Nursery appeal

[Jcmmaple]

So I have been friends with a couple for many years now and they know I’m into bonsai, we have been talking recently about helping out the bonsai community. I have come to ask what you would like to see available, that way I can let him know what to look for. I know a handful of what people like and what sells, but not everything. I just want to help them out, they are good people and know what they are doing. I don’t want to drop a name yet, just incase they change their mind. Thanks.

 

[Jcmmaple]

Just a few of the ones I told him about were:

japanese maple- standard
Trident maples
Satsuki azalea
Shimpaku
Japanese black pine

 

[Scorpius]

Cork Bark JBP
Japanese Red Pine
Lodgepole/Shore Pine

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Are they asking what species/cultivars people want (from a landscape nursery)? Or what people look for in a bonsai nursery?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Make sure you tell them to look for plants without visible grafts.
One of the things I ran into after making deals with nurserypeople about their stock is that they purchased a bunch of grafted cultivars on tall straight trunks.

 

[Taste]

I think the best advice would be to introduce them to the basics of bonsai, and the community so they can have the first hand understanding of both the endeavor they will be undertaking, whether thats a start up nursery, or expanding with hope for bonsai material sales. This way not only will they understand what species to stock, but the traits etc that are desirable for bonsai applications. Other wise i fear seeing another nursery stock potentially subpar materials and upcharge them for sake of bonsai.

Maybe, youll spark the joy of bonsai for them through this too!

 

[Mike Corazzi]

POTS !!! Get a pot supplier and stock them.
Plants can follow pots. Plus they will get a whole new bunch of customers.

 

[cishepard]

Tools, bonsai soil ingredients, books, and a sign along the lines of “for more information join www.bonsainut.com”!

 

[ShadyStump]

@Mike Corazzi and @cishepard both have my second.
Even cheap production pots will bring in allot of new traffic, especially if they're reasonably priced. I've been to a couple different local garden shops, and they both carry cheap ceramic production pots, but charge almost the same for them as some of the good handmade stuff I see here.
And some basic tools and books - even cheap beginner ones - would go along way in making bonsai people feel welcome, and growing interest in and understand of the hobby. Just some concave cutters on the same rack as their pruners, and a bonsai coffee table book will do.
And definitely soil components in decent scale and reasonable prices. It kills me that so many places charge specialty/novelty prices for a tiny bag of lava, and good luck finding pumice. Even the specialty hydro stores don't carry it.

 

[nuttiest]

One gallon single stem, three gallon single stem. It takes a whole year to get a 3 stem back to singles.

 

[Jcmmaple]

Cork Bark JBP
Japanese Red Pine
Lodgepole/Shore Pine

Yes I put cork JBP on there too, thanks

 

[Jcmmaple]

Cork Bark JBP
Japanese Red Pine
Lodgepole/Shore Pine

Yes I put cork JBP on there too,

Are they asking what species/cultivars people want (from a landscape nursery)? Or what people look for in a bonsai nursery?

For bonsai. I want him to have a good start, he is very interested in supplying the hobby.

 

[Jcmmaple]

Make sure you tell them to look for plants without visible grafts.
One of the things I ran into after making deals with nurserypeople about their stock is that they purchased a bunch of grafted cultivars on tall straight trunks.

Thanks, I had that conversation with him and made it very clear.

 

[Jcmmaple]

I think the best advice would be to introduce them to the basics of bonsai, and the community so they can have the first hand understanding of both the endeavor they will be undertaking, whether thats a start up nursery, or expanding with hope for bonsai material sales. This way not only will they understand what species to stock, but the traits etc that are desirable for bonsai applications. Other wise i fear seeing another nursery stock potentially subpar materials and upcharge them for sake of bonsai.

Maybe, youll spark the joy of bonsai for them through this too!

You have made good points and he has told me he has been watching videos and reading, plus I have been helping ( although I’m no expert).

 

[Jcmmaple]

POTS !!! Get a pot supplier and stock them.
Plants can follow pots. Plus they will get a whole new bunch of customers.

I talked about that too, thanks.

 

[Jcmmaple]

@Mike Corazzi and @cishepard both have my second.
Even cheap production pots will bring in allot of new traffic, especially if they're reasonably priced. I've been to a couple different local garden shops, and they both carry cheap ceramic production pots, but charge almost the same for them as some of the good handmade stuff I see here.
And some basic tools and books - even cheap beginner ones - would go along way in making bonsai people feel welcome, and growing interest in and understand of the hobby. Just some concave cutters on the same rack as their pruners, and a bonsai coffee table book will do.
And definitely soil components in decent scale and reasonable prices. It kills me that so many places charge specialty/novelty prices for a tiny bag of lava, and good luck finding pumice. Even the specialty hydro stores don't carry it.

Thanks, I will pass this info to them.

 

[Jcmmaple]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice and tips. I’m sure they will appreciate it too, like I said they are considering it and hopefully the info o get here will help. If you guys can throw some more species out and what sizes that would help too. Are seedlings better? One gallons? And maybe in the future larger stock.

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

Depending on the nursery setup having occasional events for bonsai can also generate new customers. Not what you’re asking for here really but I bet a monthly intro to bonsai class to coincide with receipt of some relatively cheap forgiving bonsai stock (juniper, boxwood, etc) could be useful. It’s a lot to buy all the supplies in one go but having use of the tools for a class and some short wire aliquots for sale could probably make for a good income day with increased probability of return bonsai-related purchases. I’m seeing maybe stock ~$20-50 relatively sturdy trees with $5 of supplies and a free class going on as an introduction.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Pines, larches, chinese junipers (not the stricta, never the stricta), rocky mountain junipers that are not(!) the columnar varieties like skyrocket, azaleas are cheap around here; 2 euros a piece for every cultivar but they're all small cuttings, small leaf ginkgo, hinoki cypress, and freaking wildtype sabina (not the tamariscifolia) is very hard to find in the US.

Those are what I'd love to find as small, medium and larger trees.

About yay high, any fruits that aren't grafted (anyone can cut those back whenever) and juniper cultivars like media, pfizer (because grafting new foliage is easy, and these are great cheap trunks).
If they have that kind of time, make them only pick the female junipers. The males will sell, but not as good as the females.

I know there's a huge wish for ume and mume, so flowering prunus are definetely good.

Also, make sure they check out accent plants in their free time. Could be a goldmine for them.

 

[Jcmmaple]

Depending on the nursery setup having occasional events for bonsai can also generate new customers. Not what you’re asking for here really but I bet a monthly intro to bonsai class to coincide with receipt of some relatively cheap forgiving bonsai stock (juniper, boxwood, etc) could be useful. It’s a lot to buy all the supplies in one go but having use of the tools for a class and some short wire aliquots for sale could probably make for a good income day with increased probability of return bonsai-related purchases. I’m seeing maybe stock ~$20-50 relatively sturdy trees with $5 of supplies and a free class going on as an introduction.

Thanks, I think they just want to be growers. In the future if it works maybe they might do things like that. It would probably be better just to get their feet wet right now.