Is bonsai getting harder?

[rockm]

Ran across this blog post over the weekend. Interesting theory. I agree with most of it. More trained experts, more advanced stock, more demand for high-level stock/trees, more availability of most everything. What used to be a fly-by-the-seat-your-pants hobby is now full of experts and expertise. (bonus link -- red lava is not a great soil ingredient).

Is bonsai getting harder? - Bonsai Tonight

In short, yes!

bonsaitonight.com

 

[Gabler]

Isn’t that the goal? The article even acknowledges that fact:

If your garden requires more days wiring, pruning, or plucking than it did a few years ago, you’re probably doing something right!

But speaking more broadly, when more people enter any creative domain, the overall quality goes up, and it gets harder to be the best, or even good.

 

[BobbyLane]

Ive never imported but thats one aspect thats not as easy as it used to be for many suppliers. On kaizens recent blog posts he talks about not selling trees anymore in part due to outrageous shipping/import fees and all the new stipulations they have to go through. Herons no longer import either, but grow everything on the nursery.
Another major factor whats making bonsai harder is the ever changing weather! This forum seems to be flooded with issues relating to weather, so I guess thats a big obstacle now too. Just observations, these dont make bonsai harder for me, but I can see how it can for other folk.

 

[rockm]

Isn’t that the goal?

You're missing the point (Which I suppose only folks who have been doing this for more than 10 years get). The current situation is far far FAR from what "old timers" have experienced over the decades. If told me in 1999 that we'd have several Japanese-trained experts with their own extensive nurseries regularly selling $10,000+ trees, I'd have called your BS...Same for high-end imported Japanese pots selling for less than domestic made. Same for ready availability of specialized soils, from Akadama to kanuma and tools, and just about everything else bonsai related.

I'd have thought the hobby would continue to move ahead, but the pace has accelerated over the last five to ten years. Back in the day, the questions most asked here were "how do I keep m trees alive" or "what have I done to it."

Now, the questions involve fine to extremely fine bonsai practices...

 

[mook1178]

Same for high-end imported Japanese pots selling for less than domestic made. Same for ready availability of specialized soils, from Akadama to kanuma and tools, and just about everything else bonsai related.

That sounds like it has gotten easier, maybe just ease of access...

 

[Fidur]

I'm not the best person to talk about the evolution of bonsai in the last 20 years (I've only been doing this for two years), but I think that this hobby has become easier to practice after the advent of new information technologies.
About thirty years ago, I became interested in this art and bought a book that I still have. No photographs, just drawn illustrations. Having only that support, without clubs or practitioners known to me, I didn't even take the effort to buy any plant.
But when they gave me a bonsai two years ago, it was enough for me to connect to the internet to develop all the necessary skills and knowledge. All tools and materials are accessible online...
So being able to take care of more than a hundred projects, enjoying (and not suffering) is all the result of the changes of the last 20 years...I definitely think that practicing bonsai is much easier now.....A separate factor would be the weather. I also believe that this may be a factor that makes cultivation more complicated than it was in the past.

 

[Gabler]

You're missing the point (Which I suppose only folks who have been doing this for more than 10 years get). The current situation is far far FAR from what "old timers" have experienced over the decades. If told me in 1999 that we'd have several Japanese-trained experts with their own extensive nurseries regularly selling $10,000+ trees, I'd have called your BS...Same for high-end imported Japanese pots selling for less than domestic made. Same for ready availability of specialized soils, from Akadama to kanuma and tools, and just about everything else bonsai related.

I'd have thought the hobby would continue to move ahead, but the pace has accelerated over the last five to ten years. Back in the day, the questions most asked here were "how do I keep m trees alive" or "what have I done to it."

Now, the questions involve fine to extremely fine bonsai practices...

I guess what I mean is in hindsight it’s obvious to me it’s gotten harder than it used to be. For each individual, it gets harder as we each learn progressively more advanced techniques. Also, for the community as a whole, standards are clearly much higher now than they used to be. That’s clear to me even though I’m 28 years old, and I wasn’t born yet when many of you started training your trees. It’s a common theme underlying many threads on this site.

 

[rockm]

That sounds like it has gotten easier, maybe just ease of access...

Ease of access is mostly everything...If you haven't been doing bonsai for more than 10 years, you wouldn't have had the experience of trying toget Tokoname pots from Japan. Used to be you could order a limited inventory from specialty suppliers if you could do a bank transfer, and wait until the ship came across the ocean and your pot was shipped domestically and arrived without any damage. More often than not, bonsai clubs would get together to order a bulk container-load of pots, same process, took months. To get the same(or better) pots now, all it takes is a single click on ebay. Knowledgeable importers here in the U.S. have shouldered the risk. Japanese bonsai nurseries have realized they have a much larger market for their pots outside of Japan, where bonsai is on the decline.

Same is true for akadama, kanuma, quality tools.

You can contract from a list of traveling bonsai experts to help with your trees. You can take online classes with some of the best American bonsai artists, or attend their workshops in person. Access like that was unheard of only five years ago.

 

[BobbyLane]

I'm not the best person to talk about the evolution of bonsai in the last 20 years (I've only been doing this for two years), but I think that this hobby has become easier to practice after the advent of new information technologies.
About thirty years ago, I became interested in this art and bought a book that I still have. No photographs, just drawn illustrations. Having only that support, without clubs or practitioners known to me, I didn't even take the effort to buy any plant.
But when they gave me a bonsai two years ago, it was enough for me to connect to the internet to develop all the necessary skills and knowledge. All tools and materials are accessible online...
So being able to take care of more than a hundred projects, enjoying (and not suffering) is all the result of the changes of the last 20 years...I definitely think that practicing bonsai is much easier now.....A separate factor would be the weather. I also believe that this may be a factor that makes cultivation more complicated than it was in the past.

