Choosing the right pot for your bonsai

Today I'm going to show you how to Choose parts and I will also show the Process of repotting the trees so we are Going to start with the small ones like This these are delightful cork Park Elms That come from Japan to Other trees which we styled with Kevin And Some of these are customer screws I'll have to choose spots for different Trees Now choosing a pot is not just buying Any old pot And putting a tree in that each tree has To have its own particular pot I've always compared parts for Bonsai to The clothes that people wear I know I'm not the best dressed person But when I go on the Dance Floor I don't Look like this so when I work on the Nursery I look like a I even wear Odd boots but I've Been able to buy a pair of proper boots Again but Selecting the pot for a tree Is like going to a you know good hot Couture Dressmaker fashion designer and choosing The trees for you So we're going to go through each of These trees and show you how we choose Pots This is only a small selection if you go To my pot shop there are thousands of

Pots big small deep shallow oval Rectangular Square you name it we have It Let's start with this little album These herbs have been planted in Training pots but to make them look more Interesting We have a range of options to choose From So With this sort of tree what am I looking For I'm looking for A pot that would complement the tree So just as the clothes have to Complement the person Each particular tree has to have what That would suit the tree So So let's look at some examples How we choose particular parts Now if you look at this pot Straight away it's near enough but not Quite right To me this spot is too deep And also being rectangular I know it's a Chunky tree It makes it look too harsh for this A quite interesting tree with all that Ramification If I choose another pot which has got Softer size like that That pot is far too deep if you want to Make the tree grow big then yes you can Put that in this pot and let it behave

Like a training pot and let the tree Grow stronger but if you want to exhibit The tree Then this is not the pot for it Okay let's keep sticking with the Rectangular pots you've seen that one Let's look at some of the This is still a rectangular now this is Coming near enough It's shallow than the earlier pots I Showed you and the dimensions are almost Perfect so this is a suitable candidate If I were to use this is the soft Rounded Rectangular oval pot That is also possible but a shade too Big too long And it could also be regarded as too Deep So what other options have I got I've got two more options to show you That is a very nice fit Just the right size and the depth is Right compared to it say this part You see that part is much too large much Too deep so that is right So I would go for that And again Another very similar or the better Quality is this one This got a little bit of a rim So this is also nice I haven't said anything about the color So far how do you decide on color

Now the choice of color really is a Matter of taste different cultures have Different ideas of taste To the Japanese and Chinese The two main types of pots are glazed on Glaze those of you who do Pottery will Know that anything colorful like that is A glaze that's put on the clay and you Get this color These are what we call unglazed spots That means no glaze is put on it they're Just fired high so these are all Unglazed spots This is a glaze pot so when do you use a Glaze pot and when you use unglazed pot By tradition it's only to a tradition There is some aesthetic reasoning behind It The reasoning behind using glazed on Glazed pots is that colorful trees In particular deciduous trees Are normally put in Glaze spots to contrast with the Interesting foliage foliage either in The spring or in the Autumn so glaze Pots are used for that so that is a Perfect pot for that tree Evergreen trees are usually put in Unglass spot and the reasoning behind That is that evergreen trees Are signs of You know longevity and it gives a Feeling of calm and if you want that Calm feeling you don't want to go the

Pot colorful pot because it colorful pot Is too Gordy or too bright for an Evergreen tree so that's the reasoning Behind using glazed and unglazed so the Color that's what we've done with for Dealing with the color of the pot The depth of the pot Usually has to do with the thickness of The trunk if you were to use a glazed Pot or shallow pot like this for A tree which needs to be a bit deeper You can put it in mounded up but it Would look wrong it would long this is Far too Shallowford so usually with Trees that have a chunky and thick trunk You would use a deeper pot Now you may be looking at this Particular tree this is a customer's Shoe And this tree I have done a separate Video about it this tree was brought to You only two or three days ago And the customer purchased this tree From herons 25 years ago and he wants me To repot it over the years he repots it Every three Maybe four years and he keeps putting it In bigger and bigger pots but he's Afraid to tease the roots underneath I suggested to him that he really needs To deal with this is rising too much but It depends how much root I can get out But he wants it back in the same pot so Unfortunately I won't be able to

Put it in a bigger pot because it needs To be opened out a little more than this So that this can spread out the mount Can be less pronounced than this but he Doesn't want a big pot because he's Getting on in age and he cannot carry These heavy trees as it is this tree Weighs the best part of 30 kilos it is Absolutely dense it feels like oil if we Look at one of these trees These trees are from Japan it's got Quite a thick trunk this really is like A trading Port but for the health of the Tree they are grown in pots which are Deep because it is comfortable for the Tree if it was an exhibition tree you Would probably use a much shallow pot I've always said That in Japan they tend to undercut Their trees if you look at the Photographs of lost some of the Japanese Trees the pots really seem too small Now even this spot I think would be Considered too big for this tree it Would be considered too big I would find another pot let me bring Another pot with whatsoever from the Examples A tree like that Would probably Go into a pot Like so Goodness So

