JBP PreBonsai

[sikadelic]

Greetings all. I have a bit of Christmas money coming my way and would like to find a small JBP learn with. I have never had this species before so I wouldn't want anything too nice, as I would likely make many mistakes. Would I be crazy to think I could find one from a reputable source for somewhere in the neighborhood of $50? If any of you have something like that or could direct me to a source you have used I would appreciate it. Thank you!

Merry Christmas!

 

[sikadelic]

So I just ordered this: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=390672515787

It may junk but for $15 including shipping, I cant complain. I would still like to find a more established tree than this, but it's a start!

 

[bonsai barry]

You didn't mention your budget, but this seemed like a fair deal to me. George Muranaka is a well respected nurseryman.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-bl...893?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ecb1cb93d

 

[sikadelic]

You didn't mention your budget, but this seemed like a fair deal to me. George Muranaka is a well respected nurseryman.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-bl...893?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ecb1cb93d

Thanks for the link barry. Mr. Muranaka is most definitely well respected and for good reason.

I mentioned a budget of around $50. I know most JBPs are pretty pricey and I doubt I can find a great one for that, but im gonna try to stick in that range for now.

 

[Adair M]

Jarrod,

Those little trees you ordered just need to be left alone for several years to grow. There's not much you will be able to do with them that will advance your skills and knowledge of training JBP.

The trees George sells have been trimmed while they were in the ground, so they are ready for wiring, decandling, needle pulling, etc. NONE of which you should do to those trees you bought.

George's trees begin around $100.

At $50, you might find some JBP at Home Depot or Lowes. They won't have the ramification that George's trees would have, but they might have a trunk.

Personally, I'd save my pennies until I had enough to buy something worth working on.

My local bonsai shop resells trees that they get from George. I teach classes there. I have a tree I bought from George on eBay 4 years ago, and I show it to my students. As inspiration.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Adair...agreed. It is easier to learn on JBP that are somewhat developed; base, trunk, and established primary branches with some close-in growth.

It allows the opportunity to work using basic techniques like wiring, candle pruning, needle plucking, and watering without having to worry about sacrifice branches or getting new growth closer to the trunk.

George's trees are perfect for that first learning tree. Although it seems he must be selling faster than he's growing because the maturity/quality of the eBay pines have been a little spotty in the last year or so. Probably a different story to visit the nursery in person.

 

[sikadelic]

Thanks for the good advice guys and I know you are spot on. As I feared, I will have to wait a bit and save a bit more. I will just keep cutting my teeth on the wonderful pine threads I find here.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I would say that the cheaper young ones from the first link would be a good place to start. After all you have to learn to walk before you can run. With your 50 dollar budget you could have a few to experiment with. Plant two out in the ground and learn sacrifice growth techniques and put the third in a container to see if you can keep it alive.

 

[Adair M]

Jarrod,

The BEST way to learn JBP Techiques is working on already refined trees, under the watchful eye of the Master. That's the way the apprentices learn in Japan.

We don't teach bonsai here in the USA that way, we start with raw stock. The closest experience to an apprenticeship are the "Intensive" training sessions that are now being offered by several former apprentices. There, the student learns on the Master's advanced trees.

It is MUCH harder to advance young stock into respectable bonsai than it is to maintain/improve an established tree. Especially JBP.

The irony: the more refined the JBP, the better the techniques (decandling, needle pulling, wiring) work. But the beginner rarely gets to even see, much less work on an established JBP. So, beginners think that JBP are "too hard".

They're not. They are actually pretty easy once you know how. But it does take a couple of years to see the results of applying the techniques. Which is why it is best to start on as advanced material as you can get.

 

[barely]

If you are still in the market for good jbp's between $50 to 75, nicely styled with good trunks and movement, respond to this. Are you in So Cal?
Thanks,
Barry Altshule