$250 Bonsai from Scratch Contest 3/25/11

A good example of a bonsai from scratch. Especially considering where it came from (see below). European yew (Taxus baccata) by Morten Albek (author of Majesty in Miniature, Shohin Bonsai), from Bonsai Today issue 107. Height 7″

Bonsai from Scratch
It’s time to get start thinking about your entry in our upcoming Bonsai from Scratch Contest. We’re going to make it worth your while with a $250 Stone Lantern gift certificate for the winner and other gifts for outstanding entries.

Five easy steps to get you started

1. Find an untrained stock plant. Your choice of size, variety etc.

2. Photograph it from all four sides (and any other angels you want) before you do anything else.

3. Grab your tools and get to work. Take your time; the contest won’t close for months. This will give our snowbound northern friends a fair chance.

4. Take photos as you go. The more the merrier.

5. When you’ve got what you want, put it in a bonsai pot (if it isn’t already) and photograph it from all four sides (and any other angel you would like). Hint: an uncluttered background that shows the tree to its best advantage is a good idea.

Stay posted
We’ll be following up with more information, like: categories, judges, deadlines, and whatever else we think will enhance the contest. Meanwhile, it’s not too soon for you to start planning.

This is what Morten started with. Height 40″


Three cut pastes from Japan. $41.85, now $29.70


Show Comments

14 thoughts on “$250 Bonsai from Scratch Contest

  1. Good idea Wayne, I sponsor one copy of my book “Mission of Transformation” for the Grand-Winner and “Vision of My Soul” for the Runner-Up Winner.

    BTW, I think the rule should be defined….

  2. Thanks for you generosity Robert. And yes, there will be more defining of rules soon, including runner up prizes.

  3. I agree with everything but the “put it in a bonsai container” part. If this is the first styling for rough material, not all species recover well when both the foliage and the roots are worked *hard* at the same time. Even those that do recover well will recover faster with an untouched root system. The idea for the contest is great and the prize is wholly worthwhile, but promoting sound horticultural practices is better for the well being of bonsai (the art/hobby/etc, not the tree specifically) in general as it leads to fewer dead trees. Thanks!

  4. Thanks Dave. You are right, at least in some cases. Putting into a bonsai pot should be optional. Thanks for pointing this out.

    However, if you work with nursery material that has been container grown from the start, the move to a bonsai pot might work just fine, depending on the species and other conditions.
    When I was part of the ownership team at New England Bonsai, we put trees directly from nursery containers into bonsai pots by the thousands. Of course, knowing a few tricks helps, not the least of which has to do with top pruning when you root prune, and the aforementioned trees that have been grown in nursery containers.

  5. For clarity, I should add: “we put trees directly from nursery containers into bonsai pots by the thousands” AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE FIRST STYLED THEM. These trees were then allowed to root in and often sold in the same season. No problem.

  6. Almost forgot (least I be accused of bonsai barbarism). You need to know a few more things to make this work. The limitation of the species you are working with, that include things like how much you can root prune, aftercare, etc.

    To reiterate though, you can do things with fairly young nursery grown stock that you can’t do with other trees.

  7. What Dave said. My teacher told me recently that Americans tend to take too many roots and too much foliage at the same time, and that we shouldn’t re-pot and do severe pruning during the same season. I suppose a formal cascade pot or bowl-style pot could work for some trees. Over-potting into a large bonsai pot, as is done for Mall-Sai, could work too?

  8. Hi Al
    Looks like we were posting at the same time. I think your teacher is correct in most cases, but again, container grown nursery stock often provides an exception.
    But, no matter; trees will be judged on their own merits, bonsai pots are unnecessary.

  9. Hi Wayne,

    I agree with the nursery stock being tough enough to withstand a rough repot. I remove 90% of roots on most trees when transplanting nursery stock. I think it’s important to keep the bonsai pot part in the contest as this will force the participants to use younger nursery stock.

    Regards,

    Ken

  10. Thanks Ken,
    Food for thought. Now to figure out what direction to go with this.
    Soon I’ll post definitive rules.

  11. It’s not just survivability, but overall direction the artist wishes to take the bonsai after first styling. If I want an explosion of growth and maximum release of adventitious buds, I really don’t want to touch the roots. Forcing the use of repotting ..just doesn’t seem worth it. However, to each, their own. :)

Comments are closed.