how much do you spend on a decent to good tree??

barrosinc

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I want to know if I am incredibly cheap or insanely spendthrift...

Do most of you spend like <100 USD and take your time to grow a good tree.
Spend 100 < x < 300 for an already nice tree
Or >300USD for an already awesome tree that you just have to mantain.

:confused:
 

small trees

Chumono
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I want to know if I am incredibly cheap or insanely spendthrift...

Do most of you spend like <100 USD and take your time to grow a good tree.
Spend 100 < x < 300 for an already nice tree
Or >300USD for an already awesome tree that you just have to mantain.

:confused:

A lot of good stock is well over 300 USD unfortunately. It depends on where you get it, your location, and how good you are at bargaining. For the most part, it depends also on your definition of what good is. Being around a lot of the forum members, my idea of good is tainted and I will probably never be able to achieve quality like what they have, but trees like what I am talking about can run several thousand dollars.
 

KennedyMarx

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I'm inclined to spend more on material that is slower growing and/or with unique features. Faster growing species that I know I can grow out like trident maple I might spend less and try to develop it myself. That being said I haven't been involved with bonsai that long and haven't really spent that much for anything. This year I would like to find better material.
 

october

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I want to know if I am incredibly cheap or insanely spendthrift...

Do most of you spend like <100 USD and take your time to grow a good tree.
Spend 100 < x < 300 for an already nice tree
Or >300USD for an already awesome tree that you just have to mantain.

:confused:

In my area, these would be your prices for the categories you descibed. This is in USD

Do most of you spend like <100 USD and take your time to grow a good tree.... Trees like this generally range from $60-$200

Spend 100 < x < 300 for an already nice tree.. Trees like this, range from $175 - $400

Or >300USD for an already awesome tree that you just have to mantain...Trees like this range from $700 - $20,000.

Also, this is just to save you some time and money. I do not know about your area. However, for the most part, if you are not willing to pay more than $300-$400 for a tree. You will be very frustrated with the quality of your bonsai as the years go on. That is unless you have a place to collect nice trees and spend about 5-10 years developing them or you buy very cheap material and spend 10-20 years developing it.

Rob
 
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In my area, these would be your prices for the categories you descibed. This is in USD

Do most of you spend like <100 USD and take your time to grow a good tree.... Trees like this generally range from $60-$200

Spend 100 < x < 300 for an already nice tree.. Trees like this, range from $175 - $400

Or >300USD for an already awesome tree that you just have to mantain...Trees like this range from $700 - $20,000.

Also, this is just to save you some time and money. I do not know about your area. However, for the most part, if you are not willing to pay more than $300-$400 for a tree. You will be very frustrated with the quality of your bonsai as the years go on. That is unless you have a place to collect nice trees and spend about 5-10 years developing them or you buy very cheap material and spend 10-20 years developing it.

Rob

ahh, the peoples republic of taxichussetts.
 

Paulsur

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For good prebonsai material I try to stay in the $300-$500 range. At that range you are buying stock that has been grown to live in a pot and should have a good start on development.
 
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I'm lucky enough to live somewhere that I can collect great trees, but the cost of doing it still runs high in travel expenses. So cost is relative... buy one expensive tree instead of ten mediocre. Expensive is also relative. I don't pay thousands, but regularly spend several hundred, and that's cheap for me.
 

berobinson82

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I
Spend 100 < x < 300 for an already nice tree

:confused:

I'm not sure this range affords a "nice" tree. And certainly, there is a lot of work to be done on trees right on up to 1000 and more. You wouldn't be simply maintaining.

Buy what you can afford. Plus 10% :)
 

Eric Schrader

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Vic,

Nice to see you posting again. I tend to lurk here more often than post and I'm guessing there are others who are doing the same.

As to the tree cost issue - I'd just like to say that you should buy the best trees that you can afford.

And, more importantly than the cost - you should have a selection of material - both older specimen quality trees and young projects. They'll teach you different things.

So - full disclosure:

I've been at this about 12 years. Most expensive tree I ever bought (two months ago, I sold 15 trees to save up money for it.) - $1,400. I've bought four others in the $800-$1200 range, two of which died. The rest of my trees have all been cheap material, collected from the mountains or back yards or started from seeds.

Actually, I think I've spent more on buying pots than on trees.

Like Vic said, buy 1 great tree instead of 10 mediocre and you'll have a good collection before you know it. The trick is knowing it's a great tree I guess.
 

discusmike

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If you don't want to spend a lot on a finished tree, spend it on a trunk that is grown out and cut back a few times, starting out with sticks in a pot are long term projects, field grown stumps are a cheaper way to get something decent if you know what to look for, and will save you in years.
 

carobone

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If it's a tree I don't already own, and wanted to add it my collection, and it has qualities of a good tree, I'm willing to spend as much as long as my wife doesn't mind me spending it. Life's short, and you get what you pay for.


