Any fan of bonsai heirloom on here?

[moreateleven]

Obviously I'm a complete n00b, so feel free to disregard my thoughts, but I quite like Mr. Chen and I'm kind of surprised to hear so many negative opinions. Here's where I'm at:

• Technique. I don't know nearly enough to accurately judge his technique, but to the untrained eye, what everyone says seems to be accurate -- he's pretty rough, and oftentimes seems to run counter to "standard practice" or "common knowlege" or "best practices". What's good and what's bad is beyond me, but I'd never listen to what just one person says, whether that Milton Chen, Ryan Neil, John Naka, etc. This goes for any technical endeavour, not just bonsai.
• i think his value add here, and moreso than any other bonsai youtuber I've come across, is his Julia Child-like ability to simplify, demystify, and encourage people. Julia Child became beloved for teaching Americans good-enough cooking techniques that were often dumbed-down and not "correct". Bonsai Heirloom seems similar to me. While each and every technique might not be ideal, his "relax, it'll grow back" mentality is very useful for the beginner.
• Live by the algo, die by the algo. I just don't care when people buy subs or views or likes or comments. The onus is on Google to create an algo that rewards interesting and unique content, not whatever it is now, lol. Anyway, that's just my personal opinion; everyone should be gaming these platforms.
• PhD's are full of themselves. This is annoying but to be expected.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting everyone must like him or that he is unable to be criticized, but for me (and I have to imagine other people) his relaxed attitude gave me the confidence to pull the trigger and give this a try -- while watching Ryan Neil/Mirai (as an example, not trying to dump on him specifically) literally made me think "oh, I'll never be able to do bonsai".

Ultimately this is a hobby, and people approach things differently. Some people want to forever improve, be the best in the world; some want to be the best that they're capable of; and some people (like me) just want to be good enough!

Anyway, I still won't ever use his soil mix though lol.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Not a fan. I've seen field soil better than his "bonsai soil". Root growth doesn't look good at all.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I think hes just some guy jumping on the bandwagon of bonsai youtube videos because he has some old trees he bought a while ago.

 

[leatherback]

1. Loves to call himself doctor constantly despite the subject of the video having no relevance to his PHD.

maybe that is what I should be doing in my videos. Will it get me more views?

PhD's are full of themselves. This is annoying but to be expected.

Why do you assume this? I hardly know any doctors that are full of themselves.

 

[moreateleven]

maybe that is what I should be doing in my videos. Will it get me more views?


Why do you assume this? I hardly know any doctors that are full of themselves.

That's just been my experience -- the PhD constantly correcting everyone that their correct honorific is "Dr." is a well-worn trope in the states. I feel like there was even a curb episode about this? Anyway, it's not important and I didn't mean anything by it! Mostly just making a joke.

 

[rockm]

I think hes just some guy jumping on the bandwagon of bonsai youtube videos because he has some old trees he bought a while ago.

 

[Dav4]

I just bumped into this thread. My favorite part of that YouTube video- "Look at how healthy this is... look at all the roots!", at which point the man tears into the desert-dry peat heavy potting soil and removes the only actively growing root which was at the bottom of the pot- likely the only part of the soil mass that ever has any meaningful moisture, all the while manhandling the nicely barked up trunk with his hands... cringey to say the least. Obviously, the two larger trees are nice... but they could be so much better! Oh, well. There are so many better resources available online, including right here at B'nut. Pretty much any progression thread here will have more value than what that video offers, and there are dozens of members here who have provided more meaningful, higher quality content through the years.

 

[Ruddigger]

He tried to buy some California Junipers from my teacher, after I showed him the videos he refused to sell.

 

[PaulH]

The guy is a joke. He and others like him on Youtube do a lot of harm to people trying to learn.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I think for those learning. Nigel Saunders is the best, most accessible, most authentic. Jelle is a close second or tied (i just grew up with nigel before joining bnut so I have a nostalgiac bias but i'd recommend both in the same breath). And that's not because @leatherback is a beloved member. Both Jelle and Nigel cover all periods of development, have good close up filming and explanations, and both show how varied the approaches can be, with Saunders approaching from a penjing-perspective and jelle from a more traditional bonsai perspective. Bonsai Heirloom approaches from the perspective of "i can afford to buy, film, torture, and close to kill my trees with refuted techniques" perspective.

I look forward to the shooting gallery. Let me put on my bullseye patterned shirt and hat.

 

[TrevorLarsen]

I agree his videos give a lot of people bad information and it’s a problem, but I think there is some value in showing that totally different ways of doing things can be somewhat successful. Hearing he buys views makes sense since I was surprised he was so popular so quickly. He probably does more harm than good for beginners, and really he is a much crappier version of Peter Chan so his rule braking, casual attitude is done better by Chan so he isn’t really needed. I think Peter does the best job of giving confidence to people that are completely intimidated be the experts like Mirai, and that is a very much needed role in bonsai.

