Why do the Japanese grow their stock to take very long

[Pitoon]

I have to question (having watched the video) whether process is overwhelming result.

The woman in the video, who appears to have tons of experience, also has an interest in growing seedlings in tiny tiny pots. Though I think the process is interesting, the result (a sickly, leggy tree) is not (at least to me). After all, if the goal of bonsai is to create the sense of an old tree in nature, how does growing a seedling in a tiny pot accomplish this?

You could argue... well some amazing trees in nature are amazing because they grew in very hostile environments from the moment they germinated. But I don't see the connection. You don't have to make your trees suffer adverse conditions. You just want them to LOOK like they did. This woman is spending years and years growing plants in harsh conditions... when the end result is that they look like what I could accomplish with a two year seedling and some wire. Oh and my tree would be green. If you have to TELL someone your little seedling is 25 years old, haven't you already failed?

I don't believe bonsai necessarily has to mean mimicking an old looking tree in a pot. Technically it's the art of keeping a tree dwarfed in a pot. The tree doesn't have to look old at all, though the majority are fixated on seeing trees that look ancient.

Japanese are fascinated with miniaturization, which is what she is doing keeping them dwarfed in a pot. Keeping a tree that small in such a small pot for years is a feat in itself. There is very little room for error in terms of maintenance.

 

[Alain BERTRAND]

I guess she adapts herself with the new trends of (declining) Japanese bonsai market. With this way of growing, she invest very little manpower hours per tree, yet she may be able to sell them for at least 2000 yens maybe more because hers have an older looking bark than most. She makes probably more profit selling these trees that what we call "bonsai".

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[Yamabudoudanshi]

One thing to notice about those ground growing videos is that they are all in Kagawa (mostly Takamatsu). That region is known for ground growing large black (and some white) pines. I haven't seen this kind of practice really anywhere else.

Keep in mind Kagawa (and Shikoku in general) are basically deserted compared to Honshu. There is a lot more space.

Additionally, although some of this moss ball trees are not necessarily "real bonsai", the popularity of mame and mini bonsai is huge and not only a new and trendy thing. Sometimes the goal is just aged bark on a relatively ageless tree. Often time the only difference visually between a 3 year old red pine in a tiny pot and a 30 year old red pine in a tiny pot is the bark. I know of growers here that specialize in just that type of tree.

The approach in general is definately slow and steady for the most part.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Bjorn talks about the Japanese generational approach: planting something with the full knowledge you won’t see it complete in your lifetime, and the responsibility of looking after what the previous generation started for yours. It’s a long view, contrasting from the Instagram mindset.

Practically speaking, you can tell the difference between a tree that was grown and chopped in a field for 10 years vs in a pot for 50.