Cost/Price of a bonsai

Cajunrider

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
6,542
Reaction score
12,898
Location
Louisiana
USDA Zone
9A
I am eyeing a few very large 33โ€ oval pots for my forests. My expenses are still trending up ๐Ÿ˜
 

namnhi

Masterpiece
Messages
2,596
Reaction score
4,555
Location
Houston TX
USDA Zone
8b
I am eyeing a few very large 33โ€ oval pots for my forests. My expenses are still trending up ๐Ÿ˜
Looks like you are working on bonsai that once created will pretty much stay where it is. If you move those to PA then you may have to add another cost to your list.... a new hvac (mostly heating) for them.

While we on this topic... just last couple weeks I probably already spent around 2k on soil, pots and a few more olive stumps. Many hours out in the garden which can add up significantly.
 

Cajunrider

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
6,542
Reaction score
12,898
Location
Louisiana
USDA Zone
9A
Looks like you are working on bonsai that once created will pretty much stay where it is. If you move those to PA then you may have to add another cost to your list.... a new hvac (mostly heating) for them.

While we on this topic... just last couple weeks I probably already spent around 2k on soil, pots and a few more olive stumps. Many hours out in the garden which can add up significantly.
BCs and Mayhaw can live in PA that is for sure. No heating needed. I will mulch them in for winter that is all. The tamarind, royal poinciana, plumeria, and rainbow eucalyptus will be the only trees I have to bring inside. Other trees such as guavas and mango will be given to my brothers in Florida.
 

dbonsaiw

Omono
Messages
1,934
Reaction score
2,354
Location
New York
USDA Zone
7b
I have zero interest in attempting to turn bonsai into a business, so I never broke down true costs in detail. I know this isn't exactly responsive to your question, but as this is a hobby I am less concerned with stretching my dollar as far as I can and more concerned with buying wisely. I'd rather buy good tools and buy once. I now know that I'd rather buy something a little more developed rather than sticks in the dirt. Decisions on soil are driven by how I think my trees will develop (right or wrong) and not whether I can cut costs by improvising on substrates.

That said, the essential large costs are the trees themselves and the soil. I have some of my trees in 14X14X5" boxes filled with Bonsai Jack. Bought in bulk, it comes out to $10/gallon. The box will hold about 5 gallons, so it gets pricey (cheaper if you leave lots of roots, lol). Box is about $20 to make (cost of an unessential nice pot is the same as how long is a string?). I will go through any number of those little Bonsai Pro fertilizers in a season. Cost of water is probably significant. Sun is free.

Unless one is selling bonsai, it's hard/impractical to break down a number for labor. This is our enjoyment, not labor. That's what we are paying for.
 

Cajunrider

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
6,542
Reaction score
12,898
Location
Louisiana
USDA Zone
9A
I am eyeing a few very large 33โ€ oval pots for my forests. My expenses are still trending up ๐Ÿ˜
So I sold a few BCs and placed my orders for pots, tags, & grow bags plus soil for BC seedlings to be replanted in the woods. Net loss of $200 is a win in my book :)
 

dbonsaiw

Omono
Messages
1,934
Reaction score
2,354
Location
New York
USDA Zone
7b
So I sold a few BCs and placed my orders for pots, tags, & grow bags plus soil for BC seedlings to be replanted in the woods. Net loss of $200 is a win in my book
Interesting. You have some nice trees, so I'm surprised. I'm interested in the mayhaw, hawthorne and really any deciduous that will grow here in NY when they're ready.
 

Cajunrider

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
6,542
Reaction score
12,898
Location
Louisiana
USDA Zone
9A
Interesting. You have some nice trees, so I'm surprised. I'm interested in the mayhaw, hawthorne and really any deciduous that will grow here in NY when they're ready.
The expense is the fun part :D
The tree sales actually are insignificant to me. Yet I get giddy when I sell one. Then I turn around and buy bonsai stuff that well exceed the money I get.
 

Ininaatigoons

Shohin
Messages
336
Reaction score
336
So I started to add up my cost for collecting trees.
Avg 50 miles driving per tree $.60/mile
Pot & soil $10 per tree for small $20+ large
2 hr of my time per small tree 3 hr for large
Even at the cheapest handy man labor of $20/hr I am at $80-100 per tree I collect before it even shows a bud.
My accountant told me there is a definite uptick in my expenses since April 2022. To that I said: โ€œYes maโ€™am!โ€ ๐Ÿ˜

So what do your numbers look like?
No wonder bonsai peeps donโ€™t tell their real cost to their family hahaha.
And what of maintenance? Watering alone at $20... LOL No laughing matter since I gotta train the neighbor kid and pay him when I go on vacation.
 

vp999

Omono
Messages
1,899
Reaction score
3,598
Location
Washington DC
USDA Zone
7A
Yep. We also gave a boat that we sink a lot of money into as well. It's a big part of our life that we spend a lot of time with.

The way I see it is the boat and the bonsai are hobbies. They are constructive hobbies that get us off the couch, out of the house, outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

I agree, as long as you can afford it, who cares what it cost? It's better than sitting at home, watching TV and letting that rot your brain and body.
Talk about boating expenses...My SeaRay Amberjack 290 is getting a new block for one of its engine which will cost $10k, got a text from my marine mechanic yesterday and he said both transom assemblies is rusting and leaking badly so another 10K for both..and by the time its done fishing season here in MD will almost be over. I've been going to the Keys and fish and it's so much more enjoyable then fishing here in the Chesapeake Bay. I think im selling the boat after its fixed and keep going to the Keys..It's actually cheaper for me to that every month than owning a boat here. ๐Ÿ˜ข๐Ÿ˜ข๐Ÿ˜ข
 
Top Bottom