So what does 300.00 material look like?

[Josh88]

This lodgepole pine cost me a Fender Precision bass made in Mexico ($250), transferring some of my bass collection into bonsai collection.

This ROR trident clump was gifted to me, but I did offer $250 for it, although I think it could be valued higher than that.

I think $300 would be a great deal on either of these trees, and I feel very lucky to get to develop them further.

 

[Bananaman]

@Bananaman Looks like one of Gary's trees

No that tree is from John at Bonsai Northwest, the biggest secret in Bonsai. A who’s who of international artists are there weekly. He is in Tukwila Wa. He is located in the hotbed of American Bonsai right now. I got the tree thru Ed Clark who made a trip there. He sent me texts and pics and I picked the one I wanted. It was actually 280.00. He was purchasing material for a David Nguy workshop.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Ed Clark is also one of the biggest secrets in bonsai Thank you for putting me in touch with him

 

[thumblessprimate1]

$300 gray oak from Alvaro

View attachment 202909

Good deal!

 

[BrianBay9]

$100 from a Fresno bonsai event in 2017. Those central valley guys have some of the best prices......

 

[coh]

$100 from a Fresno bonsai event in 2017. Those central valley guys have some of the best prices......

View attachment 202957

Man, some good deals in this thread but this might be the best!

 

[Bananaman]

$100 from a Fresno bonsai event in 2017. Those central valley guys have some of the best prices......

View attachment 202957

That’s my problem. I’m really spoiled by the material and the prices

 

[barrosinc]

Looking at these prices is quite confusing! The pine I got for 300 which was cheap is soooooooooooooo much worse than that.

Here is a double flower prunus (don't know name)... as purchased for 300.

 

[Bananaman]

Ed Clark is also one of the biggest secrets in bonsai Thank you for putting me in touch with him

My pleasure. He is one of the good ones!!!

Remind me to tell the story about this "toting water" I talk about. I did it with Ed right out of the gate and he is a life long friend, one of the guys who was right there when my wife died and his wife wanted to cook dinner for me every night. that guy would give me the shirt off his back in a blizzard. he is Gold!!

 

[CasAH]

That’s my problem. I’m really spoiled by the material and the prices

Try living in the Midwest with few options for Bonsai vendors, except at shows, and most of the pre-Bonsai is in that Brussel’s soil. The tempature swings are close to 130 degrees in some years and day to day swings are 40 plus degrees.

I would love to see how many $300 trees you would lose, before you started buying “cheap” nursery material and tree to figure out to keep it alive.

You are correct you live in a Bonsai Mecca, compared to most people on this site. So climb off your hobby horse and get over your jealousy of Boon and Ryan and the other American Bonsai practitioners that you seem to feel do not pay you the reverence that you demand for giving them a scholarship, that they then relocated to Japan to put in years of hard work to learn a skill and are trying to make a living at. Come to the Midwest and start teaching all comers how to do Bonsai, not just the ones that have sufficient disposable income to meet your standards to be a good Bonsai practicer.

 

[Cable]

Envious of all you guys and your cool, expensive stock.

 

[coh]

Envious of all you guys and your cool, expensive stock.

National Exhibition...Rochester NY...September 8-9...4.5 hours drive from Sheffield Ohio. You want expensive stock? Come and get it!

 

[Wilson]

National Exhibition...Rochester NY...September 8-9...4.5 hours drive from Sheffield Ohio. You want expensive stock? Come and get it!

I know I will be stuck staring for hours at all the great material that will be for sale.

 

[Bananaman]

Try living in the Midwest with few options for Bonsai vendors, except at shows, and most of the pre-Bonsai is in that Brussel’s soil. The tempature swings are close to 130 degrees in some years and day to day swings are 40 plus degrees.

I would love to see how many $300 trees you would lose, before you started buying “cheap” nursery material and tree to figure out to keep it alive.

You are correct you live in a Bonsai Mecca, compared to most people on this site. So climb off your hobby horse and get over your jealousy of Boon and Ryan and the other American Bonsai practitioners that you seem to feel do not pay you the reverence that you demand for giving them a scholarship, that they then relocated to Japan to put in years of hard work to learn a skill and are trying to make a living at. Come to the Midwest and start teaching all comers how to do Bonsai, not just the ones that have sufficient disposable income to meet your standards to be a good Bonsai practicer.

I love it!!!

Just keep plugging away you’ll get it some day. If you need help PM me.

 

[Adair M]

I know I will be stuck staring for hours at all the great material that will be for sale.

If you stop and stare, it will disappear before your eyes! The good stuff goes quickly, no matter the price!

I had “prebought” a tree from Jonas. And he brought it from California to Rochester at the last Nationals. Where I picked it up from him.

Well, people tried to buy it from him as he was taking it out of the truck! I got there a couple hours after he had his vendor table set up, and he said he was pestered by people wanting to buy it! Some even offered to pay him more than I was going to pay!

My advice: get there early. Bring cash.

 

[benap2]

I paid 180 for this one.

This one is 40 bucks

 

[Ruben Bouwmeester]

250 euro incl workshop

200 euro

300 euro

75 euro

Value is what the damned fool will pay for it.

 

[Cable]

National Exhibition...Rochester NY...September 8-9...4.5 hours drive from Sheffield Ohio. You want expensive stock? Come and get it!

I wish! I can’t afford the good stuff currently.

 

[Anthony]

@Ruben Bouwmeester ,

in 1993 we went to the UK to purchase basic stock [ hadn't started the
native tree/shrub bit as yet ------ up to 30+ - Trinidad is a bird crossover
and seeds adapt - owe Alexandra a shot of a new vine/shrub with purple
wisteria type flowers.]

We were asked to purchase a tree at around 300 pounds [ imagine with
inflation what that is today ]
anyhow the owner got tired of it and it now resides here.
AND no one knows what do with it ???????????????

It has never been imaged, just a grey of bark, large trunk elm, and
will never be imaged.
Talk about wasting money.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Paulpash]

To @Cable and others: Or grow your own (free) $300 dollar material while still on the tree - 2 juniper rafts still on the stock plant and ready to air layer....

IMG_20180727_150015 by Paul Pashley, on Flickr

Or twist up some small ones, grow them a bit and sell on to get your $300 to spend on something else.... also air layered
IMG_20170824_160919_DRO by Paul Pashley, on Flickr

IMG_20170824_161303_DRO by Paul Pashley, on Flickr

IMG_20170824_161543_DRO by Paul Pashley, on Flickr

Maybe to buy something like this
Hawthorne5thJuly20142_zps16499e56 by Paul Pashley, on Flickr

and have a lot of fun developing it into this...
IMG_20180705_210345 by Paul Pashley, on Flickr

If you're of a certain age, not living in a bonsai wonder oasis and watching the pennies you can ground grow stuff then dig it and have a piece worth substantially more than $300 in under a decade. Propagation is free and fun so no excuse - all my stock juni plants I have grown on over the years. My advice is to get a production line going so every year something is ready to come out and be replaced.