Bonsai Pots & their function...

imyerhukleberry

Do the different styles and shapes of bonsai pots have different functions.

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washout03

well, the cascade pot places the tree higher in relation to whatever its standing on, but other than that, i can't think of anything. They all just basically hold the dirt to the tree. the different styles, colors, and sizes (as long as the tree fits in them) are all there as artistic variables.

BillStruhar

This reminds me of the newbie fisherman question, "how do you tell which lures are best?" Answer? "They're designed to catch fisherman- the "best sellers" are whatever the suckers buy. (When refering to fish that are Suckers, the word is capitalized) (Suckers don't actually have money to buy lures).

In bonsai, some suckers buy flashy pots, and some suckers buy dull pots. There is no correlation between what kind of pot a plant is in and the price paid by the sucker for the pot. Just like in real life!

BonsaiMon

Imyerhukleberry,

As to the art portion of bonsai, I feel the answer to your question is yes.

I'd like to quote a passage from Professor Amy Liang's book 'The Living Art of Bonsai' on choosing the pot.
" .. Bonsai is a form of landscaping that uses trees and rocks as the subject. The selection of the pot is important because it allows the viewer to imagine the potted tree growing in its natural environment. The pot is one of the three essential elements that constitute a bonsai. If a fine tree is planted in an unsuitable pot it will look unpleasing and lack stability and harmony, or the pot may become the dominant element and detract from the overall beauty of the design. If the choice of the pot and the means of positioning the tree are appropriate, tree and pot will complement each other. Thus, the depth of the bonsai in the pot, the planting position, and the proportion of the tree to the size, color, shape, height, and width of the pot are closely related to the message the artist wants to convey."

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peace,
tom stoute

http://bonsaiinsights.spaces.live.com/

imyerhukleberry

Yes, but as far as root systems go, what kind of roll will the pot play in this?

Root systems and tree branches in nature mirror each other, or try to.

When the roots on a bonsai tree are pruned back, then the new leaves reduce in response. If a root pruned tree is planted back in the ground then the roots would be allowed to grow out once again, and in time the new leaves would return to their natural size.

Is there any difference between using a bowl style pot as opposed to a flatter dish?

I would think that the roots then would conform to the shape of the pot. This does affect the tree. Does it affect it significantly?

Here is one thought...a larger surface area of soil will collect more water (from fog/dew/rain), and a pot with a smaller surface area of soil will colect less...a deeper pot with less suface area will not dry out as fast either. Roots in a deep pot will grow down and probably need to be watered less...and shallow pots will.......wow basically do the same thing just differently.........


anyway....that's kind of what I was getting at...

breefe

I like answering my own questions...

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"His government....I think he was talking about two sock puppets and a beanie baby."

imyerhukleberry

Breefe...did that have a point that I apparently missed?

breefe

You answered your questions fairly well. I was giving you a "hard" time.

__________________
"His government....I think he was talking about two sock puppets and a beanie baby."

imyerhukleberry

I thought that's what you were doing! Ha! I'm gonna keep an eye on you and your mischievious rubber duck!