Dallas Bonsai Garden Contest

[Bonsai Nut]

Dallas Bonsai Garden has been kind enough to donate some Akadama (5 liter bags) for a fun BonsaiNut contest. I'd love to hear suggestions for what we could do for a quick contest to welcome Dallas Bonsai Garden to the web site! Photos, articles, creative repotting... let's hear some creative ideas!

 

[berobinson82]

The $20 (or $50) challenge. The material must be purchased from a big box store at no more than the spending limit. The winner has the best outcome as judged by a forum poll.

I think I've seen this before so pardon my lack of creativity.

 

[A Random User]

The $20 (or $50) challenge. The material must be purchased from a big box store at no more than the spending limit. The winner has the best outcome as judged by a forum poll.

I think I've seen this before so pardon my lack of creativity.

Or, at least resemble something bought at a Big Box store...
Should it be posted before ??? and approved ???
Like the Forum Poll idea...

Also, would add that I don't think the name of the person
who's tree it is, should be revealed until after the comeptition
is over...

 

[october]

I like the idea of the box store. They usually produce interesting results when there is a contest. However, in this section of the country, 1/3 of the east coast's home improvement stores and nurseries will not have trees out until about 1 - 1 1/2 more months.

Rob

 

[berobinson82]

To be anonymous, we'd need one volunteer to verify the receipt of the plant and then post them all with numbers rather than names. I agree that anonymity would make for a more fair judging.

One post of the before to whet the judging whistle and then one when the competition is over. Perhaps give it a week for the work to be done.

Rob is absolutely right! Our nurseries are still bare bones and in some cases snow covered.

 

[A Random User]

I like the idea of the box store. They usually produce interesting results when there is a contest. However, in this section of the country, 1/3 of the east coast's home improvement stores and nurseries will not have trees out until about 1 - 1 1/2 more months.

Rob

Are there nursuries that can be visited ???
and would their trees be out ???

I think buying it from a Big Box store itself, is not as important
as that the material resembles such... that's why It might be worth
having to post pics of material before hand for approval...

**** SORRY, POSTING AT THE SAME TIME I GUESS, SO DIDN'T SEE
YOUR POST BEROBINSON82

 

[october]

The only option would be the bonsai nursery that I go to and occasionally work at. I could get similar material. However, it will not be $29.99..lol..

I am considering entering. However, I just want the limited access factor to be known in case anyone in the top 1/3 of the east coast wants to enter.

Rob

 

[Vance Wood]

People must purchase material from a commercial landscape nursery not necessarily or excluding a Big Box store. Nurseries around here don't start bringing in material till the last of March, first of April.

I agree with the anonymity.

 

[aidan13]

How about a most creative container contest? For accent plants or bonsai. That could be interesting, and the results may very well be more impressive than a bunch of cheap, chopped up nursery stock. Just an idea.

 

[berobinson82]

My mind is such that i'm always thinking of ways to beat systems... BNUT, would it be possible to discredit votes by forum members with less than say... a month of activity? Or less than say 20-50 posts?

Since there are more than one bag of akadama donated, would separate categories for species/experience/price/size be worthwhile? Or maybe like a poker tournament where first gets 3, second gets 2, and 3rd gets 1... Made up numbers since you said "some Akadama". Thinking out loud.

I'd offer to volunteer by the way.

edit bc I was posting while aidan was:

Or we could run more than one contest concurrently.

 

[tmmason10]

I think it'd be great to have a competition. I don't have much room, but I'd be down with this. I agree with Rob and Vance, might be slim pickings for a few more weeks at least.

 

[Ris]

So correct me if am wrong,
a person buys a tree from a nursery, styles it and then submit it.
Then members vote on what tree looked best?

That sounds fun, I like competition but I guess I don't have the amount of posts to enter...
Kool idea.

 

[BigDave]

Sorry I'm a Naka ite, I don't like competition...


Kidding,

count me in...or should I say...win

 

[berobinson82]

So correct me if am wrong,
a person buys a tree from a nursery, styles it and then submit it.
Then members vote on what tree looked best?

That sounds fun, I like competition but I guess I don't have the amount of posts to enter...
Kool idea.

Just to be clear, that wasn't my meaning. The intent was never to discourage entry.

 

[DallasBonsai]

As october pointed out, I don't think it would be fair to do a big box challenge as many of the members would be out of luck. Though I would love to see that happen later this year.

 

[Ris]

Just to be clear, that wasn't my meaning. The intent was never to discourage entry.

No worries, didn't feel discouraged in anyway. Will follow this thread for more info.
Thanks.
Rishi.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

If we decided to go this route, I think it would be easy to set up an email account for people to send entries. I can confirm entries when I get them. Once the deadline has passed, I will forward the entries to Dallas Bonsai Garden in an anonymous format, and they will chose top 3 finishers without knowing anything about who submitted what. I will notify the winners, and then post the results.

That would be the general "how it would work" part... once we decide the contest proper.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

We would have to decide if we wanted to allow unlimited entries, or a limited number of entries per member account. I'm not sure (in the case of what we are talking about doing) that having 10 entries will necessarily position you in any better place than having one, since the contest will be skill-based. Certainly if it were a random drawing we would want to put a cap on things.

What do people think? Unlimited entries?

 

[Jason_mazzy]

I like the idea of a level playing fields ie. Lowes/Home Depot 30$ limit. the plants are usually around the same quality across the stores and should have the same barcodes (makes it verifiable). Makes it really hard for anyone to have a leg up.

 

[A Random User]

We would have to decide if we wanted to allow unlimited entries, or a limited number of entries per member account. I'm not sure (in the case of what we are talking about doing) that having 10 entries will necessarily position you in any better place than having one, since the contest will be skill-based. Certainly if it were a random drawing we would want to put a cap on things.

What do people think? Unlimited entries?

I'm not sure everyone wants to have a bunch of Box-Store
Bonsai's hanging out afterwards... Especially if they don't turn
out good !!!

So, my vote is just for one ... Plus, what if one person
wins all of it ???