One of the most commonly questions I’m asked is “Where can I buy a Bonsai Tree”.
Although our first recommended path to enjoying the art of Bonsai is to create one yourself by finding plant material and developing it into a Bonsai, we realize that some people simply want to purchase a ready made Bonsai tree.
Finding Bonsai for sale can be tricky, but we’ve developed a short list of tips that will help you make the right decisions when purchasing a ready made Bonsai.
When looking for Bonsai for sale, do not purchase your Bonsai from a grocery store or from “that guy in the mall”.
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I’ll mention this one first so we can get the negatives out of the way. When talking to people about Bonsai, I come across many people that say something like this.
“I bought a Bonsai tree at the grocery store or from the guy at the mall, I don’t know what I did wrong, but it died a couple weeks later.”
The primary thing this person did wrong was to purchase a Bonsai at the grocery store or from the guy at the mall.
Do not make the mistake of doing this. Bonsai trees sold in this manner are mass produced and then sit on a grocery store shelf for days if not weeks with inadequate lighting and temperature to be cared.
For by an employee with little or no experience in caring for Bonsai. Usually Bonsai sold in this manner have a very high mark-up as well because both the nursery and the retail outlet need to turn a profit on each tree.
Purchase your Bonsai trees directly from the local nursery. Most of the time the Bonsai sold at the grocery store or from the guy in the mall will have some sort of label or tag on it telling you which local nursery produced the Bonsai tree.
Snap a photo of the label with your phone or jot down the information and visit the local nursery to purchase your Bonsai directly from the local nursery.
By purchasing your Bonsai from the local nursery you know you can see they type of environment it has been living in.
You will also have a much wider selection of Bonsai to choose from and be able to ask which one will grow best in your location. Also ask for detailed care for watering and feeding your Bonsai.
You will mostly likely be able to purchase the correct type of fertilizer to keep your Bonsai thriving for years to come.
Many Bonsai nurseries offer workshops to show you how to care for Bonsai or at the very least should be able to refer you to a local Bonsai Club whom can teach you how to properly care for your Bonsai tree.
Bonsai for sale online
When purchasing Bonsai online, you must be very careful to make sure you are purchasing form a reputable, experienced nursery. Do thorough research to make sure the tree you are purchasing will do well in your geographical location.
A reputable nursery selling Bonsai online will be able to tell you if the tree you’re purchasing will do well in your area? If you’ll be able to keep it inside or not and give detailed instructions on suggested tools and accessories needed to care for your Bonsai tree.
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Also, when purchasing a Bonsai online, understand in most cases you will not be able to see the actual tree you’re purchasing.
Most nurseries that sell Bonsai online only place the type of tree you’re purchasing, not the actual tree you’re purchasing. So when your tree arrives do not expect it to look exactly like the one in the photo.
Be sure to read comments posted by people who have purchased from the seller in the past and if there are more than a couple negative comments, it would be wise to not purchase from the seller.
When purchasing online, always use the fastest shipping method. Bonsai trees are very delicate and should not remain in a shipping box or container for very long.