Beginners are often interested in how they can acquire bonsai. This article discusses some popular methods.
Bonsai can be acquired by a number of means:- Purchase as "finished" trees
- Purchase garden center material
- Mallsai
- Collecting from nature
- Propagate by layering or cutting
- Gifts!!!
- Planting Seeds
- Club shows, swaps or auctions
- Estate sales
Purchasing "finished" trees is the fastest, but most expensive way to get started building a collection. "Finished" bonsai don't really exist, because the trees continue to grow and undergo changes (hopefully positive ones!) until they eventually die. Finished bonsai are those trees that have been brought to an arbitrary level of refinement, varying, in the case of the mall bonsai or "mallsai" from very little training to very expensive trees that have undergone decades of work. You need to be aware that your purchasing power may exceed your growing skill, so take it slow and build up.
Collecting or developing trees from cuttings or seedlings are excellent ways to produce the finest quality bonsai; however, the beginner may have variable success with these somewhat advanced techniques. Most anyone can plant a seed and enjoy its growth for years as we pursue other activities, so I don't want to discourage you, but it shouldn't stop you from considering other options.
Developing bonsai from material found at the garden center is very rewarding. The material may be most any woody plant or shrub in a 1, 3, 5 gallon container or larger. Look for interesting character. Poke around a bit, moving some of the foliage out of the way so that you can appreciate the trunkline and consider a design.
You may be lucky enough to find starter material (2-inch or 4-inch liner material) of various types at your local nursery that can be adapted for use as bonsai.
Miniature Plant Kingdom sells a variety of material in 2" and 4" liners of popular bonsai species. Conifers, flowering trees and deciduous forest trees are all represented in their offerings.
Some staked junipers make excellent bonsai. You may need to reduce the plant's height significantly to keep it in scale with the trunkline. Keep in mind that the "finished" height of a bonsai is usually between 3 and 10 times its caliper, measured at the root base. Shortening a plant will make its trunk appear larger relative to its height.
Joining a bonsai club will give you access to some sources that would not be available to you otherwise. Trees are sold at club auctions and at shows, members swap trees they have outgrown, overcollected or simply lost interest in. Entire member collections are sometimes sold at estate auctions as members pass-on or lose interest.
Let me tell you a secret - Auctions and estate sales are two of the best opportunities to acquire fine bonsai and pots at bottom dollar prices. The reasons are as follows:
- Supply and demand: when an entire bonsai collection goes up for sale, there can be a high ratio of trees to buyers, which tends to drive the prices down
- Ugly Factor: Trees may be sold at a loss simply because of economic need on the part of the seller, or because the tree's appearance is in decline. In just a few months a tree can become overgrown and would appear unsightly to a novice buyer, but it retains much of its potential in the hands of a knowledgable buyer.
One key example of the Ugly Factor at work is that bonsai pots are less expensive to buy when there are trees in them. Particularly: ugly trees. You can probably find an antique pot with a really bad looking tree planted in it that would escape the eye of most buyers. Discard the tree and you have a beautiful pot!
Unmarked or Out-of-season purchases are my absolute favorite. When you have been around bonsai for a while, you will be able to recognize trees in most any season. If you find a tree for sale when it's not in its best suit of clothes, you can strike a great price at an auction or sale. If you know that bare, knobby looking thing is a Ginkgo, and that half-dead-looking "cypress" is actually a Larch, you're two steps ahead of many other buyers.
Distressed or neglected bonsai are a great way to acquire some venerable material with great potential at a reasonable price.