Is Bonsai an Expensive Hobby?

[srunge55]

Do you consider bonsai to be an expensive hobby with respect to money and time? I'm sure the answer is probably it depends but was hoping to get some opinions. I've been interested in bonsai for some time now but just starting to take the next step but I really don't need another expensive hobby. It seems to me the cost of material, tools and time investment is all over the place.

Also wondering how much time do people spend a week on bonsai, is it seaonsal or a year round hobby?

Steve

 

[cmeg1]

It can get quite expensive.If you are wanting to budget yourself and are content at starting trees from scratch you can grow zelkova brooms from seed.Here is a 17 month old and a 6 month old.You can PM me for technique

 

[cmeg1]

The zelkova brooms are a very straight forward approach to bonsai.I tend to err on the more simple side of the hobby since I have other time consuming interests such as classical guitar.And then there is the table I built with rain protection which was a bit pricey,but it is done now.

 

[jkd2572]

I like to ride my mountain bike as well. You can buy a $200 bike or a $8000 bike. Bonsai is much the same. Bonsai does require quite a bit of your time. You can value that as you will.

 

[buddhamonk]

Can be pretty cheap when you continually buy and sell for a profit =)

 

[Poink88]

Do you consider bonsai to be an expensive hobby with respect to money and time? I'm sure the answer is probably it depends but was hoping to get some opinions. I've been interested in bonsai for some time now but just starting to take the next step but I really don't need another expensive hobby. It seems to me the cost of material, tools and time investment is all over the place.

Also wondering how much time do people spend a week on bonsai, is it seaonsal or a year round hobby?

Steve

It can get expensive but doesn't have to. You can start from cheap materials or even free ones. I get lots of free plants by collecting from construction site and houses that need re-landscaping.

Plants however is only part of the equation; pots, tools, supplies like soil components, fertilizers, etc. can add up.

For me it is a daily & year round thing. On average, I spend more than 10 hours a week with my plants. Not needed but something I enjoy doing.

 

[Poink88]

Can be pretty cheap when you continually buy and sell for a profit =)

True. I am not aiming for this but will be forced to so I can free up some space...or lessen the congestion in my yard.

I really do not enjoy selling though.

 

[edprocoat]

Expensive as in money and time? Naw. its just like having a woman in your life .



ed

 

[lackhand]

I agree with the others, a lot of it is what you want out of it. If you want to have a few trees that help you relax and connect with nature, not too expensive. If you want to show trees at a high level, it will take a lot of time and/or money.

For me personally, I just water most days which takes all of five minutes or so. Then one or two weekends a month I spend a few hours on maintenance, pruning, fertilizer, etc. So I would say it hasn't been too expensive for me.

 

[Smoke]

Do you consider bonsai to be an expensive hobby with respect to money and time? I'm sure the answer is probably it depends but was hoping to get some opinions. I've been interested in bonsai for some time now but just starting to take the next step but I really don't need another expensive hobby. It seems to me the cost of material, tools and time investment is all over the place.

Also wondering how much time do people spend a week on bonsai, is it seaonsal or a year round hobby?

Steve

This is probably the most strange question about life in general I have ever read. Everything in life is about budgeting time and money.

Money for the houshold.
Money for fuel.
Money for a new car, etc etc.

Time with your kids.
Time with your job
Time for your spouse.

As you well know you live in a place you can afford, no more.
You eat what you can afford, no more.
You vacation when you can afford it, no more.

Your job, kids, and spouse will dictate how much time you have left for bonsai, no more.

If you have a few years budgeting these things in your life already, it should not take much time to deduce by simple arithmitic how much money you have for a budget, and how much time you can devote to this. Once you have that the rest is easy.

Your spouse, kids and job will tell you in a hurry when you go over budget.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Do you consider bonsai to be an expensive hobby with respect to money and time? I'm sure the answer is probably it depends but was hoping to get some opinions. I've been interested in bonsai for some time now but just starting to take the next step but I really don't need another expensive hobby. It seems to me the cost of material, tools and time investment is all over the place.

