PREMIUM LARGE BONSAI (Portal Page)

            Fuku-Bonsai president and founder David W. Fukumoto at the beginning of a major refinement training session of a rare "Rainforest Banyan" in training for over 40 years.  Prior to this training session, the tree was being held in our "old plant bank" area and was growing in a 27" oval fiberglass pot-tray.  A future photo-rich article will describe the various details of that training session. Rainforest Banyans are the premium and most difficult of all Dwarf Schefflera bonsai.  They feature aerial roots that drop from branches high in the canopy and fall free of the major trunk mass.  Only a tiny percentage of all Dwarf Schefflera will produce such high aerial roots which only form when given optimum growing environments. For best results,  trees that have this potential must be identified as early as possible and placed into a special training regiment.  At Fuku-Bonsai,  the overall strategy to create only premium-quality bonsai requires professional culling so ALL 2-4 year old plants meet our "Prepared Bonsai Stock" criteria with trunk character, multiple trunks, low branches within 1' of the soil-line, have a minimum of three strong growth points, and a shallow, compact root system within 1/2" of the soil line.  We kill off weak trees and cull out all trees that do not meet these standards.  

          As Fuku-Bonsai completes its recovery and enters a new age,  we are expanding our product lines to offer products not previously sold and to create new premium products that are now possible because of our original 1973 commitment to one day produce the highest quality popular bonsai that can be grown year-around in homes and offices or outdoors when night temperatures are above 55°F.  Very few plants meet this criteria and Dwarf Schefflera is the best proven durable plant with ideal bonsai traits.  Our True Indoor Bonsai are the most successful gift bonsai for anyone, anywhere who can grow house plants.  Our Hawaiian Lava Plantings, Premium Potted Bonsai, and Workshop Packages are very suitable for beginners.  But our older Custom Collection and Premium Large Bonsai are the best that we've produced and are willing to sell.  We prefer that they be purchased only by those who have grown our younger trees without any problems.  There are several reasons we are now offering these treasured special trees for sale:

    1.     OUR EXHIBIT COLLECTION HAS GROWN TOO LARGE AND WE NEED TO CREATE MORE DISPLAY SPACE TO "FINISH AND REFINE" OUR BEST OLD LARGE BONSAI.   Fuku-Bonsai has a huge inventory and only a small percentage are offered for sale in the sales area.  Prior to being brought to the sales area,  ready or almost ready plants are in a holding area as they meet model product specifications. The greatest quantity are in the "growing-on" area where trees are allowed to grow vigorously to thicken trunks, branches, and roots. We call various sections our "old plant bank."  These sections hold trees that have already received extensive training including the tree in the above photograph. These benches are relatively filled and our public exhibit area offers room to display them more effectively.  The exhibit trees also receive the most attention and detail training.  We have filled our the exhibit benches.  Each bench has a theme and features a large older tree,  2-4 mid-size bonsai, and younger plants in early stages of training.  We will be creating special display benches or individual pedistals for Premium Large Bonsai with tags to identify trees for sale. 

     2.     WE NEED TO COMPLETE FULL RECOVERY FROM THE LOSS OF OVER $30 MILLION IN 1989 DUE TO CONTAMINATED DUPONT BENLATE;  AS WELL AS RAISE WORKING CAPITAL TO EXPAND AND CAPITALIZE THE HAWAIIANITE™ FERTILIZER ACTIVITIES.   Against all odds,  Fuku-Bonsai has been reinvented and is continuing expansion.  We still need to make a lot of repairs and complete development as we move towards introducing Hawaiianite.

     3.     THERE IS INCREASING ACCEPTANCE THAT OUR "TRUE INDOOR BONSAI™" IS A MAJOR AMERICAN BONSAI INNOVATION THAT IS MAKING A POPULAR FORM OF BONSAI AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. THE PREMIUM OLDEST AND LARGEST TRUE INDOOR BONSAI SHOULD BE ENJOYED BY THE PUBLIC!  We hope that these oldest largest pioneering trees will go directly or end up in major bonsai public collections where True Indoor Bonsai will also be taught.  While we will be happy to sell these to individuals or companies that can afford and exhibit them,  a preferred goal is that these are purchased by "cultural philanthropists" for donation directly to established public bonsai collections as major training aids to teach True Indoor Bonsai!  In this situation, Fuku-Bonsai will make a major discount and be the co-donor.  We will make available our workshop packages at quantity discount and provide other support.  I believe that now is the best time as compared to other established art like paintings, that bonsai are still in its infancy and are underpriced!  The paintings of historic masters are priced into millions of dollars each.  But if there is a "bonsai cultural philanthropist" willing and able to invest one million dollars,  we can get as many as 20 such Premium Large Bonsai into the top 20 public bonsai collections that are interested in exhibiting and teaching True Indoor Bonsai!  Please contact me if you are associated with such major public collections and/or are interested in assisting in this manner.

