RobertB
Chumono
well, thanks for all the feedback. Seemed like fun. Wasnt planning on doing it but just a crazy idea. I have seen a fair amount of pines sell for pretty decent prices.
Commercial Japanese Black Pine Field Growing - Investment
- Thread starter RobertB
- Start date
Nybonsai12
Masterpiece
Me: honey these bonsai trees I’m starting from seed in the bathroom this winter will pay off in 15-20 years
Wife: Sounds like a solid plan Bernie Madoff
Wife: Sounds like a solid plan Bernie Madoff
jriddell88
Omono
Haha should of started 20 years ago, your behind already ! This is funny ?
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
So here's the thing. It isn't that there is no market for pre-bonsai. It's that you dove right into JBP. If I was going to try to make a living growing pre-bonsai, I would do what everyone ISN'T doing. For example:
Kinzu (Golden Bean) Kumquat. Good luck finding even a SEED of one of these. I have one, and some seeds that I got from a friend in the tropics that I am hoping may germinate. Grow some of these!
Princess Persimmon. There have been a fair number of threads about these beautiful trees recently. Need to keep both sexes... unless you learn to graft female scions on male root stock - and have a self-pollinating tree. No one in the country does this/sell this.
Chojubai quince. I paid $200 for a small little thing that I love to death. Dwarf variety - grows slowly - touchy unless you know what you're doing. White and red flowers... but the first to create a marbelled flower on one will be able to sell it for $1000 or more (I'm not kidding). It exists in the quince world - just not in the dwarf quinces (yet).
Variegated elms. I own 6 varieties/cultivars. Most have never even heard of them. Grow some big ones and sell for $$$$.
So yes, I think there is a market. But instead of going general "JBP" I would focus on the trees/cultivars that no one else has. You show up at a show with a nice JBP everyone says "wow nice tree", You show up at a show with a nice Kinzu and you have people begging you for a single fruit
River's Edge
Imperial Masterpiece
Black persimmon, seeds from japan 2015, (cool and rare) just emerging there! Hybrid Trident with multicolour foliage, (nope) not popular look.So here's the thing. It isn't that there is no market for pre-bonsai. It's that you dove right into JBP. If I was going to try to make a living growing pre-bonsai, I would do what everyone ISN'T doing. For example:
Kinzu (Golden Bean) Kumquat. Good luck finding even a SEED of one of these. I have one, and some seeds that I got from a friend in the tropics that I am hoping may germinate. Grow some of these!
Princess Persimmon. There have been a fair number of threads about these beautiful trees recently. Need to keep both sexes... unless you learn to graft female scions on male root stock - and have a self-pollinating tree. No one in the country does this/sell this.
Chojubai quince. I paid $200 for a small little thing that I love to death. Dwarf variety - grows slowly - touchy unless you know what you're doing. White and red flowers... but the first to create a marbelled flower on one will be able to sell it for $1000 or more (I'm not kidding). It exists in the quince world - just not in the dwarf quinces (yet).
Variegated elms. I own 6 varieties/cultivars. Most have never even heard of them. Grow some big ones and sell for $$$$.
So yes, I think there is a market. But instead of going general "JBP" I would focus on the trees/cultivars that no one else has. You show up at a show with a nice JBP everyone says "wow nice tree", You show up at a show with a nice Kinzu and you have people begging you for a single fruit
jeanluc83
Omono
This was my thought also. Find something you can specialize in. If you want to do JBP do a style that is not seen as much; exposed root or root over rock comes to mind.
Another idea is rather than growing trees from scratch "flip" trees. The idea would be to buy trees that have potential but need work and grow them for a few years then sell at a profit. This would require more of a financial outlay and you would need to have the skills to refine a tree. Depending on the tree it could be a 2-5 year turn around vs. 10-15 growing from scratch.
CWTurner
Omono
Coming soon on HGTV "Tree Flippers"
CW
Sn0W
Shohin
I'd watch that! Sounds like a youtube series in the making
KayaMooney
Mame
Goood thinking...
Thats why I have over 50 seedlings started and quite a few others in various stages of development.
justBonsai
Omono
I'm fairly certain that a large kumquat tree outside of my apartment is a golden bean kumquat. Very small fruit. Given a lot of citrus varieties are developed and grown at my university you can find a lot them grown in the area.
The problem is is that the tree is not on the property owners line and actually belongs to a vacant semi developed lot. I'd like to take an air layer but have no idea who the land owners are.
The problem is is that the tree is not on the property owners line and actually belongs to a vacant semi developed lot. I'd like to take an air layer but have no idea who the land owners are.
hemmy
Omono
Do any branches overhang your landlord’s property? If so, fair game!
My county has property records online. Sometimes I use it to get more accurate dimensions for my sprinkler designs. (Homeowners arent always the best artists)
I thought you could go to your county's website, type your address and viola- find your neighbors! Unfortunately L.A. county doesn't publish their records online to protrct the identities of government officials, etc. You can request them by mail or email I think though, so if its that important to you to find out who owns it you can go that route.
Srt8madness
Omono
I'm not a bitcoin fan, but it's 5x the price today that it was in Jan 2018. 40k for that "acre" would already be at 200k. LOL.Wow. That sounds better than investing in Bitcoin
But seriously.. I looked into this some 5 years ago too. I realized
- The market is VERY small for trees at that pricepoint
- Most trees will NOT catch the 500-1000 premium, but will get stuck at 100-200 level as they will not have the perfect shape or taper (Unless you REALLY know what you are doing)
- Time investment to do this right would require at least a day a week. It is not a quick thin on the side at the scale you mention (Weeding, wiring, trimming, rootwork, spraying)
After taking out the cost for materials (wire, substrate, pots, waterlines, waste management etc), working at McD for 20 years is likely to give you a better earning per hour. And that is without the luck you might have of a sudden 30% loss to a infestation missed during your long break away from things..
Lutonian
Chumono
I couldn't even point to the country of Bit on an atlas and I know even less about there currency or intrest rate. Growing bonsai for profit sounds like very skilled, hard work for little return and massive risks (trees die etc).
