Bonsai Careers?

[TreeJunkie]

I am wondering if any of you wonderful people could give me some advice.

I am young and have an engineering degree, decent job, house, getting married this summer, going to be starting a family soon…

But for me bonsai is quickly developing from a hobby into a passion/obsession. I find myself thinking about trees nonstop and all I ever want to do is spend time in my garden. I’m feeling like I really want to have a career in bonsai but I can’t give up on having steady income especially right now. I honestly don’t know when it ever will be a “good” time.

My fiancee and I share a dream of owning a nursery/garden center some day but I know that I will need WAY more knowlege for that to even be a possibility, and at this rate I might not ever get there on my own. Everything I know I’ve learned through the internet and I’ve only been at this for a little over a year.

What suggestions would you have for someone like me? What opportunities exist out there? What would the path look like for me to eventually own my own nursery?

 

[NaoTK]

There are many paths to bonsai...I know people in all of these categories:
Some pros have the luxury to be pros because of a rich relative, there are many in this category active today.
You can still be a humble pro and make it on your own, consider a part time operation out of your back yard while holding a day job
Many pros work their butt off in an unrelated field for decades, then retire and become a bonsai person.

One of the benefits of becoming a bonsai apprentice is you get an inside look at how the business works.

 

[19Mateo83]

Im a full time carpenter and I’m in the process of starting a small backyard nursery myself. This is year 3 for me. The best advice I can give you is spend time learning horticultural practices. The knowledge gained learning to propagate and growing things from seed will go far in building inexpensive stock and learning how to keep plants of all types alive.

 

[Taste]

Anything can become a job but not every job can support you.

I suggest finding a bonsai nursery to apprentice at and learn the ropes and see what comes from there. There is not a clear cut way to turn bonsai into a career but that doesn’t mean the opportunity doesn’t exist. I highly suggest keeping it a side hustle until you can take it on full time, if ever.

 

[rollwithak]

I am wondering if any of you wonderful people could give me some advice.

I am young and have an engineering degree, decent job, house, getting married this summer, going to be starting a family soon…

But for me bonsai is quickly developing from a hobby into a passion/obsession. I find myself thinking about trees nonstop and all I ever want to do is spend time in my garden. I’m feeling like I really want to have a career in bonsai but I can’t give up on having steady income especially right now. I honestly don’t know when it ever will be a “good” time.

My fiancee and I share a dream of owning a nursery/garden center some day but I know that I will need WAY more knowlege for that to even be a possibility, and at this rate I might not ever get there on my own. Everything I know I’ve learned through the internet and I’ve only been at this for a little over a year.

What suggestions would you have for someone like me? What opportunities exist out there? What would the path look like for me to eventually own my own nursery?

Cue @sorce ……..

 

[TreeJunkie]

There are many paths to bonsai...I know people in all of these categories:
Some pros have the luxury to be pros because of a rich relative, there are many in this category active today.
You can still be a humble pro and make it on your own, consider a part time operation out of your back yard while holding a day job
Many pros work their butt off in an unrelated field for decades, then retire and become a bonsai person.

One of the benefits of becoming a bonsai apprentice is you get an inside look at how the business works.

Appreciate the response. What qualifications are typically needed to get an apprenticeship and do they pay?

Hopefully moving to a place with more land this summer and then maybe I could start some seeds/cuttings to grow into pre bonsai for sale

 

[Eckhoffw]

Anything is possible with enough work and luck in finding a niche.
One very important truth must be certain with this type of endeavor.
Make sure your partner is 100% on board. Not trying to preach, just have seen some close situations where this becomes an issue!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

do they pay

They don't pay if they stick to the Japanese way of doing it. There's a fun thread about it, where someone who studied in Japan is asking for (in my opinion) free labour in exchange for knowledge, some food and housing - but bring your own car, pay 3 months of rent on your own tab, and don't expect to be taught.