     4.     WITH FUKU-BONSAI'S FUTURE INCREASINGLY ASSURED,  THE STAFF AND I WILL INVEST MORE OF OUR TIME INTO DOING MAJOR TRAINING SESSIONS ON 30 TO 40 YEAR OLD PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN GROWING-ON FOR 20 YEARS OR MORE!  Because they were extensively trained before the extended non-trained aging period, they are exciting to train!  This was the dream when we began Fuku-Bonsai in 1973 that I would one day be able to spend much of my time training older premium bonsai.  The recent opportunities have been extremely satisfying!  The results are extraordinary and superior to frequent training that produce "model bonsai" more cost-effectively.  With an abundance of choice premium materials, the goal is to utilize high-risk techniques to create superior specimens that will probably not be sold in my lifetime!  The overall net result is that in this area also,  Fuku-Bonsai is positioning to be a national True indoor Bonsai lead pioneer and a unique resource for future generations! 

               Fuku-Bonsai is the professional bonsai nursery that has roots in a Fukumoto family hobby that pioneered TRUE INDOOR BONSAI™ since 1962.  We had a major behind-the-scenes role and participated in the creation of "International Bonsai" in the 1970's to 1990's that ended with the creation of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation in 1989. To date over 100 bonsai articles have been published in regional, national, and international bonsai publications.  In 1989 we sprayed defective DuPont Benlate contaminated with weedkillers and lost over $30 million. The total net recovery of the 1994 Benlate product liability and the 2007 DuPont fraud settlements

                The following is a listing of PREMIUM LARGE BONSAI (PLB) that are being offered for sale.  We reserve reproduction rights for our website and future publication.

             PLB-1 TWO-TREE ROCK PLANTING - $150,000

 One of our oldest certified bonsai over 40 years in training and amongst the top five Dwarf Schefflera bonsai in the world!  The rock is 27" high and weighs about 75 pounds.  Overall height is 37" tall and tip-to-tip width is about 48".  In a 32" diameter round fiberglass pot and mounted on a 30" high heavy-duty wood base with rotating turn-table hardware.  This bonsai was the featured tree in the Spring 2010 issue of the American Bonsai Society Journal and the article with additional information is posted at www.fukubonsai.com/1a91.htm

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              PLB-2 ROCK PLANTED BONSAI - $55,000

Another of our oldest certified bonsai over 40 years in training and likely amongst the to ten Dwarf Schefflera bonsai in the world!  For over 30 years,  only the largest roots were continually selected to keep the rock exposed and to thicken as roots clambered down the rock into pot.  In the last 10 years, contrasting free-falling area roots will allowed to develop.  The photo was taken before refinement to show the structure.  A light repotting will straighten the aerial roots, etc.  Height is 28" and tip-to-tip width is 39".  The rock is about 11" high x 24" wide.  Container is a 32" round fiberglass pot.

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             PLB-3 RAINFOREST BANYAN - $38,500

This photo is of the same tree in the first photo of this portal page and shows one of the "after" views.  The tree is very attractive from all sides.  There was extensive removal of crossing roots and roots that were a part of the trunk mass. This emphasized the vertical roots including those that dropped from high branches to fall free of the trunk in the most difficult but desirable Rainforest Banyan styling.  Height is 23" high from top of the pot rim. Tip-to-tip width about 29" The recent work made it possible for this tree to become an extraordinary specimen to depict the lofty wide crown and aerial roots of the most impressive banyan trees. Container is a 32" round fiberglass prototype fiberglass pot.

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              PLB-4  EXPOSED ROOT - $45,000

This is one of two original initial prototypes of creating exposed root Dwarf Schefflera with training that began over 40 years ago. The initial method potted the tree several inches higher at each repotting and each time, only attractive roots that were in good position were retained. This one progressed faster so has had more extensive training of the branches that make up the crown. Height is 34" and tip-to-tip crown is 33" wide.  Lowest branch is 21" above the pot rim.  Root-trunk at mid-point is about 7" across.  At soil level, root spread is 12" across.  Container is 30"x24"x4" high modified Mica pot. 

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               PLB-5  RAINFOREST BANYAN - $20,000

This is a younger specimen about 25 to 30 years in training in a 27"x20"x1.5" oval fiberglass tray-pot;  Overall height =  23" ;  overall width = 36"  Note:  although this tree is much younger than PLB-3, it has excellent potential! 

www.fukubonsai.com/3a2c.html

You are cordially invited to visit the FUKU-BONSAI CULTURAL CENTER

17-856 Olaa Road (PO Box 6000) Kurtistown, Hawaii 96760  •  Phone (808) 982-9880

    Orders or information: sales@fukubonsai.com  •  David: david.f@fukubonsai.com