches. Wiring is easier and you can see the “bones” of the tree much easier.

In this video, Mike wires a Japanese maple and discusses some of the techniques he uses. To quote Mike, “It may be ugly, but it gets the job done!”

Just remember, when you are wiring, be careful how hard you bend and press the tree when you are shaping it. Sometimes it seems like the tree will never break, then -snap- it breaks like a toothpick.

The Bonsai Channel is brought to you by Dallas Bonsai Garden http://www.dallasbonsai.com

Mike discusses the two ways to water, which are dunking and pouring. The method you use depends more upon the soil you have than anything else. It’s all about keeping the air in the soil because plants need air around their roots just as much as they need water.

Mike also discusses the true reason for using moss on your bonsai. Sure it’s decorative, but there is a functional purpose as well.

Mike demonstrates how to wire a juniper bonsai tree. This video shows the 2 main branches being wired in a cascade style by referring to an image for inspiration.

The takeaways are, 1) use inspiration to help you design your bonsai trees. 2) Make incremental changes over time. 3) Your tree won’t be a masterpiece the minute you wire it.

Mike demonstrates how to take a Juniper purchased at Dallas Bonsai Garden and pot it into a training pot. The entire process is demonstrated, including creating drainage screen clips to hold the drainage mesh in place and wiring the bonsai into the pot.

Mike experiments with some moss found near his house which has about a 20% chance of living. Unfortunately, the moss didn’t make it. But, it is still attractive and helps keep the soil from washing out of the pot when watering.

The Bonsai Channel is brought to you by Dallas Bonsai Garden
http://www.dallasbonsai.com

Mike Demonstrates how to create a bonsai potting mix the right way. First he explains why you should do it this way, then he shows you the materials used and finally, shows you how to separate / sieve the soil by size. Doing this ensures 4 things:

1. Plenty of air will get to your bonsai roots which promotes health
2. The mix holds enough water for a full day
3. because of the multiple sizes, the roots will branch rapidly and become dense
4. Your bonsai will be healthy and happy

Mike Continues his demonstration of creating a bonsai soil mix. By combining varying amounts of like sizes of soils together.