Eric started this Valley Oak bonsai from an acorn back in 2005 (the same year our first son was born!) When he first started doing bonsai, Eric wanted to capture the essence of trees that he enjoyed, growing up in rural Northern California. Valley Oaks are iconic; they really represent his childhood. He picked the acorns off a very stately, old tree in the Sacramento area (Roseville). He planted most of the acorns directly into the ground, wanting them to initially grow as quickly as possible. He dug them up 1-2 years later to put into containers.

00:02:05 This tree has been in its current pot for 3-4 years. Shows more and more signs of becoming a nice bonsai. One example is the natural taper and characteristic bark splitting, deep fissured plates of bark.

00:03:02 When the tree was very young, Eric cut off tap roots and planted the tree on top of a board, for the second time they were ground grown. This produced lateral large roots that created a flair in the trunk.

00:04:10 Eric contemplates whether he should submit the tree to the jury for the Pacific Bonsai Expo (https://www.pacificbonsaiexpo.com). He explains why it actually may not show its best fall color until December.

00:05:25 The tree struggled to grow in a container in his yard because it's native to the Sacramento valley which is much hotter in the summer months. So he sent it to a friend last summer in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It perks itself up whenever it takes a vacation to hot summer climates!

00:06:14 Non-ideal climate conditions can lead to a little twig die-back.

00:06:41 Clear 360 degree view of the tree to discuss Eric's goal with the design..."replica of the California wild in miniature".

00:07:38 "Water fountain" style defined. Eric prefers for the outer branches to be down a little more.

00:08:56 For the size of the trunk, the crown and silhouette are not quite filled out enough.

00:09:53 Also needs more barking on the branches to show more maturity in the entire composition. Could take another 15 years!

00:10:37 Eric shares a few faults with the tree: reverse tapering midway up the trunk, and the size of some of the branching up in the crown needs a few more years to grow.

00:12:24 The best time to pick acorns for Valley Oaks is...? If you've watched the video to the end, let us know the answer in the comments below! Thanks for watching :-)

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