How should I spend my money?

[Jason Crump]

I want to introduce myself and ask a question. I'm just getting started with bonsai and I'm loving it. I am a programmer by trade and getting outside, working with my hands is such a nice break. I've have half a dozen prebonsai now and would like to know the best direction to go next.

I'm not looking to spend a ton of money but I've budgeted around $225 a month for bonsai materials and supplies. I looking for some recommendations on how to spend it? I would like to get to the point where I have enough to keep me busy 2-3 hours or more per weekend. I have some cheap tools to use right now but if upgraded tools should be a priority I would like to hear about it. I have plenty of room to plant trees in the ground so I am up for most projects. Any advice?

 

[A. Gorilla]

Get some remedial instruction from someone in person when it comes to mechanics.

Wiring, for example, is not as intuitive as it might appear.

Winter storage advice from people in your area.

Etc

As for how to spend money, try to get yourself a range of trees from long-term projects to already sorta refined trees. Keep your attention divided a bit.

You do not want too few trees just daring you to constantly screw with them when they should be benignly neglected.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

A $225 per month budget is plenty to create a very nice collection. You don't need to spend it on trees right away, don't add too many trees too quickly. And when you feel ready for adding a finished tree, just holding off and letting a few months allowance accrue, you will be able to buy very nice stock, even if it is only one or two a year. Collecting exhibit quality pots is also an expensive proposition, but if you add only one or two good pots a year, you will be well on your way to a top notch collection. Supplies are really pretty cheap, I don't spend more than $250 a year on potting media and fertilizer. Most of my better pots are less than $200 each. You will have no trouble creating a good high quality collection over the course of 4 or 5 years with that budget.

Excellent suggestions from @A. Gorilla - the only cure to impatience, is more trees. You want to have enough trees you always feel a little behind on bonsai tasks. That way, if a tree needs to be left to grow out, you have other trees to be working on.

A mixed collection, with pre-bonsai, partially developed bonsai and some near exhibit quality bonsai is a great idea. Then there are the pots and stands and other things for displaying bonsai. Even at $200 a month it will take a while to build a collection. But you will need to be learning, and upping your horticultural skills before you drop big money on a tree. So there is time.

You are in the San Francisco area, or within an hour or two drive of SF. One excellent teacher who offers classes is Boon, he is noted for focusing on the details of the basics, many of the best bonsai artists in the USA got their initial training from Boon, you would be well served in checking out his course offerings. He is worth every penny of his tuition. And usually is very free with additional consulting once you've paid for a course or two. Check Boon out
{url]http://www.bonsaiboon.com/pages/intensives.html[/URL] I think if you don't buy any trees one or two months, and use the money for classes, you will be able to buy better, and grow better trees once you have done the course cycle with Boon. At least visit his nursery. Check out the trees he created at his nursery, if you are impressed, as I am pretty sure you will be, then you will want to study with him. The travel expense from the Chicago area is the main reason I have not studied with him yet, luckily I have a friend, who has studied with Boon, so I get my Boon, secondhand, so to speak.

 

[bonsaidave]

Find the nearest club. Find out what trees grow well and what don't in your climate. You don't have to have nice tools to begin with. I add about 2-3 tools per year. My first year or two I was like a hobo trying to do bonsai.

225$. That's like 4.5 months of my bonsai budget

 

[Potawatomi13]

For excellent start sign up for Ryan Neils Bonsai Mirai Live(online)Bonsai instruction. Very reasonable $$ to get great start from a Master! Far better than ANYTHING on here.

 

[reddog]

You are 30 minutes from Alameda. Definitely go to Boon. online and youtube video's are ok if you don't have a choice because of distance but one of the best teachers is in your backyard.

 

[ianb]

You are 30 minutes from Alameda. Definitely go to Boon. online and youtube video's are ok if you don't have a choice because of distance but one of the best teachers is in your backyard.

I'll second this, if I was you I would join Bay Island Bonsai https://bayislandbonsai.com

They have classes and will be able to hook you up with the best local resources.

