Any Maple Progressive Contest

The challenge will take place over a year and there are not many rules.
The Rules
1. This contest is for any Acer species. From tridents to palmatums and Field Maples.

2. Tree can be bought from any store. A bonsai store is preferable. No receipt will be needed.

3. Trunk minimum of three inches at 1 inch above soil. There is no wiggle room. 3 inches! There is no limit on price. In fact I implore you to spend a goodly sum of money to make this a bonafied BONSAI contest.

4. No height limit.

5. Tree must be potted in exhibit container. No rule on container but should be aesthetically pleasing. Moss optional.

6. Tree can have been purchased in the calendar year of 2014 till March 14, 2016. Of course this is a progression contest and the more pictures the better.

7. You opening post will show a before picture. It should be posted in the "maple" section. If the tree was bought in 2014 then it still has to have a before picture. This will also help those that do not take pictures of their trees to be more mindful the next time. (Any picture will do as long as "good work" from whatever pictures is posted takes place over the next twelve months.)

8. Pictures of work to be posted monthly in your contest thread which will have many comments in it, some of them derogatory, and some respectful, probably arguments, but everyone will benefit.

9. The contest will end March 15, 2016 and finished photos will be submitted by March 25, 2016. Winner to be announced April 1, 2016. The Judge, ( and it will be a good one, one that everyone in the bonsai community is familiar with) will receive the finished photos and the before shot in an email and it will be a blind judging.

During the five days of the judging, a thread will be started with a poll for each tree and there will be an opportunity for a "peoples" choice (forum) also.

I´m up for this one too!

Hmmm...tempting; though satisfying rule #2 may require some clever accounting. I could purchase one Nebari Bonsai has growing in the ground, may even get a "friends and family" discount. I'll check with my CPA and get back to you.

Al, this is genius! I can't think of a better way to bring focus on what makes 'Bonsai" what it is. Where does one start? \What priorities ? Time? Expectations? All the "little" details. Great food for thought!

garywood said:

Click to expand...

You sly dog you

garywood said:

Al, this is genius! I can't think of a better way to bring focus on what makes 'Bonsai" what it is. Where does one start? \What priorities ? Time? Expectations? All the "little" details. Great food for thought!

Click to expand...

Its all in the above post. You have a jussst, a taddd over a year to make the best use of whatever you purchase. In fact one year and 13 days. I purchased a good sized tree last fall so I'm going to use that. crap I hope it lives!

Brian Van Fleet said:

Hmmm...tempting; though satisfying rule #2 may require some clever accounting. I could purchase one Nebari Bonsai has growing in the ground, may even get a "friends and family" discount. I'll check with my CPA and get back to you.

Click to expand...

I've seen a picture of your CPA and I think a little wine and roses will do the trick. Dig that fat bastard out.

Al, you have exposed my apprehension of joining the "box store challenge". You can't make a good bonsai in one sitting. Were I to style a bonsai for the first time, it would most definitely not win any kind of beauty contest. It would likely be a trunk with maybe a few stub branches.

Why not have a 3-5 year bonsai stock challenge? Wouldn't that be much more productive.

Stan Kengai said:

Al, you have exposed my apprehension of joining the "box store challenge". You can't make a good bonsai in one sitting. Were I to style a bonsai for the first time, it would most definitely not win any kind of beauty contest. It would likely be a trunk with maybe a few stub branches.

Why not have a 3-5 year bonsai stock challenge? Wouldn't that be much more productive.

Click to expand...

If you spend the money needed to purchase a three inch trunked maple, it will already have many bonsai attributes and be easily changeable in one year.
Lost a lot of people this year here at the forum. Blogs, Facebook, economics. Five years? Way too long. I have been here since 2006 and I continue to post my trees and how they change in their specific threads, I don't need a contest to do that.

Good idea Al! This is a different kind of contest... Won't be nearly as popular I am sure... It is funny to me though as I was just the other day asking a friend if he had any Tridents of a comparable size to what you described here. If I get one this year I might just toss my name in the hat for your challenge!

I have to say I got a real negative vibe off you when you made your comments about the Boxstore challenge and this seems sort of a "point-counter point", almost like an "I will show you what a contest is"... I like the idea but the intent behind it seems questionable!

Regardless of why you made it up, I look forward to seeing what people post in this one... Especially what you put together Smoke!

I take it no Yamadori stock then? It must be purchased?

Eric Group said:

Good idea Al! This is a different kind of contest... Won't be nearly as popular I am sure... It is funny to me though as I was just the other day asking a friend if he had any Tridents of a comparable size to what you described here. If I get one this year I might just toss my name in the hat for your challenge!

I have to say I got a real negative vibe off you when you made your comments about the Boxstore challenge and this seems sort of a "point-counter point", almost like an "I will show you what a contest is"... I like the idea but the intent behind it seems questionable!

Regardless of why you made it up, I look forward to seeing what people post in this one... Especially what you put together Smoke!

Click to expand...

You are probably correct, with the exception of Judy I havn't seem many 3 inch trunked trees on this forum since 2006 period.
I didn't mean Judy has a three inch trunk, ....I mean her tree has a trunk, er.... nose oh forget it.

