Little Christmas tree contest? 2023 to 2026.

[Eckhoffw]

I know it’s getting late in the year, but right now is when the good deals can be had on these Seasonal Holiday trees.

I picked up an Alberta spruce today half off, and was like, “ I should see if anyone wants to do this again.”

This one was half off from $40-$20, so I decided to give Alberta Spruce another try.

 

[KateM]

I would like to try...
I've seen many a video of them being styled, but no progress/after care vids.
Do they not do well?
Gonna looks in the stres for a possible victim.

 

[leatherback]

really? You get discounts BEFORE christmas?
Here all full price. DId a few last year, not sure I will again.

I've seen many a video of them being styled, but no progress/after care vids.
Do they not do well?

The ones I worked on, are all doing well.

 

[Eckhoffw]

really? You get discounts BEFORE christmas?

I guess. You never know. This was at the Home Depot. Colorado blue spruce in 5 gal burlapped for 30$ as well. I would have gotten one of those, but I couldn’t see the trunks.

4 years ago I found closeout 1 gal albertas for 2.50$ at Lowes the week before Christmas.

Do you have any recent photos of yours?

 

[Ruddigger]

I’m still waiting for prices to drop, but I’m definitely doing more Stone Pines this year.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Nice. Yeah, because of yours, I’m looking for one as well.

 

[milehigh_7]

I might be interested. All we get is stone pines but I have seen some really cool ones. I pretty much suck at pines because they typically don't grow here.

 

[Adamski77]

I got one recently… already ready!

 

[Eckhoffw]

I got one recently… already ready!

Nice. So you’re in? If At least 10 or so people are interested I’ll put up a proper contest thread. Including myself, I think we’re up to four already.

 

[Eckhoffw]

I would like to try...
I've seen many a video of them being styled, but no progress/after care vids.
Do they not do well?
Gonna looks in the stres for a possible victim.

I would say the majority of the time, people like to work trees too much.
Grocery store tree to overnight bonsai, doesn’t usually fare well.

I killed 15 Christmas clearance- 1 gal Dwarf Alberta spruce trees- A few years back. Aside from repotting, I massacred these trees in every way.

I’m Learning the- one insult at a time -rule slowly.
Anyways, I couldn’t do absolutely nothing to this tree, So I decided to chop the pot to get A better view of the trunk, and just do a conservative cleaning of the tree. I focused on removing the week sprouts in undesirable places.
Next year I hope to work the roots sum, and repot the tree, Followed later by initial wiring.

 

[IckyGuyBonsai]

Still waiting for the price drops around here, but what the hell, I could do another clearance DAS. I already have a couple laying around so I could always end up throwing them together in a group later on if nothing comes of them I'm also hoping to find a Colorado blue spruce for the low this year, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

 

[Ruddigger]

I just bought a DAS recently on a discount. Could use that too.

 

[BrightsideB]

I’m still waiting for prices to drop, but I’m definitely doing more Stone Pines this year.

I like that thread of your stone pine! Really cool how you keep the juvenile foliage going! Makes me want to try one again.

 

[Adamski77]

Nice. So you’re in? If At least 10 or so people are interested I’ll put up a proper contest thread. Including myself, I think we’re up to four already.

Yup… if the patient survives… don’t think it has much of roots… but might go next weekend look around for something better

 

[nuttiest]

So in!
I buy a little cone topiary every year, usually a eugenia, but it would be great to find a stone pine.

 

[August]

We get a 70 dollar credit towards christmas trees at work; garden centers in the states often sell cut trees in the winter. We have some "live christmas trees" too (spruces, hollies, thujas, just plain nursery stock with a festive them) I'll ask if that credit can go towards one of them, would that count as discount?

 

[19Mateo83]

I had one of these in my hand today at Lowe’s and put it back. If I’m patient I’ll get one on clearance soon enough.

 

[leatherback]

Do you have any recent photos of yours?

Nope. I styled them for an online video contest. Then I left it alone. It has been unwired in fall, in winter I will rewire and prune.
Next to this, I put a number of them on a rock. All these survived no worries, but the bloody birds dug up the planting during my holidays last month. My "caretaker" poored new substrate on and in winter I will prune, wire and re-moss that rock.
Updates afterwards.
I MIGHT get in if I can find a BIG pot-grown tree. Mostly these are field-grown here and ripped out for chirstmas, so horrible roots, nothing with a good chance of survival

 

[RJG2]

I'm in if I find something decent this year.

I just bought a DAS recently on a discount. Could use that too.

I feel like you should know better

I have one from when I didn't know any better. Was struggling with it when trying a traditional spruce design, so decided to go a bit extreme with it this year. Which reminds me, I don't think I took an after picture, I should do that before it's covered in snow.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

I’ll join the contest. I have 3 DAS currently. One is tallest at just at 2.5’-3’ feet and might need a little more pruning and wiring. The 2nd is shorter that got a major hack job (more of a chunky Charlie Brown DAS). I’m unsure it can tolerate holding decorative lights/wires. And the 3rd is a short and thinner twin trunk that got pruned already with bottom branches guy wired down to open the tree up. The twin trunk feature was a surprise due to density upon purchase.