Quote:
Originally posted by ripsgreentree
Ron:
Here is the heart of our continuing confrontation.
Would you as an advanced bonsai artest or teacher, instruct a newbie to buy a cheep tree that has a great posibility for a good trunk and tapor and limb structure. Saying don't bother about the root ball you can spend years fixing it. It dosen't matter anyway it is under the soil....Al's opinion. Bonsai artest.
OR: Spend a little more and buy stock that has been trained for the bonsai container with correct root structure, good nebari,trunk and tapor, you create the limb structure crown and ramification.....Glenn's opinion. Field grower
Glenn
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First let me say I am a teacher of bonsai, no one has ever called me an artist.
I am not about to get into the middle of a feud but the question does deserve an answer.
I teach my students how to select good stock in the beginning. I spend a lot of time in this area. A LOT OF TIME.
The foundation of a bonsai is made in the initial selection of the material to use.
Garbage will get you , well, garbage.
All parts of the initial stock are equally important. Any item can be a cause for rejection.
Price is not really a consideration. I have found both cheap and expensive plants can bring forth a surprising find. Just as long as one knows what they are looking for.
If a tree has a weak area then the educated can find a way to improve on the weak area. It may take a bit of time. But in most cases it does not take years but months. Sometimes even a weak area can be worked into the final design.
But I must say that a good grower of bonsai stock must look to all aspects of the tree. If he only works on the roots then the rest of the tree suffers. If he only works on the trunk taper then the tree suffers. Lots of etc.'s here
A good grower looks at the whole product. Each area gets special attention. To do otherwise is not a smart thing to do.
Now as to the artistic portion of the equation.
Here I will only repeat what one of the great American bonsai artists has said to me many times.
There are no bad trees. There are only good and bad bonsai artists. A sows ear can, indeed, be turned into a silk purse. One just needs to know how to get around the faults of the tree.
Now the teacher in me screams "learn what to look for before you open that wallet" Once the buyer does this the growers will get educated pretty fast !!!
I will no go and hide in the corner