Collect Or Buy

whidn

I am starting this thread for opinions only not really advice, Just to see what peoples preferences are:

Collect or Buy, and why?

Personally I would rather collect a tree because when you get it home and it lives you get much more satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment.
Also when collecting it seems that I have a much broader range of material to choose from.

__________________
Beginner From U.S.A.

If you skim when you read
Your knowledge will be skimpy

A lways
S eek
K nowledge

God, give me the wisdom to use it

Advertisement

ripsgreentree

With few exceptions I prefer to grow my own material. This gives me the greatest control over the trunk foundation and roots. An example of what I would concider an exception is California juniper, at this time the only sorce for this material is nature.

Glenn

__________________
ripsgreentree

It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.

Jay

Here are my thoughts. Up till this fall, I had only purchased trees. I purchased them from two different types of places. Bonsai sources....and General Nurseries. This fall I started to hunt out my own in the wild. This is my opinion on the three!

1- General Nurseries..... largest selection and variety. less pricey than Bonsai nurseries... Trees need alot of work ...in many cases many many years! Got to be careful, some just have too many problems and will never be good Bonsai.

2- Bonsai Nurseries.... excellent selection of trees suited for Bonsai. Usually helpful staff. Trees started with Bonsai in mind... a thought not to be discounted. The ability to buy a tree from a simple seedling to a near finished specimen. Pricey as you would expect, from slightly higher than a general nursery to sky high.

3-From the wild...The gratest challenge. You need to really see the tree within! Most are tall trees needing to be cut down and trained. The price is right (well don't forget the possibility of PI).
Big, really big, trunks can be had for a few hours labor (OK maybe many hours labor). The trees need years to develop and are not guaranteed to live.

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

freakwent

Whidn,
I was just thinking about posting a thread like this yesterday. It's a great way to get to know each other a little better. Otherwise, one starts to think that we are just a bunch of smartasses.
(Well, as a wise man once said, "Better to be a smartass than a dumbass!")

Personally, I think it would give me greater satisfaction if I collect raw material and make something nice from that, than to buy a polished tree and really screw it up

Earl

The origin of the tree is irrelevant. The potential bonsai is all important. When I look at great trees, I often see that they came from any of the three you mentioned.

Conversely, I see many spindly trunks and sparse foilage in collected, bonsai nursery and general nursery trees.

I say go for all three and accept only those that will make great bonsai in the future.

Earl

ROBOKU

I'll have to go with jay on that one.

bonsaial1

For me, I am just as picky about collected material as nursery stock. If neither have what I am looking for, why bother. To lift collected material for the sake of; "It's free, or trunk size", is irresponsible. If there are no immediate bonsai focus for the tree "leave it be".

__________________
Real men don't wear coats with "happi" in the title.

pdbbonsai

I am with Earl, Jay and AL.

No matter where you get it from, you are responsible for it.

Growing your own does give you more control......but it cant be MY 1st choice as a resource.

Collecting is a great resource, I try mindfully not to abuse that privelege. Nurseries, especially bonsai minded ones......can't go wrong there either. So yes it all boils down to the what I really want in a bonsai. I have pared down the number in my collection due to the fact that most are not what I want in my collection. As I learn more.....I see more.

Paul

__________________
It is essential to experience all the times and moods of one good place. (Thomas Merton)

BonsaiTalk is one good place. (me)

KZitzewitz

I think all four are great. If you think about it this way (and this is just my opinion...

Buying from nusery stock allows you the pleasure of styling a tree that may have some complications. buying from bonsai stock, allows a bit faster training, and maybe even a ready tree... growing your own gives you the pleasure of knowing exactly how the tree has been taken care of and allows you to train it to your wants and needs, and collecting gives the trees that only nature can provide, along with the challanges that make bonsai very intruiging.....

personally all four are great and I have no preferance, if I had enough property, and places to look, you better believe I would do all 4.

__________________
--Kristopher