Popularizing Bonsai

bonsaial1

Fred, your running anolagy is a good one, but it is in hindsight. There are many endeavors out there or hobbies that could benifit from a wider more popular exposure. Running just happened to catch on with the fitness craze of the seventies, recieved wide exposure on TV and became a super cash cow overnight.

Even if bonsai suddenly doubled it would not reach the levels that running did, with all the shoe manufacturers fighting and paying for the best athlete to wear their shoes. The running has died down, but the huge endorsements is probably left over from those rudimentery beginings.

Attila, you are in the mecca of cheap good bonsai material. Whats the problem? You just have to know the right people and catch them on a great day. Don't waste your time in town, just drive out to Kim's and if you don't find it there, it is not attainable. More popularity would probably do nothing for bonsai.

There is so much great material being grown in Asia that it makes the head spin. But do to all the restrictions getting it here is way hard. I don't see Asia beating down the doors in America growing the stufff here and paying their people 5.00 a day and a bowl of rice. It's just not cost effective to grow here. There are those that try to grow here, but sooner or later they find out that it is no way to make a living. Just read my tag line on my posts! Even if the market doubled, the amount of money to spend on bonsai as a hobby would not change that much. We look for threads like budget bonsai, or read threads about hiding new plant aquisitions from our wives.

Adding more folks like that would not move bonsai in the correct direction. What bonsai needs here in America, is exposure from a few collectors. The Donald Trumps and the Bill Gates, and Rockafeller types. The people with the big money. Get a few of those types interested in bonsai, spectulation, trading and insuring. This would generate all types of bonsai jobs. All of a sudden there would be a need for professionals, caretakers, designers, and growers.

Of course then bonsai would be a job, and that would be no fun!

Bonsai-al

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Bonsainut

Attila, buddy, how far are you willing to drive?

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Lethal Use of Farce

Attila

Al and Bonsainut,

I better take this to your P.M.'s. I am interested in your suggestions but I am not sure that I can use Fred's thread for my personal benefit. So, see you on the other side.

Nic

If bonsai were more popular then it would be more common, taking from it's individuality and magic. It would also create a whole lot more poor trees. I think it's good to have a hobby where when most of your mates hear about it they say "What the on Earth it that?", but that's just me.

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rockm

Popularized bonsai could actually decrease the amount of good stock available and increase the amount of junk (high price or otherwise) out there.

Ask (reputable) pure bred dog breeders about this. Reputable breeders cringe whenever a dog breed becomes "popular" as that means a quick decline in quality and health in the breed is in the works.

Whenever a specific breed gets wide exposure (like in a movie, TV commercial or program, etc.) popular demand for "that dog in the movie" spikes tremendously. Unscrupulopus breeders, puppy mills, etc are quick to jump to meet the demand, producing sick, unsound, and otherwise challenged animals for exhorbitant prices. People snap those animals up at mass retailers like pet stores and such.

Attila

So, what I am reading from this thread lately is that the less people are doing bonsai, the better, and great teachers like Kato, Naka, Murata are just wasting their lifes being the ambassadors of bonsai and writing books?

rockm

It's a matter of degrees, isn't it? I don't think anyone has suggested that bonsai should be less popular.

I think there is a tendency towards being cautious of bonsai becoming so popular it becomes the next annoying "lucky bamboo."

Bad mallsai is the product of increased popularity -- which makes some people skeptical about the value of bonsai becoming widely sought after.

JLDoggett

I hate to say this but bonasi is already popular. Were it not, mallsai would not exist. The need, as I see it, is to get accurate information to the general public. Too many think they can just buy a plant, take it home, water it and it will live, just like their spider plants and geraniums. Moreover if it lives they assume it will style itself.

The problem is how to get information on the care of trees diseminated.

Ralph

JL is right. We could also put pressure on vendors that sell poor imitations. We all know home depot sells those soon to be dead little bonsais with the glued on rocks, but how many of use have actually complained to Home depot about how irresponsible this is, and how a garden chain can offer real bonafide alternatives.

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Emerging from winter slumber
Bonsai trees burst buds anew
Spring is upon us!


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