So now your spending 300.00 a year for Ryan, how much you spending for material?

[amcoffeegirl]

i have this one and I just bought the other one. I can improve the root cutting over 5 years and shape it into something else.
My new purchase is basically done. The work has been done for me. I like to keep things in different stages so I have something to work on. When I get bored with them I give them to my friends.

 

[Djtommy]

A lot of people that spend 300 for Ryan stream and watch all the available content will come to realize that mediocre will usually always be mediocre and also that choosing material wisely is very important.
Spending the same amount may give you a good start if you have a knowledge about bonsai. Or just leave you with mediocre for ever.
I do believe people watching enough content will be getting better at choosing material.
So when they spend 30 it may look like they spend 50

 

[Bananaman]

I did. In fact I bought a second $1.00 tree, and planted numerous free cuttings. If that bothers you, or ruins your day, that's your problem, not mine. It's none of my business what other people think of me.

But, at least I know you saw the thread...

Thats the point. I said nothing in your 1.00 dollar thread. If that makes you happy great. Why the need to come on here and pile on. I have no beef with you. This is a thread about 300.00 a year teaching and people putting that education to work on 30.00 trees from walmart. If you have a 30.00 tree from walmart that you really worked over and it looks great after your 300.00 education from Ryan, post it up. It would go along way towards validating this thread....right?

 

[Bananaman]

What are you going to do with the willow leaf in the bottom picture? Just wondering why it's in a pot already...

 

[Bananaman]

Nice pot too...

 

[Cadillactaste]

i have this one and I just bought the other one. I can improve the root cutting over 5 years and shape it into something else.
My new purchase is basically done. The work has been done for me. I like to keep things in different stages so I have something to work on. When I get bored with them I give them to my friends.View attachment 202821View attachment 202822

Love it! The top photo...what species is it? You ever get bored with it... ? ... But seriously. Very cool of you to spread the love of gifting to friends. It's a keeper you have there. Enjoy it!

 

[Saddler]

But, I still don't understand this need for someone to tell me I'm mean if they are fiddling with a 30.00 juniper and I tell them that they could do better than that. If they are as you, then just say that. I get it. But don't argue that working on the 30.00 material is THE way to go...I know better than that....

Have you ever been told or thought that we are raising snowflakes for children nowadays? It’s true to an extent. No more then we have for at least the last hundred years, if not way more. Most people don’t like to be told they aren’t doing their best. It hurts them. I work in a high end kitchen and it never takes long to see how far they will go and how much they will learn just by watching their reaction to criticism. The ones that do well don’t even see criticism as criticism but as knowledge on how to do better. Then their is the other side that is told he is cutting the radishes too thick (they were not just 50% too thick, but uneven and looked like they were cut with an axe) instead complains that the chef is picking on him. He once said that most chefs have unnecessarily high standards. I recently found out he has been cooking professionally for 14 Years! Even surrounded by people that far exceed him in every way, he still thinks he is an amazing chef. My point is, lots of people don’t actually want to be good at something they are doing, they just want to say they are and justify it because often people aren’t honest with themselves. I have learnt to let the Good Enoughs be mediocre and not waste my energy on them and focus on they ones that don’t waste my energy.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

What are you going to do with the willow leaf in the bottom picture? Just wondering why it's in a pot already...

They are both ficus @Cadillactaste
I have been growing it in a pot because what I have learned is these will still thicken up very well in a bonsai pot.
The pics are reversed I started the bottom one for free. - who knows what I will do with it in the long run. I will try to add some more twists and turns after it grows longer. Maybe I can make my own twisted shohin????

 

[Cadillactaste]

They are both ficus @Cadillactaste
I have been growing it in a pot because what I have learned is these will still thicken up very well in a bonsai pot.
The pics are reversed I started the bottom one for free. - who knows what I will do with it in the long run. I will try to add some more twists and turns after it grows longer. Maybe I can make my own twisted shohin????

You are the ficus queen! I had wondered if you ventured out or if it was also a ficus, thanks for answering my question.

 

[Bananaman]

Have you ever been told or thought that we are raising snowflakes for children nowadays? It’s true to an extent. No more then we have for at least the last hundred years, if not way more. Most people don’t like to be told they aren’t doing their best. It hurts them. I work in a high end kitchen and it never takes long to see how far they will go and how much they will learn just by watching their reaction to criticism. The ones that do well don’t even see criticism as criticism but as knowledge on how to do better. Then their is the other side that is told he is cutting the radishes too thick (they were not just 50% too thick, but uneven and looked like they were cut with an axe) instead complains that the chef is picking on him. He once said that most chefs have unnecessarily high standards. I recently found out he has been cooking professionally for 14 Years! Even surrounded by people that far exceed him in every way, he still thinks he is an amazing chef. My point is, lots of people don’t actually want to be good at something they are doing, they just want to say they are and justify it because often people aren’t honest with themselves. I have learnt to let the Good Enoughs be mediocre and not waste my energy on them and focus on they ones that don’t waste my energy.

Agree. I just don't see any of the ones here that don't want to waste my energy!!!

 

[Bananaman]

They are both ficus @Cadillactaste
I have been growing it in a pot because what I have learned is these will still thicken up very well in a bonsai pot.
The pics are reversed I started the bottom one for free. - who knows what I will do with it in the long run. I will try to add some more twists and turns after it grows longer. Maybe I can make my own twisted shohin????