Also wondering how much time do people spend a week on bonsai, is it seaonsal or a year round hobby?

Steve

I actually view it as a very INEXPENSIVE hobby. You can always spend money, but you don't have to. Unlike, for example, boating or skiing or golf - where you HAVE to spend money to participate.

You can have one or several trees... and can truly sit and look at them for a year and not spend a dime other than your own time to maintain them.

 

[Neli]

I would just say:
I spend a lot...and dont have to. I still enjoy best my free bonsai.
But but but....
I am not sure if I will manage to get as much joy and happiness, for the money I spend, from anything else.

 

[Beng]

For most it is expensive. For some though they find a way to do it cheaply.

 

[coh]

In terms of money, it can be as expensive as you wish...or, like some here, you can find ways to acquire material and supplies for little cost.

In terms of time...doing bonsai take a fair bit of time. If you consider that "expensive" then maybe you shouldn't be spending your time on it?

 

[GrimLore]

As pointed out earlier in the thread you can spend as you wish on Bonsai. The best point I saw so far is how much time can you afford to spend. If you have a lot of any plants it can be very time consuming. I started out with way to much but had the sense to bring it all to a manageable amount that I can handle and add to next Spring. You must also schedule things like watering, fertilizers and such in a fashion that allows you to do other things like travel as well. Expensive - nah unless you make it so. Time management is free if performed correctly.

Grimmy

 

[Nybonsai12]

Any hobby can become expensive. Depends on how far you want to take it.
In comparison with some other hobbies I have it's not too expensive. My wife thinks they are all expensive.

 

[dick benbow]

I have 3 japanese hobbies, and all 3 can be very expensive. I think it's because of their culture
and the pride and prestige of owning a national treasure.

I consider my Koi hobby as most expensive because I spent 35 years into it very deeply, buying the best show koi and constantly updating facilities for better water filtration.

next comes bonsai, with almost the same length of interest. Being able to control weather and animals has led to expensive greenhouses and watering systems. Buying the best pots, lessons and accessories is not inexpensive.

Suiseki is a relatively new love. In terms of time and gas money it can be expensive. gathering all of the equipment needed to make your own daiza's can be expensive as well.

Here lately I have gotten interested in tokonoma display. While it uses the bonsai and suiseki
as a portion of the items needed in display, building a toko inside one's home, a miriade of needed display tables and artwork for scrolls can be terribly costly.

As you can tell my problem is too much interest in things japanese and as someone into
retirement not the resources to sustain the interest. The personality is such that doing anything japanese half-way doesn't do it for me.So I really have no one else to blame but myself.

cartoon artist al capp said it best in one of his Smoo's cartoon strips..." I have found the enemy and the enemy is me".

another favorite expression that's suited for this situation.....quality is like buying oats, if you want the best you'll have to pay for it, HOWEVER, if you'd be satified with what has already gone thru the horse, then that comes a little cheaper.

 

[Poink88]

Any hobby can become expensive. Depends on how far you want to take it.
In comparison with some other hobbies I have it's not too expensive. My wife thinks they are all expensive.

So true in all counts.

By far, this is the most fulfilling one I've tried though. And my spending is tapering down...now that I have close to couple dozen cutters, several dozen pots, and 150 plants. (I really need help)

I can stare at a tree and to an outside observer, I am doing nothing...but in reality, I am running thousand "what ifs" in my mind. LOL

 

[logan3]

The best investment I ever made was joining my local bonsai club, Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai. Some of my better trees were obtained from the raffle table we set up at each meeting, tickets start at 1$, also tools, pots an anything bonsai related. Plus the knowledge of the older members ,priceless.

 

[Paradox]

It can be but it doesnt have to be. If you want really nice trees, and you want them sooner than later, youll have to spend some money. You can get lucky and find cheap material that will make a nice tree some day, but that is the time factor (years).