Would anyone be interested in getting a contest going where we're all either starting from a propagate, or from a collection w/i certain parameters?

SU2

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I like the idea of these types of interactions in bonsai but the one I'm most familiar with, Reddit's annual nursery-stock contest (or twice-annual maybe?), has no appeal to me (I don't like acquiring anything w/o a decent trunk, and I dislike the idea of trying to make a tree look 'finished' & pretty in a short time because that's /= to properly developing it (not that you couldn't just un-wire after the contest and then start a proper, long-term plan for it, but still)

Maybe a BC contest, as BC collection season is coming up? @BillsBayou & @Zach Smith & @Mellow Mullet would you guys be interested in anything like this, where it's a 1yr or 2yrs contest? Get your chosen specimen in the next ~8wks / declare it in the contest thread, then a year (or 2yr) later there's a winner for who did the coolest job with their specimen? Obviously I'd come in 4th of the 4 of us from this BC idea but even still I'd be eager to participate!

Or in the spring/summer there could be a tropicals contest, wherein people submit their favorite tropical that they'd collected in that season, and the contest-thread would be an on-going type of deal (w/ "finish date(s)" for motivation & fun & choosing winners, but I think that in all of these cases it'd be great seeing it as it un-folded

Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts, will PM mods if there's interest & they don't see this :)
 

Zach Smith

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Two years to a showable BC would be pretty tough. I can make a presentable flat-top in that time with the right material, but not an informal or formal upright of size.
 

Cajunrider

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How about a Skins Game? Oooooo......
1 tree, 5 years
$10/year with a contest at the end of each year, post your best photos of the tree from that year
Independent judges can judge on various qualities
Each year's winner takes home that year's pot
This here rookie is at a decidedly disadvantage but I'm game.
 

Mellow Mullet

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I like the idea of these types of interactions in bonsai but the one I'm most familiar with, Reddit's annual nursery-stock contest (or twice-annual maybe?), has no appeal to me (I don't like acquiring anything w/o a decent trunk, and I dislike the idea of trying to make a tree look 'finished' & pretty in a short time because that's /= to properly developing it (not that you couldn't just un-wire after the contest and then start a proper, long-term plan for it, but still)

Maybe a BC contest, as BC collection season is coming up? @BillsBayou & @Zach Smith & @Mellow Mullet would you guys be interested in anything like this, where it's a 1yr or 2yrs contest? Get your chosen specimen in the next ~8wks / declare it in the contest thread, then a year (or 2yr) later there's a winner for who did the coolest job with their specimen? Obviously I'd come in 4th of the 4 of us from this BC idea but even still I'd be eager to participate!

Or in the spring/summer there could be a tropicals contest, wherein people submit their favorite tropical that they'd collected in that season, and the contest-thread would be an on-going type of deal (w/ "finish date(s)" for motivation & fun & choosing winners, but I think that in all of these cases it'd be great seeing it as it un-folded

Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts, will PM mods if there's interest & they don't see this :)

I'm with Zach on this one, two years is really not enough time to do much, on any tree really. Especially with most of the available nursery stock. Plus, at this point in the hobby, I am not really interested in acquiring anymore "starter" trees (unless I come across something really special) and am actually gonna thin my tree collection out this spring by hopefully at least a third. I just have too many to try to maintain.

Thanks for considering me, though. It sounds like, with the proper set up, that it could be pretty fun..

John
 

Cajunrider

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How about a sponsored contest where a bonsai supplier sells prebonsai to contestants at a discount price so everyone starts at a fairly interesting and equal phase of development. This contest can start this spring and end at early fall the following year. This way we have two growing seasons and have a winter to test the contestants on how they winter their trees.
 

Mike Hennigan

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How about a sponsored contest where a bonsai supplier sells prebonsai to contestants at a discount price so everyone starts at a fairly interesting and equal phase of development. This contest can start this spring and end at early fall the following year. This way we have two growing seasons and have a winter to test the contestants on how they winter their trees.

I’m all about the discounted price part of this! Lol, might take some convincing.
 

Mike Hennigan

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I’d be interested in something along these lines, but also think 2 years is probably too short for most things.
 

Cajunrider

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I’d be interested in something along these lines, but also think 2 years is probably too short for most things.
We can go longer but starting at a common stock prebonsai is one good way to start. To make it interesting we can have teams with the old timers in this forum be the captains and advisors.
 

AJL

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To make this a level playing field for everyone why not start with an un- rooted 12 inch long cutting of a named species,name a start date then take it from there , !
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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I agree with AJL that it's more a "best stock picker" contest if the starting point isn't levelled. Local nurseries and amount of stock to pick from play too much of a role for a honest contest I think.
But its interesting to see how this turns out!
 

sorce

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How about a Skins Game? Oooooo......
1 tree, 5 years
$10/year with a contest at the end of each year, post your best photos of the tree from that year
Independent judges can judge on various qualities
Each year's winner takes home that year's pot

I'm with this.
Fun to watch!
$ will make people focus.

Sponsored with discounted BC material is going to be .....
A. Too Expensive and Large to feasibly ship.
( a real BC collector.)
B. Too Expensive Since you can get it cheaper at the Depot.
(A BS BC collector.)

But again.....and again and again.

Judging improvement on ANY material can be done equally, stick to stock.

Sorce
 

Mike Hennigan

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Elm challenge? You pick the species? We all start from the same standard, rooted cutting perhaps? Just a thought. Elms can be grown over a lot of different zones and they’re all relatively fast to develop for deciduous. Just a thought. No way can I grow eucalyptus up here lol.
 
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