If you get your horticulture and economical skills up and running, anyone can start a bonsai nursery on a small scale. Manageable on sunday afternoons if it isn't too large of an operation.
You can sow hundreds of seeds now and while you learn about how to get them forward, they'll grow along with you. Expect a 6-10 year time span before you first start earning back some of your invested time (not money, mind you) and judging from what I've heard, a 25 year operation to break even financially, if you're lucky.

If you're running things like our Cmeg, you might make a profit in a smaller time span but that guy is doing awesome stuff with awesome tools.

Do you need an apprenticeship? I don't believe so. But you should have some material to show that you know about the stuff that you'll be selling.

 

[TreeJunkie]

Anything can become a job but not every job can support you.

I suggest finding a bonsai nursery to apprentice at and learn the ropes and see what comes from there. There is not a clear cut way to turn bonsai into a career but that doesn’t mean the opportunity doesn’t exist. I highly suggest keeping it a side hustle until you can take it on full time, if ever.

Tricky part is there are literally no bonsai nurseries in my state. None.

Its basically an open market which I would love to take advantage of some day…

Might have to travel on weekends if I do find an apprenticeship. Not the worst idea but my fiancée wouldn’t be a fan

 

[Warlock]

Kind of reminds me of some fish hobby wisdom I once heard.....
If you wanna make 1 million from the hobby...start with 2 million..

 

[rockm]

Appreciate the response. What qualifications are typically needed to get an apprenticeship and do they pay?

Hopefully moving to a place with more land this summer and then maybe I could start some seeds/cuttings to grow into pre bonsai for sale

There are a couple (or so) opportunities to get apprenticeships, some are paid, most are not.

This one is paid (but not much)-degrees with horticulture, museums etc. can be helpful.

National Bonsai Apprenticeship — National Bonsai Foundation

www.bonsai-nbf.org

There are also opportunities that come up with other places.

Careers | Pacific Bonsai Museum

pacificbonsaimuseum.org

There was a post here a while ago about an unpaid apprenticeship at Eisei-En bonsai in Tennessee. I hear that one was filled, but it was a controversial as it was unpaid and the ad for it was unvarnished truth about what the apprentice would face. The entire post is worth reading though to get a feel for what you're aiming at.

Bjorn Apprenticeship

For those interested. Quite a commitment! https://bjornbjorholm.com/apprenticeship/

www.bonsainut.com

For the most part, unpaid volunteer work with knowledgeable bonsai people is the way in. Join a club or two, ask around,meet people, ask if they need help repotting, etc. when the work gets heavy (like now with spring). A bonsai job is like any other, its about connections and people...

Home - Green Mountain Bonsai Society

Green Mountain Bonsai Society (GMBS) was founded in 1981 and is a non-profit educational organization. Our mission is to provide our members with a forum to exchange information, learn, teach, and promote the art of bonsai through lectures, classes, workshops, demonstrations, and field trips. We...

greenmountainbonsaisociety.org

FWIW, selling cuttings is fine, but it's going to teach you much (if anything) about bonsai. Learning bonsai means DOING bonsai...andyeah, if you want a job in bonsai, you're going to have to travel--possibly a lot and full time.

 

[MaciekA]

What suggestions would you have for someone like me? What opportunities exist out there? What would the path look like for me to eventually own my own nursery?

Vermont is no doubt beautiful, verdant, where you're currently from, and theoretically it's possible to start this anywhere. But, VT is also zone 5 ... and quite far away from other centers of bonsai activity. There are some basic realities you need to acknowledge if you want to get into the business of growing, selling, and teaching bonsai, and even moreso if you want to field grow pre-bonsai. No disrespect to Vermont or the Northeast intended, however:

If you're very serious about this, moving to the Pacific Northwest or spending a few years here would put you on the path to success years quicker on average.

