Guidelines For Selecting Bonsai Pots
The ancient art of Bonsai takes normal sized trees and reduces them to delicate miniatures. In a world that worships youth, Bonsai bucks the trend by placing a premium on age. The older and more mature the Bonsai tree, the greater is its value.
Why Bonsai Pots Matter
The container a Bonsai tree is grown in can make or break the look of the tree. Bonsai pots are as important to the design of the look of the tree as the tree itself. You should always choose a Bonsai plant first, and match the plant to the Bonsai pot instead of doing it the other way around.
Function Over Form
First and foremost, a Bonsai pot is functional. The pot must accommodate the tree's roots for one or two years. Bonsai trees grow best outdoors, so your Bonsai pot must hold up to winter weather and frost. It should have drainage holes sufficient to keep your Bonsai tree from sitting in soggy soil. Bonsai containers are usually shallow; however, if you are trying to get fruit from a fruiting Bonsai tree, consider a slightly deeper container so the tree will have access to greater amounts of water.
Color Counts
As a general rule, unglazed, dark-colored containers tend to make classic bonsai trees look old - a highly desired effect in the world of Bonsai. The more ancient and mature the tree looks, the plainer should be the container in which it grows.
Evergreen trees are set off to their best advantage in neutral brown, gray, and red unglazed Bonsai pots. Delicate trees look their best in light colored containers.
Flowering trees, on the other hand, look best growing in glazed containers tinted with deep shades of green, blue, and purple. Remember, the bonsai tree, not the bonsai pot, is the star of the show here .The container should complement the tree and not draw attention away from it.
Shapes Count, Too
As the saying goes, you have to learn the rules before you break them. Follow the rules of Bonsai tradition and scale, and after you gain years of Bonsai experience you can experiment with breaking the rules.
The rule of thumb for working with shapes of Bonsai pots is that oval containers go with deciduous trees; rectangular containers go with evergreen trees; and hexagonal bonsai pots are best for trees with short, prominent trunks. Remember to keep the size and shape of the container in scale with the tree.
