Don't Buy a Bonsai Until You Watch This Video

[@nerinat8371]

This info has helped immensely. Thanks Josh

[@pablobartelotte4553]

Walmart is selling "bonsai" trees for $15 as of March 5, 2023. But they are in regular 5 inch ceramic pots. I'm headed back to offer to buy about 10 trees that are dying for basically the cost of the post ($3-5)? I usually dont recommend buying live plants from Walmart unless you plan on watching and caring for them closely for the first few months. I live in central Pennsylvania so we have a huge agricultural community and plenty of Amish farmers.

[@1Mutton1]

I have been so frustrated with the private market. Even trees and bushes from people's gardens. Eg $300 AND I have to dig it out. The bonsai quality is usually very bad, as most people are not good at bonsai, and the prices high. I was blown away when visiting a good bonsai nursary by how low prices are for pre bonsai that only need a small amount of work to get there.

[@CUTESTKITSANDCATS]

Thanks for the tips, this is very helpful!

[@BonsaiEn]

Not a problem at all!

[@CUTESTKITSANDCATS]

@@BonsaiEn I always watched your videos, I hope you can also have a video of your bonsai collection that would be nice!

[@RayAzul7]

i can listen to this accent all day. very informative. thank you

[@rebuild100]

Super helpful but I don't even know if anyone is selling bonsai in my area. Also pics would have helped

[@Kurtlane]

What do you think about yixing pots? Thanks. Also, there are many really nice young forest style bonsai with slender trunks and narrow roots. Particularly maples, pines, spruces, larches. Here it's the youth of the trees that's attractive.

[@BonsaiEn]

There are some half decent Yixing pots out there, i would put them in the mid range of pots, not as nice as a hand made pot from an artist but for a production line pot they aren't bad.

[@thegreenthumb6184]

My question is what if you only do clip and grow. And you only try to make the trees look like a natural tree but in a smaller version. Is it still worth as much as any other bonsai?

[@Josef_R]

0:38 Yeah, those people are called retailers, anywhere. Is that an air root coming down from the middle of your tree? Are you going to keep that? (Sorry, I deleted my original cause I edited it and didn't know you had replied.)

[@rajahdoha]

Informative, Thank you

[@tic857]

Do these guidelines apply to trees styled using penjing techniques?

[@nigellee9824]

What do you mean, pending is just Chinese for bonsai….

[@tic857]

@@nigellee9824 penjing is Chinese bonsai, but the style and aesthetics are different from Japanese bonsai.

[@BG-fe3ip]

What would this one behind you cost?

[@BonsaiEn]

Around $500

[@waterlover]

Very nice tips

[@wadmadhushan4434]

So beautiful bonsai

[@hermanvandervoort4807]

I agree.

[@bonsaidenhaag]

nice video

[@chrisellis9689]

Some of the people that try and sell their rubbish labeled as bonsai in Sydney are absolutely ludicrous.

[@BonsaiEn]

Some of the prices make your brain hurt.

[@Pete-z6e]

Same in NZ .Ridiculous.

[@darshan1556]

Hey dude there is a long trunk in my bonsai how can I reduce the size, banyan bonsai, age -20years It was neglected today I changed the soil and it needs time to restore

[@BonsaiEn]

In that case allow the tree to recover and get it into an energy positive state, fertilise the tree and let the growth on it go untouched. Once the tree is healthy and full of growth if there hasn't been any back budding further down you can cut the top back a bit after the growth hardens off in the growing season, this should almost force some buds further back if the tree is nice and healthy. Giving its a banyan i have not worked with that type of fig myself so i cant recommend if a trunk chop would work well or not. some figs go crazy after a trunk chop and others not so much so it would be worth looking into.