My 2 cents
 

october

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Vic,

Nice to see you posting again. I tend to lurk here more often than post and I'm guessing there are others who are doing the same.

As to the tree cost issue - I'd just like to say that you should buy the best trees that you can afford.

And, more importantly than the cost - you should have a selection of material - both older specimen quality trees and young projects. They'll teach you different things.

So - full disclosure:

I've been at this about 12 years. Most expensive tree I ever bought (two months ago, I sold 15 trees to save up money for it.) - $1,400. I've bought four others in the $800-$1200 range, two of which died. The rest of my trees have all been cheap material, collected from the mountains or back yards or started from seeds.

Actually, I think I've spent more on buying pots than on trees.

Like Vic said, buy 1 great tree instead of 10 mediocre and you'll have a good collection before you know it. The trick is knowing it's a great tree I guess.

This brings up a good point about the pots. For me, I sacrifice buying really nice pots to put the money towards good/better trees. I also own own a few medioicre stands as well. Almost all the money designated for bonsai goes to the trees themselves.

Rob
 

edprocoat

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This brings up a good point about the pots. For me, I sacrifice buying really nice pots to put the money towards good/better trees. I also own own a few medioicre stands as well. Almost all the money designated for bonsai goes to the trees themselves.

Rob

Rob, you cheap ass bastard ! ;)

ed
 

PaulH

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Most of my best trees were free (yamadori) of you don't count travel, labor, time off from work (I'm self employed so that's an expense), and aftercare, misting system and greenhouse. So maybe not free...

The most I've spent is $600 for a tree that I thought was worth much more.

I've bought a lot of trees at club sales for <$100 that became nice with a few years of work.
 
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Its all relative, but generically speaking we pay $100+ per inch of trunk caliper in good trees?????. Excluding dwarf varietals, etc. Et all.., generic speech

After the trunk looks good its relatively easy for a dufus like me to grow branches and bend or twist like a yogi to 'finish' the tree in the interim, assuming the aforementioned grower grew some roots that assure the idiot end user doesnt kill the poor tree upon delivery.
 

Poink88

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I am cheap. The most I've paid for a tree is $200...including shipping and/or tax. :D I paid $350 (approx) for one group planting but there were 3 trees and I planned & separated those.

That will change if I find a tree I really must have.

Oh by the way...I do not have a decent or good tree yet. :D
 
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Neli

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Trees are expensive in USA guys...
In Japan trees are probably 10 times cheaper ( I am not talking finished masterpieces.)
In Zambia...trees (rough material) in nurseries start from 1 USD...
It depends on your attitude towards bonsai what You pay.
Do you do it to have fun? And you will prefer to grow a tree from seed, and after 20 years proudly show a beautiful tree like many here, or you prefer to enjoy looking at a finished tree, and for short you are a connoisseur.
There are many stages in between.
The trick for me is to be able to appreciate and derive pleasure even from a 2cm emerging seed.
I know trees are our babies, and as every mother or father, we derive pleasure from peoples admiration of our trees. I think that is what pushes us to great length of expenses.
I have no real budget, but I prefer to create and that is where my greatest pleasure comes from.
I have not photographed most of my trees, though I am sure they are worthy of a good comment...but I sit for hours and enjoy working on them or just looking at them.
What ever you do and no matter how much you spend , Just make sure you have fun.
 

Poink88

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I have no real budget, but I prefer to create and that is where my greatest pleasure comes from.
I have not photographed most of my trees, though I am sure they are worthy of a good comment...but I sit for hours and enjoy working on them or just looking at them.
What ever you do and no matter how much you spend , Just make sure you have fun.
Great response Neli.

Same here and I agree 100%...but know/understand it is not for everyone.
 

Vance Wood

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If it's a tree I don't already own, and wanted to add it my collection, and it has qualities of a good tree, I'm willing to spend as much as long as my wife doesn't mind me spending it. Life's short, and you get what you pay for.


My 2 cents

You may get what you pay for but you are then faced with keeping it alive. If you are talking about $1,000.00 trees the stress of possession can be pretty glaring unless this kind of money means nothing to you. The most I have ever spent for a tree is $60.00. There are some that would look through my collection and say it shows. That's OK, I don't mind the jab and criticism any longer. Check link below to understand that one. Rightly or wrongly I have never been able to justify in my own mind spending hundreds of dollars for a single tree. I will spend hundreds of dollars to buy a lot of trees that I can develop and turn around and sell. I approach bonsai from the position of really enjoying making bonsai not owning beautiful finished bonsai. I try to turn out stock that has a future that even the blind can recognize and in that I feel I have accomplished something.
 
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fourteener

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I started out thinking that $100 at our society auction was a lot. Then I moved up to less trees and buying only one a year at$300-400. Then I started collecting trees in my area. Now I can no longer afford to buy anything I really like. I'm left to finding and trading. As was mentioned before, my budget now goes to pottery and once in awhile a nice tree. At this point I am saving up for a nice azalea.
 
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