Proposal: CE Mallsai / Cheap as chips Contest

Interested in such a contest?

  • Total voters
    43
ConorDash

ConorDash

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Purpose of this thread is simply to see if anyone is interested.

I'm not one for contests, and I've never taken part in one but me and Bobby were talking and its clear that good things can be done with very cheap basic material, for some length of time.
Also I am sure that a contest has been started with CE mallsai before, as they are some of the most common finds.

Proposal is simply, buy up to 5 common mallsai CE, less than $60 a tree (usually much cheaper than this, I will only be buying 1 or 2) and document its development.

It is incredibly doable to create something good or even great from one of these. Such threads like MarkyScott's, show you step by step on how to do this and he has seen great success.
Example of cheap trees:

1626249657514.png
1626250053076.png

When in doubt, if its a cheap mallsai, check for a white or blue pot... if you need references to such pots, or recommendations, @sorce LOVES them (he will lie to you and say he hates them, this is only so that you send him the pots).

If you are a beginner, I'd be happy to put information on development steps in the contest thread too. I personally have not done this before but I understand the steps and where to get further information.

Any interest?
 
@BobbyLane Will also do it. I don't care what he says.

Hmm well, we would be starting from almost scratch really. You might get lucky and save yourself a year or 2 but mostly, scratch. So, at least 6 years. Up to 10.
It sounds ridiculous to think of something so long, but that's the hobby!

So, could say 8 years?
 
Starfox said:
About a month or two before it inevitably dies.
Oh........ you mean the contest.
Click to expand...
Why do you think I would recommend buying a few? Lol. I'd probably buy 2, ill try hard on both but one I might push a bit harder. If both die, just buy another..

Sure, I wouldn't say buy 5, cos even at 30-40£ a pop, that's still potentially 200£ on crap.
1 or 2 trees will do.
 
Well I have never been able to keep one of these alive so out of plain stubbornness I'd like to have another go at it.
I can find a heap of Elms around that price point from suppliers I trust but would it be limited to just U. parvifolia because I see loads of Zelkovas listed too plus other Elms like glabra and campestris.
 
much would depend on whether i could find a 'gem' or not. i wouldnt want to waste time with anything less. so a 'maybe' from me😊
 
Starfox said:
Well I have never been able to keep one of these alive so out of plain stubbornness I'd like to have another go at it.
I can find a heap of Elms around that price point from suppliers I trust but would it be limited to just U. parvifolia because I see loads of Zelkovas listed too plus other Elms like glabra and campestris.
Click to expand...
mallsai is mallsai, its the name given to mass produced chinese elm imports often wrongly labelled as zelkova, these can be found in most home stores in the dreaded S or quite often broom shape.
if you find a ulmus parv in one of these shapes, often in a blue pot its definitely a mallsai.
 
Yeah I wont be buying a mallsai, there are plenty of options with the price point from reputable bonsai retailers.
Still they make the distinction between Ulmus and Zelkova whatever that is.
And then there are the European Elms, for example the campestris are likely better suited to my climate so just really wanted to know how broad the definition of a cheap Elm can be in terms of the potential contest.
 
I didn't want to be too specific with things. Its also a friendly contest.

Bobby's description of it works well. The contest is based more about the "mallsai" look, as opposed to cost. Its about what can be done with the cheapest and most commonly recognised beginner material.
Perhaps in the future, the results of said contest will provide plenty of inspiration for beginners and keep them going in the hobby, thus expanding the hobby to more.

As a good example, nearly all of these would fit the mallsai term:

You searched for chinese elm - Bonsai Trees for Sale UK

www.bonsaidirect.co.uk www.bonsaidirect.co.uk

Same again, most of these fit, apart from the expensive ones and root over rock:

You searched for chinese elm - ALL THINGS BONSAI

www.allthingsbonsai.co.uk www.allthingsbonsai.co.uk
 
Well, here's a question: for those of us in too-hot climate zones, will you allow ficus? (I'd gladly go for a chinese elm, but if the summer heat didn't get it, the winter warmth probably would...)
 
Was this inspired by one of Mirai's newer streams? That was pretty crazy: Ryan took like 4 of the ficus S trunks and jigsawed them together to create a behemoth of a ficus that juts out in different angles and will eventually melt together to create a super wide base
 
Agriff said:
Was this inspired by one of Mirai's newer streams? That was pretty crazy: Ryan took like 4 of the ficus S trunks and jigsawed them together to create a behemoth of a ficus that juts out in different angles and will eventually melt together to create a super wide base
Click to expand...
i'd love to see that, i always get inspired by innovative ideas like this, nobody has ever tried that on S shape elms so you've given me an idea now. after seeing Chan slap two beech trees together i tried it with four hornbeams and the result was pretty cool. many species grow like this in nature so if you can do it and make it look convincing its a great way of having something quite unique and substantial in a short time frame from material that would be inferior by itself. some of the big hornbeams out of Croatia are actually multiple trunks that grew close together and fused over time, Marija said so in one of her articles. if you can get a screen shot of the ficus do share;)

tbh im not a huge fan of these types of threads, i prefer to do my own threads and go along as i please.
the fact that folks want to make it a multi species thread kind of defeats the purpose anyway.
im out guys.

ps there are loads of collaborative multi species threads on here already.
 
TinyArt said:
Whoa, now, it was only a thought -- no hijack intended!
Click to expand...
If anything I'm trying to bolster OP's argument that this could be a cool competition! Ryan referred to them as "$20 Costco mallsai" so having incorporated 3 of them puts the material price at about what @ConorDash threw out as a potential cap.
 
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