Where to get small bonsai material online ?

[Njyamadori]

It is not forum members that newbies want to prove to. I can remember back that far and it is family, friends and self that we need to show. Years is not a concept for most new bonsai growers. We all need something, anything, no matter how skinny and poor just so long as it is in a bonsai pot.

For beginners in general my advice is to get something into a pot just to get that out of your system (It will also allow you to learn about care of living plants in small pots - many (some?) will die before most of us perfect those skills) but also get some trees with better potential to develop for longer term better bonsai.
Gardens can be a great source of good material for bonsai, especially for those with limited access to wild areas. Weeds growing in untended vacant areas, some parks and undeveloped spots can occasionally yield good starters too. Open your eyes and look around. Bonsai does not need to cost loads.

Yeah that’s what I mean. People on the forums have gone through what I have but my family hasn’t .

 

[Orion_metalhead]

You are young. People assume that your habbits are a 'passing phase'. They assumed the same when I was 10yrs old and got into extreme music... 22 yrs later and it's still the most significant interest I have... persistence and time pay off when it comes to proving oneself.

 

[Njyamadori]

You are young. People assume that your habbits are a 'passing phase'. They assumed the same when I was 10yrs old and got into extreme music... 22 yrs later and it's still the most significant interest I have... persistence and time pay off when it comes to proving oneself.

Yeah people assume that and I’m pretty sure it’s not. I always loved art and bonsai is an art form.

 

[cmeg1]

I have JBP seedling cuttings April 1st.
Check the link in my signature and also let me know if you want on the notification lists of large mikawa or the standard regular size.

 

[LittleDingus]

What I wanted to comment upon: Bonsai are not made overnight, in general. It is a process of smaller and larger interventions in the way the plant grows that over time makes it a bonsai.
If you want to do something this winter, and you want a species that you can work on to get a reasonable looking bonsai overnight, I would recommend looking at cheap landscaping plants meant for hedges such as Yews (Which normally a re a few buck a piece for largish plants) or getting plants meant for plating large tracts of land. Here, bundles with 25 Larch seedlings, 3 years old, can be had for some 50 bucks, making great starting material.

I'll second this.

Training a bonsai is a little like being a hair stylist. Much like hair, trees will want to grow in some pre-programmed manner. We can clip and color and style to get what we want...but we either start with a full head of hair and deal with what we have, or we start with a bald head and wait for things to grow in. And if we give up on it for too long, nature is back in control and starts undoing all the careful work.

As far as cheap, young material, most states have a reforestation organization of some sort that allows state residents (and sometimes those outside the state) to order cheap bulk seedlings of native or native compatible species. In Missouri, its the Missouri Department of Conservation:

Tree Seedlings | Missouri Department of Conservation

mdc.mo.gov

In New Jersey it looks like the similar organization is the New Jersey Department of Environment Protection:

NJDEP - New Jersey Forest Service

These places usually open for sales in the fall and often sell out prime seedlings quick! They usually sell bundles of bare root yearling stock pretty cheap. Remember, their intent is reforestation! For NJ it looks like $0.80 per seedling...even cheaper if you order > 200 It looks like NJ even has multiple physical locations you can go to to pick up directly if you want to avoid the mail.

I've got several bundles on order this year from Missouri. Some states will ship to non-state residents though the cost may be higher. If there's something specific you're looking for, you might check the states where it is native and see if they will ship to non-state residents. If not...maybe there are some nice B-Nutters that would forward a shipment to you

The down sides: these are seedling stock...a LONG way from bonsai! You often do not have control over when they ship and they come bare root. Buy your potting supplies early! Read up on how to deal with bare root stock and how you have to take care of it to get it out of dormancy safely.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

DaSu bonsai has some pre bonsai or more finished trees.

DaSu Bonsai Studios : Finished Bonsai

Bonsai and related bonsai items for the beginner to the zen art master.

bonsaitrees.com