Bonsai Stuff
A bonsai based podcast from Melbourne, Australia by Scott Martin from Bonsai Matsu. A diverse, informative and thorough podcast for everyone that loves bonsai! If you enjoy the podcast then become a podcast supporter, it's greatly appreciated. https://www.buzzsprout.com/263290/support
Episodes
208 episodes
Season 8 Episode 17 - Practical Advice for Styling your Pines
Styling your pines (or any of your bonsai) requires a dedicated focus. So before working through your bonsai and wondering where it's going to end up I have a few areas for you to focus on. Building pad height and volume, avoiding flattened str...
Season 8 Episode 16 - What to Do wth Your Bonsa Now, Don't Over Complicate Issues
We are rounding the corner toward Winter and the last stretch of Autumn is a really important time. Understanding your bonsai and their needs right now will have a massive impact on their future development. There are jobs to be done around the...
Season 8 Episode 15 - The Idea of Perfection, Technique Improvement
The idea of the perfect bonsai for each of us is a target we set for our trees, but is perfection the ideal target? Will it just lead to disappointment and dissatisfaction with our bonsai? No. Not if we breakdown the path to perfection into bit...
Season 8 Episode 14 - Deciduous Autumn Maintenance
Autumn is a very important time for deciduous bonsai and our maintenance program will set them up for a successful Spring and beyond. Tasks like leaf removal, light pruning, gentle wiring and wound management are all on the menu. Positioning ta...
Season 8 Episode 13 - Mid Autumn and Your Bonsai, Bonsai Events
Well we're mid way through the Autumn period and you need to be very careful with watering at this time. Different trees in your collection will be at different stages as we head towards a dormancy period so their water usage will start to vary...
Season 8 Episode 12 - Good Structure is Good Bonsai Part 3 The Wrap Up
The approach of Good Structure is Good Bonsai is a great fall back position when you ever get doubt about the next step to take. When you sit there scratching your head and are ready to just leave it until next time, don't leave the issue, don'...
Season 8 Episode 11 - Good Structure is Good Bonsai Part 2
Good structure does not mean rigidity in design. Breaking or bending the rules can be one of the most enjoyable components when designing your bonsai. In this episode I want to offer some good structural advice or guidelines (not rules!). Thing...
Season 8 Episode 10 - Good Structure is Good Bonsai Part 1
One of the most important areas of bonsai for me is the structure of our trees, and good structure matters! I talked about this very early on in the podcast back in season one and it's well overdue for a freshen up and some deeper thought. In t...
Season 8 Episode 9 - What to do with Whips, Autumn Fertilising Refresher
I could almost guarantee that everyone that has been involved with bonsai for more than a couple of years has gone down the path of taking cuttings, planting seeds or purchasing young tube stock. It's built into our DNA! But once it takes what ...
Season 8 Episode 8 - When Less is More - Thin Trunk Bonsai
Thin trunk bonsai can be extremely elegant! And there is often a push on how to thicken trunks where bigger is seen as better. I thoroughly believe thin trunk bonsai can be magnificent when they are designed and managed correctly. There needs t...
Season 8 Episode 7 - Is Bonsai Age all it's Cracked up to be?
How old is that bonsai? Ever been asked that question and wondered why it has been asked? Does it really matter how old it is? We work so hard on the perception of age through the application of styling techniques that I just wonder if the age ...
Season 8 Episode 6 - Work Planning for Autumn, Start Again Advice
I am a planner, I like to be prepared and I always want to achieve as much as I possibly can with my bonsai. So with Autumn just days away I am breaking this season into segments and looking at the species and work that will be needed at each p...
Season 8 Episode 5 - Leave Your Pines in Peace, Skill of Waiting
It's late Summer and your pines are starting to look a little shaggy after decandling or candle cutting so what should you do?? Absolutely nothing! There are some great reasons for leaving them in peace for now and all of your hard work (and th...
Season 8 Episode 4 - Importance of Pad Separation, Compaction and Pre-Autumn
Beautiful bonsai for me have well balanced and positioned foliage pads. While it is easy initially to create larger pads, longer term this can be to the detriment of the structure of your bonsai. There is a process I use to create and separate ...
Season 8 Episode 3 - Summer Extremes, Where Do I Start?
We are now two thirds of the way through Summer and it has been brutal! Weather extremes, floods to bushfires, prolonged heat, strong winds. Welcome to Australia! For me now if the best time to start doing a review of your bonsai environment an...
Season 8 Episode 2 - Why I Love Junipers and How to Care for Them
Junipers make excellent bonsai! Always have and always will. Like all species they have a specific care regime and you need to understand where their strength comes from. They are simple to care for when you know how. This podcast has an overvi...
Season 8 Episode 1 - Better Bonsai for Us All, 2026 Goals, Mid Summer Review
Welcome to 2026 and what a year in bonsai it is going to be! I always like to start the year with some goal setting and what my focus will be and bonsai is all about repeating good practices and procedures over and over and over again. Doing wh...
Season 7 Episode 51 - Yearly Plan Review
It's one thing to set goals for yourself and your bonsai but it is very important to honestly look back and review the outcomes. My goals were made in episode 1 this season and it's now time to see how I went (and my bonsai too). As 2025 wraps ...
Season 7 Episode 50 - Holiday Jobs, Calculated Risks
With the holiday season upon us I’ve got some jobs for you! It’s a great time to get out there and knock off some jobs that will make a massive difference to your bonsai. And it’s not a bad time to stop and admire these beautiful trees. When we...
Season 7 Episode 49 - Lessons and Reminders from Decandling
I am a reflection/continuous improvement sort of person. I like to consider how could I do that better? Or what do I need to focus on? What do I need to change or stop? Always taking steps forward along with my bonsai. So as decandling season s...
Season 7 Episode 48 - Test the System, Pine Decandling Refresher
Summer is a time for a well earned rest but for your bonsai it can be a very stressful time. Whatever the system is you plan on using for while you are having a break, make sure you test it early. Friends, family, neighbours, watering system, n...
Season 7 Episode 47 - Watch Out for Shading, Time Sensitive Tasks and their Timing
Sometimes you can just get caught by surprise. You style a bonsai and it looks great, then a year or two goes by and all of a sudden you look at a part of a pad and it's weaker than it should be. Almost always it is a result of shading either f...
Season 7 Episode 46 - Pruning for Ramification, Fear of Cutting Vs Health
Doing something which may not be perfect is far better than doing nothing. But more important than that is the health of your bonsai. So sometimes it is best to do nothing, but at times you have to do something. Taking your bonsai to the next l...
Season 7 Episode 45 - Spruce and Cedar Maintenance, Caring in the current Environment
Spruce and Cedar both make excellent bonsai and about now is a vital time to do some maintenance to improve their future structure. There are a few techniques I use that will help you understand and develop them into beautiful bonsai. Spring is...
Season 7 Episode 44 - When is it Best to Just Let it Grow, Short Term Sacrifice Branches
With all this talk about pruning and managing the Spring growth, is there ever a time where you should just let them grow? Yes there definitely is. And if you do let them run when should you prune them? To improve the strength of your bonsai we...