Prebonsai vs traditional nursery

The question of value

“traditional nursery view”

Traditionally, and depending on cultural differences, we are typically led by the gardening industry. The prevailing understanding of value comes from the traditional nursery mindset.

The value of a tree, from a traditional nursery perspective, includes:

  • scarcity of species

  • difficulty in growing

  • the perceived beauty

  • Height of tree

  • Size of pot

“prebonsai view”

With bonsai and, of course, the pre-bonsai stages of a tree, there are differences in how we perceive value. Some things remain the same, such as scarcity of species and difficulty in growing

  • scarcity of species

  • difficulty in growing

  • the perceived beauty

  • Height of tree

  • Size of pot

Instead, bonsai is more concerned with characteristics than comes from the perception of age.

  • Bark and other signs of age

  • taper (thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top)

  • the size of tree in proportion to the pot and itself

An example: value difference

Let’s look at height as a single dimension of value.

Traditional nursery

The value is in the height. The price is set to the size of tree. The tree has been placed in larger pots as it grows, or from a field into a suitably sized, large pot.

Timing: The tree is ready to sell.

Value: The value is in the size of the tree.

prebonsai nursery

Prune the trunk so the tree is 12inches and let it continue to grow from there.

Work towards placing it in a smaller pot.

Timing: The tree can still be sold at the nursery price despite its reduced height of 12 inches.

Value: Its value will increase as the wound heals and the trunk develops taper. The value has not been lost; time has been saved, as the bonsai enthusiast is most likely going to trunk chop the tree anyway. Having the cut already healed over is considered more valuable.

The value is in the new growth as it heals the cut wound and creates a tapered trunk.

The main differences

larger size, larger pot
vs
reducing size and pot

The nursery considers the prebonsai nursery to have reduced the tree’s value when cutting it.

The prebonsai nursery considers the reduction as having higher value and closer to the goal.