How to pick the perfect Bonsai Pot!

Enough pots to make you go potty!!!  Green, blue, white, glazed, unglazed, terracotta and the list goes on.

Why so many? Can I use any of them?

 It has been said a bonsai tree not in a pot is like a beautiful woman without shoes.

 A pot will really make a tree, and it is worth getting the right one.

The history of pots is as old as the history of bonsai. Some pots are collectors items in themselves, being hundreds of years old. (and worth many thousands of dollars!)

In China long ago, a man would gather and store enough clay that would last him a life time and enough to start his son out in the same trade. Just a s a farmer would develop land, so to a potter would prepare for his future generations.

Pots are still fairly expensive, owing to the fact that they are not really commercially produced in numbers that would bring the price down.

The other reason is that many are still hand made, which keeps prices high.

Pots, like bonsai, originated in China. It wasn’t long before pots were imported and then copied in Japan.

The manufacture of pots produced its craftsman and masters. Secrets surrounded the producing of specific glazes. Still today, the art of creating bonsai pots remain.

Pots are still available today from China, Japan, and Korea. These are probably the main centres, although pots are made in most European countries.

The pots come in three different varieties, totally hand made, hand made using molds, and pots that are mass produced in molds.

Pots can be divided into 4 catergories;

1.      Stoneware

2.      Ceramic

3.      Terracotta

4.      Mica.

The difference between the first three pots above is the temperature that they are fired at.

The fourth pot is actually made from a mixture of a type of ceramic, polyethelene, and graphite.

This type of pot is quite inexpensive, and ideal for bonsai training as a step toward a smaller pot.

Of the above pots the terracotta and stone ware work the best for bonsai, because of their ability to retain temperatures and release moisture at a constant rate. It also allows oxygen to get to the roots of the tree which is vital for healthy growth.

Porcelain pots are not used very often as they are more for show than for grow. They hold water as they are nonporous.

Stoneware is the hardest of the pots. Again the problem with some stoneware pots is water retention. This is because the finish is created by smoothing the nearly hard clay before firing, making a surface that is inpeneratable by moisture.

Never be tempted to use a pot that is glazed inside and out. As beautiful as it may look, unless you have perfect drainage, and perfect positioning, your tree will struggle.

Pots are often available from garden centres that are mass produced, but not necessarily for bonsai.

Usually these pots have only one small drain hole, or sometimes none at all. Don’t be tempted to use a pot with only one drain hole, as drainage is a major factor in growing healthy bonsai. Your soil would have to be too sandy for it to drain through one small hole.

This brings us to the next obvious question, can you drill holes in a pot that has only one small hole, or in a pot that has no holes?

The answer is it is possible but very difficult. You will need a masonary bit, and a lot of patience.

You must remember you are dealing with very hard material. More often than not the pot will crack before you successfully make new drainage holes!

Some hints for new pots. Always check the drainage holes. Make sure that they are not raised up or have a rim around them. This will cause water to pool in the bottom of the pot which will cause root rot.

Avoid pots that have a rim or section that turns inward. This creates problems when it comes time to repot. The root ball will have developed, and you will find you have great difficulty removing the tree from the pot. In saying this, it is possibble to cut the roots cleanly with a sharp knife to make removal easier. A lot of the newer pots are shaped this way and look fantastic, but remember be prepared to "depot" them carefully

Choosing a pot

As stated previously, there are so many pots to choose from. For the best effect and presentation of your tree it is vital that you choose the pot that will do justice to the tree.

There are many ellaborate pots, yet you are not trying to show the pot off (as much as the potter would like you to) you are trying to create the right setting for your tree.

We want to notice the tree, the pot should make the setting complete.

Before going out to buy a pot, select type, colour and size. This will minimise confusion when confronted with so many different pots.

Use a ruler and measure some dimensions of your tree. If it is too small your tree will look unbalanced, if too large it will dominate.

The other thing to keep in mind is the depth. Is the tree deep or shallow rooted?

A tree should look well balanced. A rough guide is that if the main feature of a tree is its height then the pot should be about two thirds of its height.

If the main feature is the spread of the branches, then the pot should be two thirds of its width.

Strong and straight or round and gentle.

The first consideration when choosing a pot is to decide what style of tree you have. Is it thick and heavy, or gentle and flowing?

A black pine with a thick trunk in the formal upright style would be best suited to a strong angular pot. Square or rectangle with the absolute minimum of decorations or fancy feet. Preferably straight or slightly slanting feet would siut.

On the other hand, a soft tree such as an azalia, would look best in a a gently curved pot, with some fine engravings, and fancy feet, and usually glazed.

There are many types of styles in between and this is  where your 'artistic' side will be explored.

Pots include, square, rectangle, octagonal, hexagonal, round, oval, freehand shapes, long oval and rectangle trays, and cascade pots.

Remember that the pot must compliment the tree. It must look like it is literally part of the whole. When you look at the tree you don’t notice any one thing first, but you gain an overall impression before your eyes begin to explore the finer details.

Some basic guidelines.

Formal upright

Square or rectangle, possibly oval

Informal upright

Square, rectangle, oval, round

Slanting

Square, rectangle, oval, round, octagonal

Semi cascade

Deep round, square, hexagonal, octagonal

Full cascade

Deep round, square, hexagonal, octagonal

Multi trunk

Shallow to medium rectangle, oval, round

Group style

Shallow oval or rectangle

Which colour with which tree?

As well as getting the right shaped pot for the tree, it is just as important to get the right colour also.

Considerations should be given to the seasonal changes of the tree. As well as the colour of the flowers, we need to take into consideration such things as autumn colour, and fruit or berry colour.

Conifers.

Brown, grey, black. (Never glazed, unless in very muted tones)

Junipers.

Unglazed terracotta.

Deciduous

Any of the soft greys or muted tones, also muted glazes.

Red (flowers or fruit)

Light or dark blue, light or dark green.

Orange.(flowers or fruit)

Brown, Green.

Pink.(flowers or fruit)

Blue, Green, White.

Yellow.(flowers or fruit)

Dark Green, Dark blue, Cream.

At the end of the day, remember, it is your tree, and you are the one that will be looking at it, so if you find something that doesnt fit the "ideal" but you like it use it and enjoy it!!

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