 

[sorce]

I would like to get to the point where I have enough to keep me busy 2-3 hours or more per weekend.

A weekly class is the only thing Thats going to keep you "busy" that long EVERY weekend.

"Busy" in thought, is a different story.

I, personally, could kill 2-3 hours every weekend contemplating the future of just one tree.

But "busy with hands" work is actually quite infrequent, and comes in mostly overwhelming lots Once a season.

You could of course......

Water every tree by hand with an eyedropper! That'll eat up a few hours!

Welcome to Crazy!

Hands on busy with your own collection for 2-3 hours every weekend is impossible, while still maintaining a good collection.

If your collection is so big, that it can keep you so busy every weekend.....
Come those overwhelming times....
Things will get left out, forgotten, die, or grow beyond nicely fixable.

If your collection is not big enough, you will prune your collection to death.....

If you can find the right balance....

Keeping in mind time for thought is way more important......

$225 a month can go real far....

Matter of fact....

Coming off a "you can do this for free" kick....

I can learn you how to save all that money for pots and lessons alone!

Sorce

 

[Djtommy]

If you have that money you can spend every month, i second the idea to sign up for the ryan neil courses, i havent done myself yet but i did see some earlier movies before the new setup was made, he does a very good job.
Also the courses on bonsaiempire website i recommend. They will teach you a lot.

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

Waldostreetpottery.com

 

[A. Gorilla]

For excellent start sign up for Ryan Neils Bonsai Mirai Live(online)Bonsai instruction. Very reasonable $$ to get great start from a Master! Far better than ANYTHING on here.

He's really growing on me. I'll probably do that too.

As far as them internets go.... Adair, Vance Wood, Walter Pall and Ryan Neil have been the samurai swords for me to cut through so much bullshit. Pithy, maybe ascerbic to some, but lots of value per word.

On the flip side, Nigel Saunders' youtube channel is slow, pleasant, and contemplative.

 

[Jason Crump]

He's really growing on me. I'll probably do that too.

As far as them internets go.... Adair, Vance Wood, Walter Pall and Ryan Neil have been the samurai swords for me to cut through so much bullshit. Pithy, maybe ascerbic to some, but lots of value per word.

On the flip side, Nigel Saunders' youtube channel is slow, pleasant, and contemplative.

I really like Nigel Saunders videos, they are really relaxing .

 

[Jason Crump]

Thanks everyone for the great responses! I checked out Boon's information (both websites) and the club sounds nice. There is a requirement for 9 workshops per year but I was unable to locate a price. Anyone know how much they are? I'm going to look into it further.

There is also the Valley Bonsai Society which is closer to me but obviously not as prestigious. I think I will attend at least one of both the Bay Area and Valley meetings.

My family has property up in the Sierra foothills that I can collect yamadori. Going to spend 4 days there this upcoming weekend. Hopefully I can get some good stock, or at least identify some good candidates to collect later.

 

[Lobaeux]

A weekly class is the only thing Thats going to keep you "busy" that long EVERY weekend.

"Busy" in thought, is a different story.

I, personally, could kill 2-3 hours every weekend contemplating the future of just one tree.

But "busy with hands" work is actually quite infrequent, and comes in mostly overwhelming lots Once a season.

You could of course......

Water every tree by hand with an eyedropper! That'll eat up a few hours!

Welcome to Crazy!

Hands on busy with your own collection for 2-3 hours every weekend is impossible, while still maintaining a good collection.

If your collection is so big, that it can keep you so busy every weekend.....
Come those overwhelming times....
Things will get left out, forgotten, die, or grow beyond nicely fixable.

If your collection is not big enough, you will prune your collection to death.....

If you can find the right balance....

Keeping in mind time for thought is way more important......

$225 a month can go real far....

Matter of fact....

Coming off a "you can do this for free" kick....

I can learn you how to save all that money for pots and lessons alone!

Sorce

Water every tree with an eyedropper! You kill me!!!