OK

 

[jeanluc83]

Maybe you don't know the difference....

Oh yeah well maybe you don't know the difference...and you smell like bananas....

Okay I got that out of my system.

I'm actually with you on this one. You should work with the best material you can afford and that you have the skills for.

My first contention that you equate price to quality. And no you might not have directly said that but that is the very basis on which this thread was created. If price and quality were the same "worthless" and "priceless" would mean the same thing.

If you don't believe me take a quick look at the prices of bonsai on eBay.

My second contention is that spending $300 on education is worthless ( or was it priceless) if you have crap material to work with.

I am at the point in my life where bonsai is not at the top of my priority list when it comes to spending money. I work with what I have but realize that I will need to spend some money to get better material. When I have the money to spend I want to have as much knowledge as I can so that that money is not wasted. With that in mind I want to learn as much as I can.

I don't subscribe to Ryan's live stream. I have watched the videos that he has offered for free and I listen to his podcast. I can see the value in subscribing but would rather put that money into better material at this point.

 

[TooCoys]

I have a theory.

I'm pretty sure that Bananaman is a figment of one of the administrators imagination, and they've created this train wreck in and effort to drive traffic to the site.

That's it. They've been found out.

 

[Bananaman]

Just because its listed on Ebay does not mean it sells for that Howard Smith has high end trees on there all the time, for like 5 years!! They are always BUY IT NOW, and never allowed to be in an auction to see what the market really is.

 

[Bananaman]

I have a theory.

I'm pretty sure that Bananaman is a figment of one of the administrators imagination, and they've created this train wreck in and effort to drive traffic to the site.

That's it. They've been found out.

It's not a trainwreck. Its what people come here to do. People like to argue on the internet. No one gets hurt, you can name call, get personal and all of the above all in the anonymity of your own home.

Your new here, this is mild son and actually on topic. At least we don't argue about politics anymore......much

 

[Cosmos]

A lot of people that spend 300 for Ryan stream and watch all the available content will come to realize that mediocre will usually always be mediocre and also that choosing material wisely is very important.
Spending the same amount may give you a good start if you have a knowledge about bonsai. Or just leave you with mediocre for ever.
I do believe people watching enough content will be getting better at choosing material.
So when they spend 30 it may look like they spend 50

My thoughts exactly. This whole thread implies that someone who subscribes to the $300 Mirai thing (that'd be the most expensive, I guess?) is going to have to remove $300 from his/her tree budget for that year. That's fallacious. If anything, I'm convinced that the average Mirai subscriber is probably spending more money on material after getting the subscription, not less. No proof, but there is a forum over there, someone could make a poll.

There's no way to me that you can watch R. Neil work on these amazing pieces of material and not be inspired to work on better stuff. Even then, even if you're on a budget, the guy puts up a whole video series where he goes to nurseries to pick up affordable material and he walks you through his reasoning in some detail each time. And he puts it for free on the net. How is this not encouraging people to get past the Wal-Mart/Home Depot juniper stage?

 

[Bananaman]

My thoughts exactly. This whole thread implies that someone who subscribes to the $300 Mirai thing (that'd be the most expensive, I guess?) is going to have to remove $300 from his/her tree budget for that year. That's fallacious. If anything, I'm convinced that the average Mirai subscriber is probably spending more money on material after getting the subscription, not less. No proof, but there is a forum over there, someone could make a poll.

There's no way to me that you can watch R. Neil work on these amazing pieces of material and not be inspired to work on better stuff. Even then, even if you're on a budget, the guy puts up a whole video series where he goes to nurseries to pick up affordable material and he walks you through his reasoning in some detail each time. And he puts it for free on the net. How is this not encouraging people to get past the Wal-Mart/Home Depot juniper stage?

Don't know. I see as this thread progresses it seems to answer itself. I'm not seeing it here. Could we call Bonsainut a small cross section of bonsai in America? I have yet to see anyone post a tree from the Ryan Neil epiphany off the net.

I only asked for one.....

 

[Saddler]

Agree. I just don't see any of the ones here that don't want to waste my energy!!!

Well, if you ever want to give me advice on any of my trees, it won’t be wasted energy I am confident. My biggest challenge at the moment is how to pinpoint minor faults and they connect to other faults/positives.

 

[TN_Jim]

I've never made fun of you. Why the need to make it personal?

Man, @Smoke / @Bananaman (whatever) I’m really not trying to offend you, guessing I really didn’t, or hope not. I guess I have an odd sense of light -& (perhaps naively) sometimes figure the dish can take.

Still, I think my questions were relative and valid.

What’s your real problem with Ryan?

Has he ever judged your work?

What does how much money myself or others spend on anything have to do with anything regarding RN or any Mirai content?

Too, for the record, I own almost every Dead Milkmen record...perhaps this aside oddness runs much deeper than here..easy reference.

I have learned from both you and Mirai, no afilliation, no money exchange, but I respect you both, you contributions, and experience.

Thanks for your considerations bananaman.

 

[jeanluc83]

How about this... is it the $300 price tag that bothers you or the entire format? If it were free would you still question the usefulness of the videos? Is there any information in the videos that is wrong?

I'll ask one more question. Have you even watched any of the videos?