For the record I didn't say anything about the contest. I asked a question about species. My mistake, I read non conifer, missed evergreen. I WAS ASKED about the rest. I was willing to leave it at "have fun".

There are alot of people that are disinfranchised by that "fair" contest. Who speaks for them? I went the other way. More time, less restrictions and better finished product, some may even say a tree.

Eric Group said:

I have to say I got a real negative vibe off you when you made your comments about the Boxstore challenge and this seems sort of a "point-counter point", almost like an "I will show you what a contest is"... I like the idea but the intent behind it seems questionable!

Click to expand...

excellent, you got my point. highlighting the absurd by being absurd.

Eric Group said:

almost like an "I will show you what a contest is"...

Click to expand...

Oh yee of little time on a bonsai forum...I hosted three tree contests for bonsaiTALK and gave away the first prize of a custom made bonsai stand in each, hosted a virtual bonsai contest where I supplied a trunk form and people had to add the canopy and pot and put it into a display, and then a pipe cleaner contest in which I came in second. I have had my share of contests. I have little need to garner the praise of hosting a contest.

I just want people to do bonsai. Get up off your ass and do some work and post it to this forum. Trim something, pot something, prune something display something and share it here. Why is this so hard for people to do, and why do I have to eat so much shit for asking for it? I am really tired of looking at sickly boxwoods and no taper trunks. Please someone show us something even remotely like a bonsai with a decent trunk of two or three inches!

BunjaeKorea said:

I take it no Yamadori stock then? It must be purchased?

Click to expand...

I think people should have access to a drive up store. I have no problem with a bonsai nursery, and I encourage it. Every nursery has maples. I have no problem with a tree you purchased last year or put it in the ground last year and wish to dig it up for the contest. Just include that in your update when you start your thread and show how it was growing around your house. There is no bonsai police, and mostly let your conscience be your guide.

cool, I know an excellent candidate tree, if only the owner concedes to it. Needs a great deal of training though so not sure if could be done in a year. Thanks for the reply!

I'm not in. But I will be the guy that posts nonsense commentary to a contest thread that I'm not even particpating in just to bring the attention back to me. Might even post pics of trees that would have been in the contest and make smart ass remarks. What comes around goes around.

Just joking guys! I'm in! Hell yeah I'm in!

Question though: I have absolutely no bonsai stores around here. I can't even find any pots! I have a club member that has a field of maple cultivars. Normally she gives away some small ones, but she does sell bigger trees. Would a purchased tree from her count? I won't lie, I will purchase it. Might even spend up to $100.

When you say "3 inch", is that circumference or diameter?

Well...did a little shopping at Nebari Bonsai's growing fields this morning to see if anything measures up. A couple are close. I tried sweet-talking the owner's wife for a discount, but she'd have none of it. Full price. Clearly not a morning person.

Smoke said:

You are probably correct, with the exception of Judy I havn't seem many 3 inch trunked trees on this forum since 2006 period.
I didn't mean Judy has a three inch trunk, ....I mean her tree has a trunk, er.... nose oh forget it.

For the record I didn't say anything about the contest. I asked a question about species. My mistake, I read non conifer, missed evergreen. I WAS ASKED about the rest. I was willing to leave it at "have fun".

There are alot of people that are disinfranchised by that "fair" contest. Who speaks for them? I went the other way. More time, less restrictions and better finished product, some may even say a tree.



excellent, you got my point. highlighting the absurd by being absurd.



Oh yee of little time on a bonsai forum...I hosted three tree contests for bonsaiTALK and gave away the first prize of a custom made bonsai stand in each, hosted a virtual bonsai contest where I supplied a trunk form and people had to add the canopy and pot and put it into a display, and then a pipe cleaner contest in which I came in second. I have had my share of contests. I have little need to garner the praise of hosting a contest.

I just want people to do bonsai. Get up off your ass and do some work and post it to this forum. Trim something, pot something, prune something display something and share it here. Why is this so hard for people to do, and why do I have to eat so much shit for asking for it? I am really tired of looking at sickly boxwoods and no taper trunks. Please someone show us something even remotely like a bonsai with a decent trunk of two or three inches!

Click to expand...

I was on Bonsai talk for a short period of time... I found this site originally by searching for Bonsai talk actually.

I wasn't really trying to give you shit either Al, just making an observation about intent... But again, regardless of why you made this particular contest, I am excited about it and I think we could see some really good work done!

If I get my hands on a suitable new tree this year, I do plan to participate! These criteria will encourage better trees than the Boxstore challenge, but there is a big difference between the two.

Vin is just trying to make an easy to enter, "instant Bonsai" sort of a challenge to encourage people to do the same thing- get off their ass and prune something/ wire something/ make something that looks like a Bonsai! More beginners and people of limited means can participate in a challenge where the price cap is $50 vs a contrast where the price cap is "infinity and beyond"... I know it has "disenfranchised" some folks, I just don't really understand why. What about that contest upset you, and Vance... And whomever else didn't like it? I am genuinely curious. Not telling you that you have no right to your feelings on it, just that I don't quite understand... All I can tell so far is that you love maples, Vance love Pines and you guys seemed a bit upset that those trees were not included?

Oh, and are you planning to give away a custom made stand for your contest? I do not have a nice stand and would certainly be more diligent about finding an entry worthy tree if something like that was on the line! LOL