Newbie Here - Potting Question...

newbonsai

Seedling
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Location
Mesa, AZ
USDA Zone
9
I have a Australian Willow that I will be potting as soon as there is more root.
What would be the best size and shape to put in. new root goes up about 4".
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Thank You in advance
 

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I think you’ll want to develop enough roots so you can chop off some of the bottom of the stick or end up chopping off higher up roots. I wouldn’t recommend a bonsai pot for quite awhile. I wouldn’t worry about pot shape and size yet. This tree, in my experience, needs to go into a box or other container simply to let it grow strong and develop a lot more. It’s still a young stick. Get it to continue growing in a soil mix. Give some years of growth and then discover a container direction. Maybe not what you want to hear but it’s my view from what I see.
 
If you're aiming for bonsai, go relatively shallow and wide, but not a bonsai pot yet. This will get the roots growing outward to help build the nebari - the cool looking surface roots.
Taking an old bucket and cutting off the bottom half and drilling drainage holes in the bottom works well, or cut down the top of an appropriate sized nursery pots.

You'll want allot more room for roots while you're still growing it out. This will help it grow faster. Don't go to a small pot until you have the trunk shape and basic branching where you want them.

BTW, welcome to the forum, and thanks for adding your location. It makes a big difference in what sort of advice you get.
There are several more active members of the forum from Arizona. Look around, and talk to folks, and you're likely to find them.
 
Welcome Aboard!

Good luck with your Willow 😎

cheers

DSD sends
 
I have a Australian Willow that I will be potting as soon as there is more root.
What would be the best size and shape to put in. new root goes up about 4".
PIC BELOW

Thank You in advance
Thank you soooo much for the input. Highly appreciated.
 
In my experience pot shape does not matter much. Roots can be pruned later to fit into a bonsai pot so initial grow pots are irrelevant.
Larger pots are certainly easier to care for (watering) and will give much faster growth and development than smaller pots.

You do not need to keep all the new roots your willow has developed. Bonsai growers get accustomed to chopping off roots so if the roots are on too much trunk you can either snip of some upper roots to reduce the root height or chop the lower trunk off to leave just a few roots.

BTW, what is Australian willow? Willow is certainly not native to Australia. Most are weed species down here.
 
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