Best pot for small bare root trees

[Gollum169]

I ordered a few (ok maybe ~20) different trees from the county conservation office. They will arrive at the end of April. They are 10-12", bare root, and $3 a piece. Since I am new to this, I figured it would be a good way to learn how to care for trees and see what does well in my yard.

What size/type of pot would you guys recommend for this size tree? I ordered some round 6" diameter x 4.5" high plastic pots which is about 0.5 gallons I think.
I also have a bunch of 3.5" square x 4" high plastic pots.

Anyone ever done this or am I in over my head?

 

[Paradox]

Lol not over your head @Gollum169, many of us have ordered bare root seedlings.

For the size tree you describe, the 6 inch diameter pots will probably work best. They should be big enough to handle the root mass on those trees with little to no pruning and should be ok for at least a couple of years if not 3 or 4.

 

[Gollum169]

Honestly, being able to order 20+ species that are hardy to my area is pretty cool.

At $3 a pop I figure it is low cost for a high probability of learning a few lessons.
Hopefully there are several that do well and I can order more of the same species in future years.
Or buy a few of the same species and use different soil types, pot sizes, etc to see what works and what doesn't.

 

[Paradox]

Honestly, being able to order 20+ species that are hardy to my area is pretty cool.

At $3 a pop I figure it is low cost for a high probability of learning a few lessons.
Hopefully there are several that do well and I can order more of the same species in future years.
Or buy a few of the same species and use different soil types, pot sizes, etc to see what works and what doesn't.

Yes that's a good deal to learn with but as you yourself are also learning to keep trees alive, some might not make it not because they aren't good for your area but because you are learning.

also every species is different in some ways that might complicate things as well.

It's the price we all pay learning to keep trees alive

 

[Gollum169]

Since I became interested in bonsai last August I have learned a lot already from books/youtube/bonsainut. There are some really great people in this hobby.
It will be fun to see things grow this spring.