The internet has definitely made it easier for for the 'newbie' to access the world of bonsai, and there is so much valuable resources to choose from!

 

[mook1178]

I am completely new to bonsai. I have been interested in a long time. I have to agree with your statement @rockm. The ease of access of materials and info definitely made more appealing to me and I am now more willing to venture into the hobby.

 

[HorseloverFat]

With awareness, grows size...

With size, more practitioners enter...

More practitioners from varied places and opportunity, push the limits of not only the art, but the availability of materials...

As the art evolves, the expression forms become more intricate and in depth.

Awesome article, Rockm

 

[ShadyStump]

Y'all know I like my analogies.

Bonsai is right up there with buying a new car now days. Ever try shopping for a low end base model just for the routine milk runs? Or the same for truck for ACTUAL work?
Not really a thing any more.

The local garden shop has quadrupled at least their bonsai appropriate pot selection, and started selling juniper cuttings as "bonsai starters" for $12 a piece. (Yet I still can't find the people buying this stuff)
My point is bonsai is becoming widespread enough in the western world that it's taken on the same sort of economics as new cars and tiny houses and farmers'markets. The seller puts in 10% more effort, gets 50% or better profit increase because it being marketed to a particular subculture that has a few people willing to pay the price just for the bragging rights.

The prime target market any more are people who do the same thing with trees as baseball cards, or even Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, or other trading card games.
Buy, sell, trade, minor improvements in value along the way; or maybe something from a master that's only been maintained for years. Half the people they're aiming at for sales don't even play the game or even watch it on TV.
It's all focused on the collection.

That said, the collectors aren't HERE, on forums discussing the ins and outs, or perusing home improvement stores for tools and material, or wondering how best to get sap out of their clothes.
Just like baseball card collectors aren't at the park with ball, bat, and mitt.
...

No, the game and the collection are not mutually exclusive, I know, but it's an analogy I think we can all understand.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Well, I'm still flying by the seat of my pants.

Information is a double edged sword. Although the abundance of information available on the internet is breathtaking, I think many of the finer details are above the pay-grade of us newbs who could benefit from a more layered approach of information.

 

[rockm]

Well, I'm still flying by the seat of my pants.

Information is a double edged sword. Although the abundance of information available on the internet is breathtaking, I think many of the finer details are above the pay-grade of us newbs who could benefit from a more layered approach of information.

Ha! It may seem like that, but believe me, you're not flying by the seat of your pants. You've got direction and places online to go to ask questions and get expert answers in minutes...You've sorted out in a few months, what used to take years...

 

[ShadyStump]

Well, I'm still flying by the seat of my pants.

Information is a double edged sword. Although the abundance of information available on the internet is breathtaking, I think many of the finer details are above the pay-grade of us newbs who could benefit from a more layered approach of information.

Same here.
It took me my first 2 years on BNut to learn to take everyone's advice with a pinch of salt. I was mostly dabbling at the time, but if you're going to enjoy the pursuit you need enjoy the adventure, mishaps and all.

 

[ShadyStump]

Ha! It may seem like that, but believe me, you're not flying by the seat of your pants. You've got direction and places online to go to ask questions and get expert answers in minutes...You've sorted out in a few months, what used to take years...

Actually, fair point.
I may have to reconsider my post just above.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Ha! It may seem like that, but believe me, you're not flying by the seat of your pants. You've got direction and places online to go to ask questions and get expert answers in minutes...You've sorted out in a few months, what used to take years...

TRUTH!!!!

I'm the type that hears,

"We can do this the easy way, or we..." And before the "OR", I have already initiated "the hard way"..

I "bucked" bonsai clubs and shows for a while...

And watched newbies QUICKLY advance to my "level" and beyond, JUST by utilizing proper resources.

...

Needless to say, I have since "changed my tune".

 

[yashu]

The biggest place I have run into issues is when folks, meaning well, spread information that is not proven, is conjecture or just plain wrong. Those with experience will generally ask or know that techniques do not necessarily work in all environment, this with less than experience are apt to leap at and share information they’ve heard without understanding nuance.

 

[Maiden69]

(bonus link -- red lava is not a great soil ingredient).

Tell that to this guy... everything is sight is on Red lava.

Onuma's mini-bonsai growing techniques - Bonsai Tonight

Growing techniques from Kazuo Onuma for developing chojubai, shimpaku juniper, and Japanese maple.

bonsaitonight.com

 

[Srt8madness]

Ive never imported but thats one aspect thats not as easy as it used to be for many suppliers. On kaizens recent blog posts he talks about not selling trees anymore in part due to outrageous shipping/import fees and all the new stipulations they have to go through. Herons no longer import either, but grow everything on the nursery.
Another major factor whats making bonsai harder is the ever changing weather! This forum seems to be flooded with issues relating to weather, so I guess thats a big obstacle now too. Just observations, these dont make bonsai harder for me, but I can see how it can for other folk.

Herons just imported an entire container of trees, he built an isolation area for the pines. There's a good video of it. Chan speaks to why the import still even though they are a grower nursery. Demand is there, and it is still profitable for him.