We are so lucky here in Oz

[melbrackstone]

The prices we pay here for trees are so low..

For example, in June/July when shibui sells off trident and japanese maple whips...for next to nothing!

I've seen offerings in the United States of year old whips a couple of years ago for $8US per seedling...and now I'm seeing these. $12US/seedling, and sold out!!!!!!

Make the most of aussie prices peeps...

whips1.jpg

[Scott Roxburgh]

Come on...don't tell Neil that!

Lol, no I agree. There is a bonsai community service going on in Australia.

It seems that large parts of the US where snow falls, makes growing stock quite difficult so this is the result. I suppose there are also large parts of the US where you can't walk down the street and find the seeds yourself.

Scott

[TimS]

For a brief period years back i considered if i could not make a business per-se, but get a bit of side income by growing and propagating material...yeah nah virtually no one here in Australia is willing to pay anything for plants, be it young or mature.

Case in point I've put up a handful of plants recently at prices that would have lost me significant amounts of money had they sold, and the only one that has sold has been a $30 maple air layer. Fair dues its been a tough time with the pandemic, but I'm hearing it from many people now that people are just generally not valuing material.

[shibui]

Thanks for the tip Mel. Prices will be duly adjusted Not really though I had planned a small increase as current rates are really a community service. For those feral maples I have only aimed to cover costs rather than make profits. I plan to drop the 50c price range because it is not really worth the time to crawl round pulling those individually.
I did make a comment about the prices of bare root trident seedlings at one US nursery and was told in no uncertain terms to pull my head in Where there are no regulated prices retailers are free to charge whatever they think they can get away with. The market then decides if that's OK or not. Over there it appears to be OK as they seem to sell plenty and are still offering.

I don't get to many retail nurseries or many other bonsai specialists but I'm hearing that plant prices have increased substantially in recent years. This is probably more about covering increasing costs than making huge profits. Value of land, rates, water, electricity, plastic pots, potting mix and fertiliser have all gone up steeply over the last few years so retail prices also have to go up to cover the increased overheads. Zoning and increased environmental regulation and compliance is also increasing costs and decreasing available growers who cannot comply.

Maybe nursery owners are also looking at comparable jobs and incomes and wondering why their income has been falling behind. Plant prices may seem high but for the work and expertise that goes into them I think Mel is correct. We've had it pretty good for a long time.