Bonsaify | Juniper Bonsai Basics: Succeeding as a Student or a Teacher!

From his 20+ years of experience teaching basic bonsai classes with the Bonsai Society of San Francisco and through Bonsaify (bonsaify.com), Eric explains the basics of bonsai and shares tips for how you can teach others! He also shares what he considers to be the best material to use.

00:00:57 First thing to do is to pull off any downward-growing needles, to expose more of the tree's structure.

00:02:22 Example of how NOT to trim a Juniper.

00:02:50 What to do when thinning a juniper - thin about 1/2, leaving both low and high foliage.

00:03:50 Second, why structural analysis is important, and why Eric prefers Kishu over Itoigawa junipers.

00:04:54 Make a loose composition.

00:05:53 Third, wiring is usually the most productive step. Eric provides advice.

00:07:11 Use wire to bend some branches and even twist them (it's fun!)

00:07:42 After all major branches are wired, the fourth step is shaping branches to create movement.

00:08:35 Decide where the front of your tree is, roughly, then do the initial styling.

00:10:07 5th, clean-up additional foliage that is downward-facing after shaping.

00:11:00 Cut some branches shorter for scale and to encourage compact budding.

00:11:25 Before starting bonsaify.com, the biggest problem Eric faced as a bonsai basics teacher was finding the material! He learned that nurseries had a hard time propagating good Kishu. You can now order from him directly: https://www.bonsaify.com/collections/....

00:12:28 Aftercare is key for bonsai beginners!

Are you a bonsai student or teacher involved in basic bonsai classes? Are you looking to learn bonsai? Share your experiences with us in the comments below. Thank you for watching; please give this video a like and share it with your bonsai club and local bonsai community!