In the Portland metro, you're surrounded by numerous professionals from whom you can learn continuously and collaborate with throughout the year, a large horticultural industry/nexus with everything you need in terms of supply chain (just as an example... anderson flats come from here, are made here), proximity to volcanic mountain ranges (access to pumice / lava), a climate that enables you to be engaged in bonsai or field growing work year-round. It's also a climate in which it is easy to recover, cultivate, and source (either from nature or from collectors) valuable yamadori from around the western US. These are a key source of both sales income and recurring income (maintenance). We also have a lot of field growers here locally producing material you can acquire, improve, and then sell, something that's a useful source of income while you wait for your own field growing operation to yield.

Anyway, if you're serious, I don't think you can ignore the geographic-clustering advantages. Every single bonsai professional I work or study with in this region regularly collaborates with others, learns from others, and teaches others. Doesn't matter if they are primarily a teacher, a field grower, an apprentice, or someone whose only business is working on wealthy folks' refined bonsai. Everyone here is in a constant cycle of working with, learning from, and teaching others. In my experience people also share equipment and genetics and those sorts of things.

There are other places in the US you can build this kind of career too, but look to geography and existing clusters as a major part of your investigation.

 

[NaoTK]

If you're very serious about this, moving to the Pacific Northwest or spending a few years here would put you on the path to success years quicker on average.

Our new flag is pretty sweet

 

[Taste]

Our new flag is pretty sweet
View attachment 431104

this is what i like to see

 

[Taste]

Vermont is no doubt beautiful, verdant, where you're currently from, and theoretically it's possible to start this anywhere. But, VT is also zone 5 ... and quite far away from other centers of bonsai activity. There are some basic realities you need to acknowledge if you want to get into the business of growing, selling, and teaching bonsai, and even moreso if you want to field grow pre-bonsai. No disrespect to Vermont or the Northeast intended, however:

If you're very serious about this, moving to the Pacific Northwest or spending a few years here would put you on the path to success years quicker on average.

In the Portland metro, you're surrounded by numerous professionals from whom you can learn continuously and collaborate with throughout the year, a large horticultural industry/nexus with everything you need in terms of supply chain (just as an example... anderson flats come from here, are made here), proximity to volcanic mountain ranges (access to pumice / lava), a climate that enables you to be engaged in bonsai or field growing work year-round. It's also a climate in which it is easy to recover, cultivate, and source (either from nature or from collectors) valuable yamadori from around the western US. These are a key source of both sales income and recurring income (maintenance). We also have a lot of field growers here locally producing material you can acquire, improve, and then sell, something that's a useful source of income while you wait for your own field growing operation to yield.

Anyway, if you're serious, I don't think you can ignore the geographic-clustering advantages. Every single bonsai professional I work or study with in this region regularly collaborates with others, learns from others, and teaches others. Doesn't matter if they are primarily a teacher, a field grower, an apprentice, or someone whose only business is working on wealthy folks' refined bonsai. Everyone here is in a constant cycle of working with, learning from, and teaching others. In my experience people also share equipment and genetics and those sorts of things.

There are other places in the US you can build this kind of career too, but look to geography and existing clusters as a major part of your investigation.

This is the best advice here if serious. Our community and availability of resources material and knowledge is probably the best in North America

 

[Paradox]

I've got to be honest and hand out some " tough love". Sorry, this isn't going to be what you want to hear.

You'll probably make more money as an engineer and with a new family you will need the insurance that job probably provides. It will be years if not decades to even hope to start a bonsai nursery with literally no knowledge or training right now. Most that have actually done it studied for 6 years in Japan first and had the capital to put up to start (ie the rich relative).

Hobbies turned into a job can quickly lose their appeal when the reality of making money, or not enough money to support a family raises its ugly head. As stated you'll need to travel a lot to make money. You won't make enough just growing trees for sale.

Keep the engineering job, do bonsai as a hobby and see if you can maybe make a little money growing some pre-bonsai here and there. Get the kiddos involved when they get old enough and enjoy the journey together.