I'm not joking the Japanese would Probably use a tree of this With the pot of this size but can you Imagine how it would stress the tree I Personally would feel a bit frightened To put it in for this size I don't know How the Japanese managed to keep the Trees healthy in small pots but somehow They managed to do it But uh This for me personally I would regard This as the shade small But for a Japanese girl he would Probably put it in that pot okay now Let's look at some of the pots That we've got out here because I've got Two Japanese use that need repotting Cheese I think They were tilted slightly Let me get some blocks of wood stir that Focus I think it was tilted was it this way Like that So I think we'll get it into pot like This Pots we Shouldn't really use now because it's an Evergreen I will go with the Japanese or Chinese convention And not use A glass pot That pot would fit probably is the right Size But the color wouldn't be nice it's also

Oval and an over pot is a bit Wishy-washy although it's got nice Flowing lines a rectangular pot Has got more strength And that masculine quality I don't like To sound racist or sexist but if you use An unglazed pot rectangular shaped pot Somehow has more [Music] More sort of strength In looking at the tree this is a shade Big this I would regard as big it should Be a little smaller And I always say Industry although we have thousands of Pots it really takes a lot of skill to Find exactly the right pot for the tree I'll try this one And see how it looks so we stopped for a While while we tease the roots out and Pop it while I've got it here I might as Well do it here this is not my potting Bench But I think You can see a lot of academic has been Used So we will Tease the roots out Very carefully It's by no means potluck It's the front It's always interesting to see how Japanese grows Put their trees up

This isn't Like a standard grain or slightly fine Grain akadama certainly not a big grade Akadana 100 akadoma Foreign I prefer not to use 100 akadama In our climate because in the UK We don't get as much rain as they do in Japan in Japan in the rainy season There's a lot of rain And They are able to get away with using Hundred percent academic but in the UK 100 academic Can be a bit too dry see I'm just trying To straighten the roots as well you can See where the roots are going round and Round the pot are straightened it out But I'm trying not to cut too much root Because I don't want the tree to suffer Okay See how it goes Foreign [Music] Just propping it up temporarily It'll be a bit too much isn't it Let's Head Too much to that side Maybe see the Position in the pot is also very Important It's not bang in the middle but it is Slightly slightly off center

I think that Prophet Suited It's about the right size and Comfortable enough for that tree Okay So we're going to pop that up in there Let me show you some of these pots you Know when trucks come from Japan With the trees I notice that sometimes They repair the pots because they don't Throw away these good quality pot this Is obviously a very good quality Japanese pot on glazed but beautiful Clay But even when it's slightly cracked they Will repair it and use it again and if You don't display it from the broken Side See that's the only crack you see it Still has a patina or patina or whatever You call it which makes the tree and the Pot look old so this is quite acceptable So This is just to show you what the Japanese do with slightly cracked pots So that we will pot up Completely and show you and the same Tree our same variety that you will also Find a similar pot I think this pot Could fit into that tree so we're going To do these two look at another Japanese U which we are repotting so this Slightly to the left we can use this pot Which is a rectangular with soft rounded Corners and a rim so that is one choice

Of pot I think that size is about right Let me give you another choice Choosing pots can be very bewildering This is another style I put slightly Rounded See And it's got this lovely band in the Middle So let's try this one The depth is about right And again because it's got like a long Arm and planting it slightly Off-centered to that side So that would be right in that part that Is also a suitable pot the Japanese Might even use a POTUS side but as I Said I'm not going to under prep the Trees Uh This is a very old tokoname pot what They call ibushi the two-tone Brown Uh and dark brown It's got a tiny chip on the edge but no Matter it's still a very valuable pot This is slightly smaller I might even opt for this one So this one has got a long arm again So this would be perfect that's a Beautiful pot That's a beautiful pot so Choice of three parts straight away And if we were to put it into one of These Which is not right

So choosing in a pot can be quite A bewildering exercise If you didn't have any other pot you Could even put it into this I know some Beers are going to tell me that is very Good part but You can see why people prefer An unglazed pot it somehow has got more Uh Somberness you know a restrained Elegance that's what we call it's Restrained Elegance so we would put it In this old tokoname pot this is an old Pot it's not a brand new pocket so That's what we're going to do when we Finish doing it we will show you what it Looks like so it's going to go in this Part And the price of the tree will have to Reflect the value of the pot So that's how it's going to be sitting Okay so we have here An iJoy Gower Which has been restyled And Because we were growing it with a flower Pot for quite a while to strengthen the Tree The root ball can't be reduced too much I will tease the root ball out ideally a Tree like that could go a pot something Like this I think that would be quite good But

