Choosing the best material possible

jedge76

jedge76

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Hello everyone,

Walter Pall has brought up a great point about the ability to choose good material. I thought I would start this thread so that everyone on this forum could post some of their advice so that others, especially newbies, but anyone really, can reference what good material should consist of at time of purchase. I would hope that we could come up with somewhat of a list of advice for every budget. For example, for those who are not ready to purchase high end pre bonsai as well as those contemplating the big purchases that the good pre bonsai often commands. I have definitely been a victim of my own ignorance when choosing material. I am starting to learn, but maybe this kind of thread could help supplement a buyer's decision making the next time they are tree hunting, whether Home Depot or New England Bonsai. I know some of this will be routine for a lot of us, but maybe it would help some to grow more efficiently and enjoy the hobby that much more. Thanks!

--Joe
 
Hi there,
A good advice from Brent Watson (Garden Works nursery): the nebari, never pass a good nebari, everything else you could work on it.

I used it to picked-up my own tree for the contest and I'm in fact very happy with my tree cause of it's nebari.
Btw I bought my tree at Home Depot and furthermore it was a 50% off week on azalea so I paid it less than $10, which prove that even a very cheap tree could have a good nebari :)
 
There's no such thing as good material.

The word "easy" needs to be substituted for the word good. All material is good given enough time and technique. William Valavanis has a whole book devoted to the history of his collection in which most of the best trees have been started from cuttings...not necessarily good material.

This was not good material based on the technique applied to it. It was out of balance and top heavy.
001a.JPG

It was easy material to make something entirely different from it. You are not looking for the best material you are looking for the easiest material.

DSC_00050001.JPG

Bonsai is about talent and technique. Conventions go out of their way to find unique interesting pieces of material, probably things that most people will pass by because they seem too hard, or they don't know what to do with them. What most people find as good bonsai material is what time and technique someone else has put into it..or...what Mother nature has put into it. Someone not knowing the difference is confusing "good" with "easy". Knowing the difference is what separates the "good" bonsai artists from the "easy" bonsai artists.
I'm 60 years old, you can call me "easy" all day long...:cool:
 
This is "good" bonsai material. It has a good sized trunk and great taper. Smooth transition all the way to the top.

DSC_00030003.JPG

There is one thing that can be done with this. It will look like this in a few years. Easy! Pretty boring, green helmet, one branch two branch back branch by the numbers. I have so many of these it is funny. Sure they look pleasing and will suffice at the club show, but this is not what people going to the Artisan Cup are expecting to see.

If I drove 1000 miles and saw three or four of these I would say, "Hell, I could have entered a tree good as that". Trust me that is not what Ryan and Michael are hoping to accomplish.

025.JPG

So start young, don't look for the easy stuff. Look for the hard stuff, the stuff that may be half dead.

Look for key attributes like;

taper or can you induce it?
Branches to work with on conifers
grafting ability for deciduous.

Hard
014.JPG

The best of my ability

DSC_00010001.JPG
Over the next few years I can refine it and clean it up, but for now it is one of the most unusual pieces I have, not because it was good material, but because it was hard.
 
When you come to town next time Joe call me. You can come over and we can talk trees. Glenn and Gray has my number. I'm in the phone book also.
 
Smoke said:
When you come to town next time Joe call me. You can come over and we can talk trees. Glenn and Gray has my number. I'm in the phone book also.
Click to expand...

What the hell is a phone book?
Is that like Facebook for your phone?

Smart (ass) phones. Taking selfies, updating statusi like, "I'm charging right now", or, "I'm being used for Bonsai Nut", Or "I just took a swim in the toilet"

Sorce
 
Smoke said:
This is "good" bonsai material. It has a good sized trunk and great taper. Smooth transition all the way to the top.

View attachment 74613

There is one thing that can be done with this. It will look like this in a few years. Easy! Pretty boring, green helmet, one branch two branch back branch by the numbers. I have so many of these it is funny. Sure they look pleasing and will suffice at the club show, but this is not what people going to the Artisan Cup are expecting to see.

If I drove 1000 miles and saw three or four of these I would say, "Hell, I could have entered a tree good as that". Trust me that is not what Ryan and Michael are hoping to accomplish.

View attachment 74614

So start young, don't look for the easy stuff. Look for the hard stuff, the stuff that may be half dead.

Look for key attributes like;

taper or can you induce it?
Branches to work with on conifers
grafting ability for deciduous.

Hard
View attachment 74615

The best of my ability

View attachment 74616
Over the next few years I can refine it and clean it up, but for now it is one of the most unusual pieces I have, not because it was good material, but because it was hard.
Click to expand...


I, too, love this perspective. Thanks for spinning this idea in the fashion you did. I see exactly what you were saying. Part of me was thinking about the new guy that buys something from a nursery that isn't ready for much real work for a long time, then they post it on here and get somewhat hammered on it. That hasn't really happened to me on this forum, though Grayson has got me good once or twice for a Pfitzeriana that I purchased some time ago (RIP, Pfitz!). But the way you put it makes much more sense and I like it. I will definitely give you a ring Al...I think I should be in Fresno on Wednesday...I see my daughter at 3pm, so maybe before or after that. I'll text Glenn for your number.
 
jedge76 said:
I, too, love this perspective. Thanks for spinning this idea in the fashion you did. I see exactly what you were saying. Part of me was thinking about the new guy that buys something from a nursery that isn't ready for much real work for a long time, then they post it on here and get somewhat hammered on it. That hasn't really happened to me on this forum, though Grayson has got me good once or twice for a Pfitzeriana that I purchased some time ago (RIP, Pfitz!). But the way you put it makes much more sense and I like it. I will definitely give you a ring Al...I think I should be in Fresno on Wednesday...I see my daughter at 3pm, so maybe before or after that. I'll text Glenn for your number.
Click to expand...
After would be good, I get home around 3:45 PM.
 
Smoke said:
This is "good" bonsai material. It has a good sized trunk and great taper. Smooth transition all the way to the top.

View attachment 74613

There is one thing that can be done with this. It will look like this in a few years. Easy! Pretty boring, green helmet, one branch two branch back branch by the numbers. I have so many of these it is funny. Sure they look pleasing and will suffice at the club show, but this is not what people going to the Artisan Cup are expecting to see.

If I drove 1000 miles and saw three or four of these I would say, "Hell, I could have entered a tree good as that". Trust me that is not what Ryan and Michael are hoping to accomplish.

View attachment 74614

So start young, don't look for the easy stuff. Look for the hard stuff, the stuff that may be half dead.

Look for key attributes like;

taper or can you induce it?
Branches to work with on conifers
grafting ability for deciduous.

Hard
View attachment 74615

The best of my ability

View attachment 74616
Over the next few years I can refine it and clean it up, but for now it is one of the most unusual pieces I have, not because it was good material, but because it was hard.
Click to expand...
You know Al... If you have too many of those little green helmets... I have a California sized drought of them in my backyard!
 
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