 

[crookedwoodbonsai]

Meehans Miniatures has a successful bonsai prestock nursery and it took their entire lives to build it to where it is today. I've worked for them for a while and shown interest in doing this myself one day and was usually told discouraging things like how they work 7 days a week basically and can't step away from it. Now that I've got a little field growing situation and my collection is growing, it has become painfully obvious I'm quite literally glued to them. Even with my automated watering, everything still needs to be checked basically every day.

Overall, my advice is slowly work towards this goal and honestly treat it like a part time endeavor and KEEP your day job. If you're lucky, you might get your bonsai situation to where you only work a day job part time, but banking on opening and surviving on a nursery, all started by yourself, can be way too big of a risk if not planned meticulously over years.

 

[Shogun610]

I am a food technologists myself no kids yet only a dog so I have time…. so most Saturdays or Sundays I work at a bonsai professionals for 5 hours or so working on projects, but also watering , carrying stuff around back outside from greenhouses now that weather is warming , and cleaning up. The person also is president of a bonsai club so I have access to other professionals who visit to collab or do demos for the club. I am only there for knowledge and to learn … everything else is a bonus.. if you link up w anyone to study under don’t expect anything and be humble. You’d be surprised what you don’t know or what you thought you knew there are better ways of doing it. It’s not close to being fully immersed like someone in Japan would experience im a litttle late for that big of a career change .. but if I do this right who knows as I am on the brink of buying property to develop my own collection further and space for bonsai cultivation. Keep your job bro… a career while fulfilling is only to generate income for what your true passions are .. and if you’re lucky it can be a great side gig with just as many possibilities to advance yourself.

 

[Eckhoffw]

I’ve often pondered how lucrative a pre-bonsai nursery would be.
Profit seems to be imagined only when a large quantity of plants are being sold continuously.
when thinking of acceptable nursery prices for material, you start to realize the very narrow profit margins.
How many 25$ 5 yr. old junipers must you sell daily to make anything near a engineers salary? After you compute time and $ invested in each, I would think somewhere around 50? Tall order.

 

[Shogun610]

Vermont is no doubt beautiful, verdant, where you're currently from, and theoretically it's possible to start this anywhere. But, VT is also zone 5 ... and quite far away from other centers of bonsai activity. There are some basic realities you need to acknowledge if you want to get into the business of growing, selling, and teaching bonsai, and even moreso if you want to field grow pre-bonsai. No disrespect to Vermont or the Northeast intended, however:

If you're very serious about this, moving to the Pacific Northwest or spending a few years here would put you on the path to success years quicker on average.

In the Portland metro, you're surrounded by numerous professionals from whom you can learn continuously and collaborate with throughout the year, a large horticultural industry/nexus with everything you need in terms of supply chain (just as an example... anderson flats come from here, are made here), proximity to volcanic mountain ranges (access to pumice / lava), a climate that enables you to be engaged in bonsai or field growing work year-round. It's also a climate in which it is easy to recover, cultivate, and source (either from nature or from collectors) valuable yamadori from around the western US. These are a key source of both sales income and recurring income (maintenance). We also have a lot of field growers here locally producing material you can acquire, improve, and then sell, something that's a useful source of income while you wait for your own field growing operation to yield.

Anyway, if you're serious, I don't think you can ignore the geographic-clustering advantages. Every single bonsai professional I work or study with in this region regularly collaborates with others, learns from others, and teaches others. Doesn't matter if they are primarily a teacher, a field grower, an apprentice, or someone whose only business is working on wealthy folks' refined bonsai. Everyone here is in a constant cycle of working with, learning from, and teaching others. In my experience people also share equipment and genetics and those sorts of things.

There are other places in the US you can build this kind of career too, but look to geography and existing clusters as a major part of your investigation.

Have you ever experienced Larch , White Cedar etc there are great species for bonsai that can handle that zone no problem. Structures exist to aid and overcome seasonal challenges as well.