pre bonsai Mark

M. Frary

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A little pricey don't you think. I've seen JWP with bigger trunks and lower graft unions in garden centers for the same price.
Not even commenting on the mugo. Maybe it is because I'm used to lower prices at regular nurseries and enjoy working on those trees. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate.
 

thumblessprimate1

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apparently he has been selling like crazy... maybe smaller stock than the ones on the site... or maybe you really just are a cheapskate.
Apparently a lot of people into bonsai are cheapskates :D. I only looked at his maples, and they look reasonably priced to me.
 

JoeR

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A little pricey don't you think. I've seen JWP with bigger trunks and lower graft unions in garden centers for the same price.
Not even commenting on the mugo. Maybe it is because I'm used to lower prices at regular nurseries and enjoy working on those trees. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate.

Im with you. While his prices on the japanese maples are good, I think local nurseries are just a better option overall. Best bang for your buck. For instance, I went to a local nursery and found a different variety of japanese maple with a >5" trunk and <7' tall for $160. It had tiny leaves and was very healthy and in a small container. With one chop it would be well on its way to becoming a bonsai. I think it was either ungrafted, had a very low graft to where it was under the soil, or it was so old the graft was no longer visible. Only reason I didnt buy it was because it wouldnt have fit in the car!

I was even hoping I could talk the owner down on the price.... What can I say, Im a cheapskate.
 

coh

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Im with you. While his prices on the japanese maples are good, I think local nurseries are just a better option overall. Best bang for your buck. For instance, I went to a local nursery and found a different variety of japanese maple with a >5" trunk and <7' tall for $160. It had tiny leaves and was very healthy and in a small container. With one chop it would be well on its way to becoming a bonsai. I think it was either ungrafted, had a very low graft to where it was under the soil, or it was so old the graft was no longer visible. Only reason I didnt buy it was because it wouldnt have fit in the car!

I was even hoping I could talk the owner down on the price.... What can I say, Im a cheapskate.

Probably has typical lousy nursery stock roots. So in addition to a trunk chop and growing out the next section so that there is taper (and the wound healed, a multi-year project), you'll probably have to at the very least cut the roots way back and re-grow a decent set. More likely you'll have to ground layer and that is another multi-year project (if it even works, layers do fail and the ones that work don't always produce nice radial roots). So for that $160 you'll have a huge project...yes with a big base, but that isn't everything.

Mark's stock seems to be quite popular, so I guess that means the prices are reasonable to a lot of people. I have a hard time paying those kinds of prices for trees that I cannot see and evaluate in person. You can't tell everything from photos.
 

JoeR

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Probably has typical lousy nursery stock roots. So in addition to a trunk chop and growing out the next section so that there is taper (and the wound healed, a multi-year project), you'll probably have to at the very least cut the roots way back and re-grow a decent set. More likely you'll have to ground layer and that is another multi-year project (if it even works, layers do fail and the ones that work don't always produce nice radial roots). So for that $160 you'll have a huge project...yes with a big base, but that isn't everything.

Mark's stock seems to be quite popular, so I guess that means the prices are reasonable to a lot of people. I have a hard time paying those kinds of prices for trees that I cannot see and evaluate in person. You can't tell everything from photos.


That sure is alot of assuming. It was ground grown and may have a killer nebari for all I know. Or it may be terrible, in which case I would look through the other JM and find one that does have a good nebari.

The thing that seperates Mark's stuff from other nursery material like the maple I saw is the roots. He works hard to make one level, radial roots and he does a good job of that. Its something you wont fund with nursery stock. However, to me roots are just as important as the trunk.

Some of his trees are very close to being called 'finished', or at least the +$400 ones. I just cant bring myself to pay for a tree I cant see in person.
 

lordy

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I just met Mark at a show and talked with him for quite some time. I learned of him on FB and was tempted to buy trees there, but knew I would be attending the show, so waited to see what was there. His material was very healthy, and I could see that a lot of work has been done to his trees to bring them to this level. I bought a kashima maple from him for what I feel was a fair price. He had quite a bit there and a lot was for less than what he has on his site. He also had a $50 table where he was selling many taxus, maples, spruce, and pines. I found myself circling his booth frequently, because as he sold trees, more would appear. Very nice guy and was freely advising on how to take the trees to the next level. For what I bought, he recommended putting it into a flat box and growing it for 3 to 5 years and would achieve a very nice "melted cheese" type nebari. As it is, the tree (cutting grown, not grafted) has about 3/4" to maybe an inch trunk, and below the soil line it already spreads to about 2". The canopy is very thick with many branches to choose from, from a design standpoint.
From my standpoint, I would buy from Mark again, no question. He said he was taught by John Kirby, also in CT, who happened to be in the next booth at the same show.
That show, BTW, is possibly part of the reason he was/is very busy.
 

b3bowen

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Just an update. Mr Mark has a webpage now. I hope I'm not breaking any forum rules by posting his page.
http://www.prebonsaimark.com/

Hey does anyone know if his website is still up and running? Every link I go to for www.prebonsaimark.com fails to load a webpage. Wondering if it is just my computer/smartphone.

Thanks
 

coh

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Hey does anyone know if his website is still up and running? Every link I go to for www.prebonsaimark.com fails to load a webpage. Wondering if it is just my computer/smartphone.

Thanks
The link doesn't work for me. He sells on the facebook auction groups and at shows, but I'm not sure if he has a website anymore. I couldn't find it.
 

b3bowen

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Its just strange because I comunicated with him on FB yesterday about any kind of availability list and he directed me to that site with a link. His plants look great so I just wanted to make sure i was not looking wrong.
 

milehigh_7

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Its just strange because I comunicated with him on FB yesterday about any kind of availability list and he directed me to that site with a link. His plants look great so I just wanted to make sure i was not looking wrong.

Like I said, if you posted anything since then that he did not like, you have likely been blocked. I've heard he knows his stuff but...
 
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