JTGJr25

Cray13, that sounds like a good idea I think next year I'll get some seeds and give it a try. You say you've finally gone away from buying nursery material, if you mean garden nursery's then I agree with you although I still looks to see if there is that one tree that really has a good trunk and nebari to work with. Anyway, I have decided instead of wasting time and money waiting for small trees to grow, I've decided to save my money and invest in better stock. I'd rather have one great tree than 10 ok trees. So far I only have one great piece of stock and plenty of young trees. I hope to be adding to that this summer when i take a couple road trips to some nursery's.

Tom

cray13

Yes, I mean I've gone away from buying garden nursery material... although I can't help but look... and many times I'm very tempted.

I also agree that you should spend your money on better stock. However, at the moment I don't have enough experience to feel comfortable with paying a lot ( ie. $400 ) on a piece of stock. I have spent $250 on a class that resulted in a pretty nice tree and a great learning experience. This is why I'm spending relatively little to grow some material that I can "learn" with. I think 5 to 10 years from now I'll have the knowledge I'll need to comfortably spend money on good advanced pre-bonsai stock as well as end up with a few decent trees. I also enjoy just growing material. Everyday I see something new in my garden... it's a lot of fun.

JTGJr25

I don't think its too early for you to buy advanced stock. As long as your horticultural skills are good then theres no reason why not. What you pay for is the trunk of the tree. Basically a blank canvas. You just need to 'sculpt' the branches. You can't really go wrong. I bought a cork bark elm for $60 that has a developed trunk and nebari, all it needs is branching. You don't have to always spend $400 but you may be more pleased. I plan on spending somewhere around $200 this summer to find the perfect shohin trident that I've been looking for. It will cost me but I can't just sit back and grow one myself its worth spending the money to have one now, don't you think?

Tom

noissee

i don't really see the problem either, buying stock that is a little pricey seems to make people pay more attention to keeping the tree healthy. personally i wouldn't spend over 200 on a species that i was not familiar with, and i don't think i would, at this point, want the responsibility of taking care of a 1000$ tree. i'll save that as a retirement treat.

treebeard55

Brent, your posts have been very helpful. Thanks again.

One question, please. Are the principles and techniques you've discussed valid for all 2-needle pines, or just JBP? I ask because I'm getting into pines more and more (have yet to meet one I didn't like,) and it would help to know if your advice could be generalized.

Thanks!

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

Brent

Treebeard

It is my understanding that all two needle pines will respond in the same or similar way, but I work almost exclusively with JBP, so you have to take that with a grain of salt. However, having said that, I have also noticed that each species does have its quirks, so you will have to eventually fine tune your understanding of each species behavior.

Brent

treebeard55

Brent, you iz got yerself a noo stoodent of yer tekneeks, sir.

JBP is hard to come by in my part of the country. I'm going to buy some seeds at MABA 2008. But seeds take a while, and I'm 56. So I also just bought a pair of small Austrian pines (Pinus nigra) -- the smallest available -- from our local Lowe's, to get started with.

I'm looking forward to learning!

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.