Would You Buy This Chinese Elm

Uzelac

Seedling
Messages
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Location
Orange County, CA
USDA Zone
10
This tree is for sale for $50. the owner says it is a Chinese Elm. Would you buy it and trunk chop it really low?
 

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Look among their back bench. Or trash bin.
 
For $50 I'd buy it to take cuttings and layers...

Hell...

It could have a killer base itself!

$50...?

Sure!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
 
You could find something further up the bonsai evolutionary chain for 50$.
 
You could find something further up the bonsai evolutionary chain for 50$.

I agree...

But....

If that thing has a perfect root spread....
Right for a formal broom...

It could be said that you could also buy something worse....for more than $50.

Hell...

If you're into propagating and Facebook you could make that $50 back quick.

Just buy it! Root cuttings...layers...

Granted!

Sorce
 
Thank you all for your opinions. I think I will offer him $30 and see what he says. I may try doing a broom. I am very new to bonsai.
 
Would you buy it and trunk chop it really low?

No, it is not a weeping and should not need a stake to support it at well over 8 foot tall. If you were to buy it and up pot it or ground grow it you would need to cut two foot off the top every Fall for a minimum of 4 years before it was manageable and standing on its own... You could buy two bare root, bare leaf 2 - 3 foot from TYTY today, plant them in a few days, see them pop tons of buds in 3 - 4 weeks and top them this fall. Rinse, repeat one more season and would have two decent brooms for under 50USD easily.

Grimmy
 
I have not heard of TYTY, are they a nursery that many bonsai enthusiasts use? I am in Orange County, there are not many bonsai nurseries nearby, I am going to check out Tree of Life today off Ortega Highway. I want to find a nice Coast Live Oak as well.
 
I have not heard of TYTY, are they a nursery that many bonsai enthusiasts use? I am in Orange County, there are not many bonsai nurseries nearby, I am going to check out Tree of Life today off Ortega Highway. I want to find a nice Coast Live Oak as well.

I am in the North East and deal with several growers in the South East both commercial and private. The commercial as TYTY is are not considered Bonsai growers BUT the options are infinite... There are a lot of commercial growers for Bonsai but starting out I would FULLY avoid that expense starting out for a LOT of good reasons. PM me and I can explain in detail with a simple phone call ;)

Grimmy
 
This tree is for sale for $50. the owner says it is a Chinese Elm. Would you buy it and trunk chop it really low?
Not in a box.
Not with a fox.
Not in a house.
Not with a mouse.
I would not buy it here or there.
I would not buy it anywhere.
 
I could get material 2 or 3x better than that for $35 at my bonsai nursery. I'm sure you have even better nurserys over there on the west coast
 
You could probably grow a seed and have that in one year , that trunk girth and then it would be more suited to a smaller pot too.
If you are new to bonsai check out like New England bonsai gardens or something and buy the cheapest Chinese Elm they have and learn there it's more satisfying than that big old thing, I noticed Hollow Creek bonsai has loads of affordable starter elms.
Or like yeah you live on the West Coast
 
Dude you live in Orange County. Drive yourself up to House of Bonsai and tell them you want a $50 Chinese Elm :) Or else go up to San Gabriel Nursery, pay twice as much, and get 10x the tree.

You aren't even 100% certain of the species or cultivar. Don't dive in on that tree just because you are a little impatient. Hold out and get something you KNOW you want. There is really nothing about that tree to recommend it other than the fact that, being a Chinese elm, you can do anything to it and it probably won't die :) You really don't want to start with bonsai with something so straight and lacking in character; you will be battling it for years.

Buy a bonsai in haste, repent in leisure :) Or at least that's what I think the saying is...
 
Here is a $39 Chinese Elm at House of Bonsai:

Elm_Chinese_Small_Leaf.jpg

Here is what $65 gets you:

Elm_-_Chinese_Regular_Large_1.png

This is just to give you an idea. If you go to House of Bonsai and buy a tree in a nursery pot (instead of a Chinese bonsai pot), you can knock $10 off those prices.
 
Those look nice! Thank you for the info, I will make a trip up to both of those nurseries possibly this weekend.
 
@Uzelac
That's what I'm telling them....

You'se lack.....imagination!

As a newb.....

That tree can net you over 100 trees you can put in any direction.
(yes. Climate. Root em and shoot em)

Mad fun. Mad work.

Or...you can buy one tree in a shitty pot and be bored all season!

Buy it..
Enter...
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ulmus-selfie-contest.18272/

Win.

Sorce
 
I can definitely second the motion for San Gabriel Nursery......plenty of stock to choose from in many price ranges
 
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