 

[ConorDash]

Water every tree by hand with an eyedropper! That'll eat up a few hours!
Sorce

You say this... Now next time I have been drinking quite a bit, Ill start doing that, thinking in my brain that it is the right thing to do cos Sorce said so.

 

[bonsaidave]

My family has property up in the Sierra foothills that I can collect yamadori. Going to spend 4 days there this upcoming weekend. Hopefully I can get some good stock, or at least identify some good candidates to collect later.

Personal opinion: Yes Identify candidates for digging and Yes take pics from multiple angles of ones you like for future pondering. I would Not dig anything unless you have everything need and ready for aftercare. At most dig one tree that doesn't look like it would be useful to try out your aftercare. yamadori can be very fragile and it would suck to kill a nice one due to impatience.

Good luck and have fun. Looking for yamadori is half the fun!

 

[ConorDash]

Personal opinion: Yes Identify candidates for digging and Yes take pics from multiple angles of ones you like for future pondering. I would Not dig anything unless you have everything need and ready for aftercare. At most dig one tree that doesn't look like it would be useful to try out your aftercare. yamadori can be very fragile and it would suck to kill a nice one due to impatience.

Good luck and have fun. Looking for yamadori is half the fun!

I have read and watched a lot about yamadori and I have a good load of wood land around me but I am quite scared of trying. I am entering my second year of the hobby and I don't forecast doing yamadori for a few more years... Some of the best specimens come from yamadori but no use if you can't keep it alive.

 

[Paradox]

Get yourself a couple of good basic tools such as a nob cutter and a branch cutter to start with. Almost all of the other basic tools can be substituted with cheaper things from Home Depot or Lowes. Upgrade those as you go along.

Get some landscape trees and play with them to learn.

I also highly recommend Boon. One of the best teachers in the U.S. right now. If you are serious about learning, go to him.

 

[Jason Crump]

Personal opinion: Yes Identify candidates for digging and Yes take pics from multiple angles of ones you like for future pondering. I would Not dig anything unless you have everything need and ready for aftercare. At most dig one tree that doesn't look like it would be useful to try out your aftercare. yamadori can be very fragile and it would suck to kill a nice one due to impatience.

Good luck and have fun. Looking for yamadori is half the fun!

I like this idea. Collect a couple of less promising trees to practice after care and see if i can keep them alive. Next year if all goes well collect a couple more of better quality.

Part of what I like about bonsai is that it forces you to learn patience.

 

[music~maker]

You can do a lot with that much budget. If you spend that consistently each month, that's probably matches my total budget for the past 4-5 years or so. That's the "I'm diving in headfirst budget".

Like others have mentioned, I would start building a collection of things to work on. When starting out, it's good to have a variety of trees at a variety of stages.

Learn to pick out good stock and you can stretch that budget much, much further. I highly recommend combing through nursery stock and looking for diamonds in the rough. Find some good nurseries, and just make regular trips to them to see what they have. In the beginning, you'll be tempted to take home every half-decent trunk you see. After you have a lot of trees, you'll naturally get fussier.

Start with things you're not afraid of losing and learn how to work them. Each season, add some new things to your collection. Probably better to build a collection over 5-10 years rather than just buying a zillion trees all at once. Each season, you'll have another year of experience under your belt that will help you choose the current season's batch of trees. And each year, try to add at least one tree to the collection that's at least as good, if not better than anything you currently own. That way, you're collection's overall quality improves each year as your experience grows.

Initially, I would mostly focus on $50-100 nursery stock, and maybe some yamadori. Learn how to take one of those trees and turn it into something 3-5x as valuable, and you'll be prepared to take on more expensive projects.

One last tip: when working early stage stock, even if it's something you aren't familiar with, let the tree teach you how it wants to be worked. Make gradual reductions at the peripheries, and see how the tree responds. Let them mostly grow, and observe how they grow. Then make some more gradual adjustments the following year. After a few years of this, you'll have learned a ton, AND you'll have improved the trunks along the way. Then you'll be a lot more confident when you start making bigger moves.

And read a lot - read everything you can find. There's a ton of bonsai information out there - immerse yourself in it.