Mallsai... some people's opinion is that it is a good thing, as it introduces lots of people to the world of bonsai at a low price. I do not agree. What Mallsai has done, is give people the wrong idea about what bonsai is. When you talk with people that have never seen a real bonsai, the picture they have in mind is that of the typical mass-produced, s-shaped, standard produkt.

Proof is this example, an artificial bonsai - that looks like a mallsai.

I'm going to bang my head into something now, for a while.

I agree with absolutelt, but we all started that way. Iknow I did, but I was fortunate to be able to find a club and a nursery close by that I could progress.
Problem is people get suckered into buying this kind of plant, even worse a bonsai seed kit.

I did start by getting a mallsai but found this forum and found out what real bonsai is. Mallsai in my opinion are good starter trees in some aspects. The thing i hate about them in my opinion is that they are sold as bonsai/that they are called bonsai.

An artificial mallsai, really?? As his topic is named, how bad can it get.

As someone who is VERY new to bonsai, I can say that my mallsai tree is what inspired me to actually look into raising an actual bonsai tree. While I think it is very sad that such an ancient, beautiful art is undermined in the way it is, I do think that mallsai does encourage people to look into actually getting a bonsai.

How many people post on this form looking for care help with their tree, fully ready to care for a real bonsai, and then end up disappointed and go out and look for a tree that can some day become the real thing? I think it's important that people who get sucked into the mallsai scam, much like myself, are encouraged rather than frowned upon. My mallsai was a five dollar clearance impulse purchase, but I am now in the process of raising another tree. If we want the art of bonsai to grow, we should give mallsai purchasers hope that their tree does have at least the smallest amount of potential, and encourage them to go out and look into a better tree! While this is an unfortunate situation, out of all the forums I've been on looking for advice, I feel overall that we aren't making the best of it.

That being said, I can completely understand being bitter. Just, try not to take that bitterness out on the inexperienced buyer.

moondragon wrote:

That being said, I can completely understand being bitter. Just, try not to take that bitterness out on the inexperienced buyer.

My post was not about people buying mallsai, but about the wrong image that is being created, that is apparently so widespread, that even someone that creates an artificial tree, forms it in the shape of a mallsai.

This is a bonsai forum and we should promote the image of real bonsai.