what type and size training pots do I need?

[linlaoboo]

I have mostly tropical trees in development and training stages right now and some are in nursery pots, tupperware and plastic bonsai pots. A few that I consider near finished are in ceramic bonsai pots.

I'm looking to get either 7.75" or 9.5" inch plastic training pots from Dallas bonsai but when my trees get put into these pots, are they supposed to be done growing and start being trained and refined? I would like my final "real" pot size to be 11" or smaller due to space reasons and I'm fond of smaller tree sizes.

Should I get a both sizes and decide which one to use when repotting time comes? There's nothing uglier than a stick in a bonsai pot too big for it. I'm just looking for some strategy or guidelines and I understand if the tree is still developing, it needs as large as possible of a pot or be field grown and if I use any nursery pots to pot up my field grown trees this fall, I won't be as picky as long as they fit. I'm even using some plastic pots from the dollar store. It just seems I'm constantly getting more pots as I get more trees or from new air layered trees.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Having done this for a while, one thing is sure...you can never have too many pots...

 

[JudyB]

I'm just looking for some strategy or guidelines and I understand if the tree is still developing, it needs as large as possible of a pot or be field grown and if I use any nursery pots to pot up my field grown trees this fall, I won't be as picky as long as they fit.

Actually, you don't want to put a tree in as large a pot as you can. You want to put a tree in a training pot that is a bit larger than the roots currently. If you put a tree in a too large pot, you can actually have problems with overwatering, and root rot. I had a collected hawthorn that was in a training box that was too large for it for a couple years, and it hardly grew. Dav4 and Rockm suggested to put it in a smaller box, which I did, and it's growing like a champ now.

 

[Paradox]

I found some plastic crate boxes with solid bottoms and holes on the sides at a local department store that I'm using for training boxes. They are about 16" long by 12" wide and 5-6" deep. They had smaller ones that can be sued for smaller trees as well.

I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and used plastic window screen on the sides held in place by larger galvanized 3/8" mesh that in turn is held with wires threaded through the holes and twisted on the inside. They were relatively cheap and easy to modify in the way I've described. Saves the time and expense of building out of wood.

I repotted 2 3" diameter maples from nursery containers into them this spring and they seem pretty happy so far.

 

[Bill S]

Be careful, some plastics do not enjoy sunlight and will fall apart rather quickly when picked up.