Another idea for autumn jobs.

[justmike]

alright...soooooooooooo...how exactly do i get a pic on here??? forgive me, i feel a bit dumbo since as you can tell i am a computer genious...but, yea...sooooo...(mouse voice) help...please.

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

When you click the add reply button and the new window appears, do you see a browse button below the area where you enter your text? That is where you browse your computer for the file to attach.

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[justmike]

test

[justmike]

ha...got it...i knew that the whole time...just wanted to make sure you knew how to post an image (i doubt anyone is buying what im selling right now)...thats my story and im stickin to it...

when ther is a bit more light i will try to get some pics of my trees, for now enjoy some good bonsai (mine are not anything close to these)

[justmike]

and...

[justmike]

uno mas...

[Steve]

WOW very beautiful pictures! How long does it take to get the plants to look like this?

What got you into Bonsai?

Can you incorporate that into your lawn care business?

Maybe as a logo or in an about us page on your website? I think that would be very unique.

[justmike]

well...some are hundreds of years old...the best specimens are usually collected from wild where they have been growing very slowly in harsh conditions for many many years (naturally dwarfed so to speak)...these types of trees are becoming more and more rare and if you wanted to aquire one, you would risk life and limb (literally) or pay top dollar...a finished bonsai by a master artist (finished is a bad word they are never really finished) if you can even find it for sale could run tens or even hundreds of thousand of dollars...good raw material can easily run into the thousands...as for how long it takes...depends on the individual, the tree, the species, etc...

as an example...say you go buy a 5 ft tall japanese maple...considering how jap. maples grow, the trunk at this point would be suitable to make a tree about 1 ft tall (rough number)...so you would trunk chop the tree, train a new leader (several years to obtain acceptable girth on the new leader), then chop the leader and create a new leader (several more years) this is creating a good taper in the trunk which is one of the most key elements in creating a convincing bonsai (look at fully grown trees, they all have trunk taper)...after that (and during for that matter) its time to train the branchches (the goal being ramification w/ short internodes to give the appearance of a full size tree on a mini scale), then after several more yrs just when you thought you were close comes the refinement stage (slight adjustments to make the whole picture come together)...

so...about twenty yrs later you got yourself a decent bonsai...then you go to lower a branch, snap it, try to save it, loose it, and have to do a re-style, and the process continues...

it is a reaccuring theme in japanese culture that patience and passiveness towards nature takes preasidence over your personal "time schedule"...they joy is supposed to be the "act of" not the "result"...

now for my story...
on my 21st birthday, my mother bought me a small bonsai...and well...i looked at her like "what in the #### is this?"
(nobody wants to recieve a plant for a 21st b-day) so i thanked her and dismissed it as just another dumb gift from moms (right up there w/ knit sweaters and new socks)...so i got drunk...then i remebered karate kid, and went to town on the thing...i butchered the crap out of it (it died shortly after)...but i had fun "butchering" it, and plus im a bit stubborn, and dont accept failuer...so i got another one (also died fairly quickly)...well, by this time it was personal, i was going to conquer this no matter what, so i changed my strategy of "hack and whack" towards educating myself about bonsai culture and horticultural practices...one thing lead to another, it became a hobby.

WARNING: 'bonsai' is one of those things that will drive you a little nuts (in a good way)...most who try it get hooked...ther is no turning back at that point...so partake at your own risk...

as for incorporating into a business...i really wanted to do this, to have a small bonsai nursery and all that, but the time involved vs. the potential market willing to pay you for your time is not at all economical...for me it is better to keep as a hobby, sell a couple here and there, and do comission work (which i have done and is actually quite fun)...

i am considering however incorporating it into an about us section...that would be unique, perhaps set me aside from others and demonstrate my dedication towards perfection and horticultural practices (god i love that word horticultural, gots a ring to it)

thank you for the idea, i never thought of it, but now is sounding more and more appealing...

[justmike]

keith...sorry, complete thread hijack...request to move to general forum...

[justmike]

mine...