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Bonsai grower and founder of Treevaset
I started Treevaset because I wanted to grow bonsai material the way I believe it should be done — from cuttings and seeds, with structure and long-term development in mind from day one. Before bonsai became my work, I spent years in finance. The trees were always there, though. What began as a personal collection of Japanese maples gradually became a nursery, and eventually a business focused on making quality pre-bonsai material accessible across Europe.
Treevaset specialises in non-grafted Acer palmatum cultivars for bonsai development. I propagate every plant from cuttings to preserve the true characteristics of each variety — consistent leaf size, internode length, and long-term behaviour. No grafts, no shortcuts. The nursery is based in Merate, near Lecco in northern Italy, where the climate allows year-round work with both deciduous and conifer species.
Beyond the nursery, I produce educational content on YouTube, covering practical techniques like air layering, thread grafting, structural pruning and species-specific development. The goal is always the same: share what actually works, based on what I see in the trees every day.
I believe bonsai works best when you understand the biology first and the aesthetics second. A tree that is healthy, well-fed and correctly timed will develop structure on its own terms — your job is to guide it, not force it. This is especially true with Japanese maples, where patience with internode control and seasonal timing produces results that no amount of aggressive pruning can replicate.
I also believe that bonsai should be accessible. You do not need decades of experience or expensive material to start building something meaningful. A well-selected young pre-bonsai, some basic knowledge and consistent attention will take you further than most people expect. That is why Treevaset exists — to provide the starting point and the guidance to go with it.
A step-by-step guide to summer pruning and selective defoliation on a six-trunk Zelkova serrata forest bonsai, with practical techniques for branch selection, leaf-size pruning, and building fine ramification.
How to summer prune an Acer buergerianum bonsai and check nebari development one year after a tourniquet incision. Includes the two-leaf rule, back-bud strategy, and the wire mistake that cost a full growing season.
Air layering gives you radial nebari from day one — skipping years of corrective root work. Luca walks through the full technique on Acer palmatum: the cut, the substrate choice, and how to separate and pot for the best results.
In a sokan bonsai, the son trunk almost always outgrows the father. Luca walks through the exact pruning sequence to rebalance energy on a twin trunk Acer palmatum seedling after spring repotting.
Deshojo is the most popular Japanese maple for bonsai — and for good reason. Explore its spring colour, growth behaviour, bark character, development strategy and why its ability to adapt leaf and internode size to bonsai culture makes it the benchmark cultivar.
Arakawa and Allen’s Gold are the only two Japanese maples with rough, pine-bark character. Compare bark development, seasonal colour, growth behaviour and development considerations to choose the right rough bark cultivar for your bonsai.
Bonsai is not the result: that comes after. Your enjoyment is what is important.
John Yoshio Naka