Another choice is this drum spot here I know it is slightly larger but it Depends how much root I'm prepared to Cut so because I'm not putting it in Exhibition I may go for a slightly Larger pot so we'll change the roots out And then we'll show it to you again So we've opted for a mica pot with a Band here So we won't have to cut too much root Off I will cut some Roots off and this Is a nice side if you use this side It's not so nice so we offer this as the Side with a sweeping branch So as you can see That all this excess root so we'll cut Some of the roots off So let's get a pair of scissors So this is the amount you can cut when There's such a lot of healthy root You can't afford to take some of it off I always believe in just taking Enough of to fit the cloth I don't want to go crazy Because I need to get the tree more this time I'm going to take some more root off From this side [Music] Okay so that's how we're going to pot it Up I don't need to show you the potting Process This is the pot we've chosen for this Tree

So let me show you how I'm going to Repot this Juniper I prepare the pot This micropod and I put a little bit of Sphagnum Moss at the bottom everyone has Their own particular recipe Or little sticks that they use I don't claim that what I teach is the Gospel Because everyone has their own little Secrets and I am now going to use Some of the old soil because this is Disease free Smells okay there are no grubs and Insects in it so I will mix some of the Original soil in for the simple reason That if it was going extremely well in The old soil I don't want to make the Change so drastic like some people if it Is growing in like a Brown compost which is mainly like bark Organic stuff and then they just use Pure akadama or pure sand that I feel is A very drastic change so I don't think that is good for the plant It may be too much of a shock for the Plant Off Grind it down These two have to Prop up a little more so I always like to Mound my trees up Many people fear that if you mount it up The water doesn't penetrate it does Penetrate

Don't be worried about that Again I've Teased up to two thirds into the root Ball but I've left one third of the root Ball intact I'm certainly not going to remove all The soil Some people like doing that but I don't Do that And now we will just Seek to Fill the soil so again I'm going to mix Akadala with The original soil Like so I would say half and half And that is the mix I'm going to use no Need to show the detail so that's what I'm doing This is a Chinese juniper not the Itagawa variety it's the kisu variety And you must be wondering why it is Growing in this sort of a black bark Type soil I won't call it pizza but it is for all Intensive purposes almost like a peach Soil from the past and I put it in this Pot in this large pot to rejuvenate Rejuvenate the tree As trees get old and sick from time to Time we give it a release of life or a Holiday You can see the original rectangular Port and then we put it in a large pot

Flower pot to grow on to get strong Recover and then when it's recovered we Put it back in a bonsai pot So I will tease away Lots of air to get into the root And then I would still put it in a Rather larger than normal pot just to Not stress the tree too much I always feel that if you put it in a Very small pot the trees do get stressed So for the health of the tree I'm going To put it in a larger than normal pot Okay so that's what we're doing so I Don't need to show you everything we're Going to tease some more root ball and Then we'll choose a pot for it see that This tree is tall And although it's not a classic literacy It's got a literary character anything Tall and a bit beautiful line is what we Would class as literary so this is an Unusual Literati and because it's in a Literacy style I've decided to use a Mica pot And this might be just a wee bit big but I want the tree to be healthy Could have used the rectangular pot pick A pot to give it health but I think that My support shoots it better so this is How we choose this part okay so we will Show you after the teaspoon Where we show you how much soil came out Of it and this is the state of the root Okay so we will repot the stock

So we've spent the whole afternoon doing Four biggest trees and two small ones And this is what they look like In those lovely glazed over pot these Are the rough bark Chinese zones And then the Two Japanese use Which have been styled and carved Look at them This is a tokoname pot that's the Chinese pot All we have to do is give it a little Bit of water This is a kisu Chinese no this is Juniper Which has been put in a micropod This has been restyled as well more of a European look rather than a Japanese Look And this is our restyled kisu Juniper Kisu Chinese juniper In a semi-literati style and the amount Of Driftwood gives it immense character That is a beautiful tree in fact that Pot is almost perfect for that again I Would say the Japanese would use a Slightly smaller pot maybe about two or Three inches smaller in diameter but I Feel that this pot is comfortable for The tree so we've done those there are Many more trees to repot but I'm not Going to show you them all So this is really a video about choosing Pots choosing the right parts for the

Right tree and we've shown you the Repotting process as well so I hope You've enjoyed this video [Music]