 

[rockm]

I agree his videos give a lot of people bad information and it’s a problem, but I think there is some value in showing that totally different ways of doing things can be somewhat successful. Hearing he buys views makes sense since I was surprised he was so popular so quickly. He probably does more harm than good for beginners, and really he is a much crappier version of Peter Chan so his rule braking, casual attitude is done better by Chan so he isn’t really needed. I think Peter does the best job of giving confidence to people that are completely intimidated be the experts like Mirai, and that is a very much needed role in bonsai.

Ha! I thought the vid WAS of Peter Chan just glancing through. Posted a response based on my misidentification. Took that down after I realized how stupid I'd been.

I then actually watched the video above and my jaw hit the floor. What a load of crap and potentially damaging information for anyone who follows his "advice." He uses potting soil for pines (which were kind of nice before he butchered the shit out of them) and pulls them up, barerooting them in the process, then squishes them back into the soil? For crying out loud...How does he get the "Heirloom" shit. There's not going to be anything left standing to pass on to anyone.

Sorry, my head exploded there...

 

[vp999]

From what I understand he has an online store coming lol.

 

[rockm]

I expect to see this kind of reaction from some members here. Most of the things he did are opposite of what most of us have been told not to do... but we all have a different thinking of what a good bonsai look like.

on the internet, everyone is an expert and it's chalked up to "having a different approach" Uh Uh, sorry, from what I've seen, this guy's "approach" is plain fatal to trees. Different thinking doesn't make that thinking viable or even remotely worthwhile. Has he had any trees in his possession more than 15 years? Just curious...

 

[TrevorLarsen]

on the internet, everyone is an expert and it's chalked up to "having a different approach" Uh Uh, sorry, from what I've seen, this guy's "approach" is plain fatal to trees. Different thinking doesn't make that thinking viable or even remotely worthwhile. Has he had any trees in his possession more than 15 years? Just curious...

Yes he claims to have some trees for over 30 years if I remember correctly. He also talks about his knowing and learning from John Naka and other big names in bonsai past.
Also he says he used to do things the Japanese way but now thinks his way is better, but who knows if any of that is true. His lying about views and comments is a red flag on his credibility.

 

[fintrale]

The reactions here are a bit surprising to me! Approaches / philosophies are unique, obviously, but I appreciate his "do what works for you" and "this is meant to be enjoyable" approach to this hobby. He seems genuinely nice. Of course he's selling things, as are many "content creators" in bonsai and beyond. Whether or not he buys followers honestly means nothing to me (I don't judge teachers by the size of their following). I'm all for constructive disagreement but I find the attitudes of some of the more prolific / established posters here to be super discouraging to newcomers (who I'm sure will also put down this reply, my first on this site).

That being said, some of the advice on this very thread is truly terrible! Imagine believing that books are worthless and that only in-person teaching can truly pass knowledge on -- is that you, Socrates?

 

[Orion_metalhead]

The reactions here are a bit surprising to me! Approaches / philosophies are unique, obviously, but I appreciate his "do what works for you" and "this is meant to be enjoyable" approach to this hobby. He seems genuinely nice. Of course he's selling things, as are many "content creators" in bonsai and beyond. Whether or not he buys followers honestly means nothing to me (I don't judge teachers by the size of their following). I'm all for constructive disagreement but I find the attitudes of some of the more prolific / established posters here to be super discouraging to newcomers (who I'm sure will also put down this reply, my first on this site).

That being said, some of the advice on this very thread is truly terrible! Imagine believing that books are worthless and that only in-person teaching can truly pass knowledge on -- is that you, Socrates?

How much did he pay you!!!! LOL.

Seriously, do you think his trees' obvious poor health should inspire others to follow his techniques? If his trees were bursting with health and vigor, It should give us moment to consider what he does and approach it objectively. But his trees are about the same level of health as this guy:

 

[leatherback]

Ha! I thought the vid WAS of Peter Chan just glancing through. Posted a response based on my misidentification. Took that down after I realized how stupid I'd been.

I wondered whether you realized this is another person being discussed . Now the book-writing decades ago makes sense. Peter Chan is a star; Much more so than younger generations give him credit for, imho.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Honestly, P. Chan's trees generally look healthy from his videos. This guy, no way.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I wasn't aware Bonsai Heirloom was a YouTube channel before reading this thread. I thought it was going to be a discussion of growing trees and varieties that have fallen out of favor with contemporary growers. Are there such trees that used to be widely grown, but not so much anymore?