[@darshan1556]

@@BonsaiEn Thanks a lot, yeah I'm bit confused bocz there are two of them which was taken from a mountain and just planted, I'm outside I will try to share photo of it after I reach home.banyan is native Indian ficus but it has large leaves drive.google.com/file/d/1Tks-Et0sFpXUcyxCo_jkhwVbdkuqHfww/view?usp=sharing drive.google.com/file/d/1kYGvKJLqOQcZDsaS1lO_53KvEQdRHURF/view?usp=sharing

[@BackyardBonsaiAustralia]

The soil part is still so debatable Josh. If your buying a tree of an 80-90 year old bloke who has been growing these same trees in "black soil" since the 50-60s and they are producing trees that are still having the national gallery asking them to be able to show these trees there. I mean it works for him so why would he change soil just to sell it. I do like this video and most of your posts. I also get where your coming from with the soil topic on your videos. You do also so if it works for you go for it. What you classify as good soil for your needs professional and nursery man wont always be the best soil for the home guy and you cna still make quality trees in most commercial soils from Cacti mix and bonsai soil brands at big box stores through to fine species and climate specific mixes . Again you say all this in videos but seem to make it a point to bring it back up for other reasons in other videos .still great job and i need to come see you soon Rigards Backyardboganbonsai

[@averyprice9422]

I think that with the mass nursery's you are pretty much paying for their pots...

[@edmundblackaddercoc8522]

Look at Nebari and trunk, those two things determine age, as bonsai collectors/growers age is the only thing we can judge a tree by. The rest is just cheap tactics.

[@BonsaiEn]

You would consider years of heavy refinement cheap tactics?

[@edmundblackaddercoc8522]

@@BonsaiEn I've spent 20 years growing and collecting, buying and selling. My comment is what a beginner should look for in the first instance. Trunks and nebari take time, branch structure less so.

[@nigellee9824]

@@edmundblackaddercoc8522 that’s rubbish, the placement of branches are equally important, a great nebari, would be nothing without the correct placement of branches

[@nigellee9824]

@@BonsaiEn he doesn’t know what he’s talking about….or he wouldn’t use such derogatory language, as cheap tactics….

[@edmundblackaddercoc8522]

@@nigellee9824 Really? So how do you achieve branch placement without a decent Nebari and trunk? I smell an amateur troll, happy growing.

[@crittercam9565]

Can you make a business out of it, If so can you show me how?

[@jasongannon7676]

👍

[@MurottalYT]

The bonkers are nice and cool friends only the patient and artistic people are able to give birth to a unique greeting from Indonesia don't forget to stop by my friend's house

[@fryconntinumum6559]

$16 in material, $40/hr labor(definitely more than that), 1 year in nursery care, possible attrition. WTP and WTA theories.... theres much more that goes into commerce than a cutting in a chinese pot, plus a cutting in the nursery industry is actually cents not $10. i appreciate the rest of this video on valuing bonsai but your ideas on what a retailer is charging for starter bonsai is bad for business. a $10 tree grown by a nursery put into a bonsai pot is absolutely a $100 tree.

[@BonsaiEn]

You do realise I actually own and operate a retail nursery right? I know what the actual numbers are and what the actual work consists of.

[@fryconntinumum6559]

@@BonsaiEn yes I understand this now, but the comment still stands. You're the one who over simplified information you know to be true, not me.

[@fryconntinumum6559]

@@BonsaiEn if I'm wrong let it be that a $100 tree is probably relative because of the way bonsai is valued

[@BonsaiEn]

You do also realise in this video I was talking about the private market, meaning people who think Bonsai is worth money because of its name. They purchase cheap plants, cheap pots, cram them together with bad soil and poor technique and charge massive amounts to unsuspecting beginners. Sounds to me like this is your game and your a little defensive.

[@fryconntinumum6559]

@@BonsaiEn I agree. Was it clarified? I heard information I didn't agree with and made a comment, you're now defending your video.

[@darshan1556]

Plz help,Check my other comment

[@Book20244]

You get what you paid for.

[@BonsaiEn]

At the moment in Bonsai it seems to be the opposite. You pay top dollar for rubbish because there is a stigma that just the word Bonsai is worth money. This can be stopped though if people are properly educated on what to look for and what material is actually worth.

[@Book20244]

@@BonsaiEn BUT there are people knowing what the product cost they still try to low ball it.