Thanks Brandon! I didn't discuss vitrification, but any high fire is typically okay. Do you know a cone that is the cutoff?

Do you have a website or etsy page to buy pots?

@@Notaprohobbyist thanks but no, no place yet.

Zero - when you have some work finished, send us some photos!

John - if you like that, check out Thor Holvila's web store: www.holvilabonsaipot.com/shop-1?page=2 email me if you want the one I have and we can discuss.

@@Bonsaify I looked at those parts and you're not kidding some incredibly stunning pots I looked for your email address and I'm kind of new to all this only really use KZfaq and email

contact @ bonsaify . com

Maybe. And yes you are correct. But round works. Perhaps I even thought that a square hole would drain better because the surface tension of water would be less at the corner. I'm not sure what I was thinking in 2006.🙈. In retrospect I see no benefit, but I am not omnipotent and all-seeing.👀

Fall soil cleanup is called Soji, you can check the pomegranate video at about the 2:45-3:30 mark. I may have mentioned it in the black pine fall video also...

The thickness is generally determined by a balance between structural strength and utility. In larger pots you have a thicker clay throughout. In smaller pots you don't need as much strength so you want to prioritize the volume of soil. Certain areas of pots are normally slightly thicker - the junction of the wall and bottom, and the rim for example. I don't think there is a difference between round and other shapes. You should study existing pots and potters for more detailed information.

Hi - most bonsai pots are stoneware, the porosity is not important to the plant. TBH, I'm not sure it's ever been shown that terra cotta has some benefit over plastic. If anyone has actual evidence, LMK. You don't want the pot to absorb water because it can then break in a frost. Generally, the clay body is important for traditional pots, and a dark reddish brown or purple-brown clay is the most prized. I would suggest you study the IG profile for Tiberio Gracco who is an Italian bonsai potter who sources his own clays. (rather than manufactured clays.)

@@BonsaifySome of the most highly regarded early to mid 20th Japanese bonsai potters have used quite a bit of white clay. Heian Tofukuji, Heian Kouzan, and Tsukinowa Yusen are prime examples. I've found that white clays tend to give a visual pop to bright and glossy glazes. For unglazed pots, I still prefer the browns, reds, and purples.

I'm not an expert in this because I live in San Francisco...lol. But I believe it is the firing temperature more than the clay. (although the two are obviously related.). I think Cone 6 is the recommended minimum firing for vitrified stoneware. So avoid terra cotta type stuff and go for a Cone 6, 8 or 10 clay. I use Laguna "Dark" locally - but clay is a regional product for the most part.

Glaze gives the pot personality that we can appreciate on the outside of the pot.....glazing the inside of pots is basically a waste of glaze.

@@PIT-EKA thanks for the response and I love your work btw- in that case I may continue to glaze the inside of my pots until it’s no longer within my means.

I thought the absence of glaze on the inside and both sides of the pot bottom help with evaporation of water, so the pot can breathe a bit like a terracotta pot.

@@Sylvicolus actually pots used for bonsai or outdoor use other than terra cotta or such are vitrified, making them mostly impervious to water, so they don’t do the “breathing” that terra cotta or earthenware does.

@@Sylvicolus terracotta is a low fired clay with a high absorption rate. Mid and high fired clay when vitrified have a very low absorption rate which limits water entering the fired clay. This is why they are able to survive repeated freeze and thaw cycles.

It will make it hard to get tree out when repotting

There are problems with tall pots and tie wires. But I don't imagine lugs on the inside would be the best solution, as Anders said, it will make it harder to take the tree out at repotting.

@@Bonsaify hey thanks for taking the time for feedback I will take what you guys said into consideration.👍

Thanks for your comment. I could do more videos along these lines, but matching the pot to the tree is too large a topic to cover in one sitting. It's better to discuss in the context of a specific tree with examples. Then another tree... Then another.

12:31 - "They are not really creating any benefit for the plant" If this was true, then whats the need for 2 medium sized holes or 1 large hole ? Just 1 medium sized hole should be fine. The obvious benefit of this perforated pot floor is better drainage & aeration. Most bonsai pots lack this & hence, its a common practice to put larger substrate particles at the bottom. Even when the pot is kept tilted, a common practice, its drainage will be far superior to a 1 hole pot, which is guaranteed to accumulate excess water. So i find no merit in your criticism. Your teacher Boon uses pumice as bottom drainage layer (search "deciduous training bonsai boon" on youtube). Regardless, i hope your complaint of having to cover all drainage holes is consistently applied at ALL pots (nursery & bonsai) having more than 1 medium sized hole. Even unused large wire holes count bcos they too need screens. Google "Repotting and Rootpruning Bonsai - Part II bonsai4me" to see a pot with many such holes. I hope you will call this too a bad design for the sake of consistency of your criticism. Many European bonsai potters have eliminated the need for drainage screens completely by having a perforated floor of tiny holes, which i feel is a superior design compared to pots with 1-2 holes. On youtube, search for "martin englert bonsai potter" to see such bonsai pots. He is a German potter. Also, image search "Pötscher Walter bonsaischalen walu" & see pots with drainage slits instead of holes and grooves to guide roots to the holes. From the search result of images, choose the one from Bonsai Schalen. On Bing search engine (not google), do an image search for "drilling extra drainage holes in bonsai pot" to see Michael Hagedorn (blue dress, brown pot) drilling big extra holes. He is doing this bcos he was unhappy with the drainage & aeration from 1 large hole & needed 3 more. Many bonsai artists, including experts, often partly bury the bonsai pot in soil, for roots to escape out and get extra growth. The escaping roots are sacrificial and a perforated floor or pot with multiple drainage holes easily allows that, while pots with 1-2 holes easily lose drainage when multiple roots escape out through 1-2 holes & block it. Google "Incredible 388-Year-Old Bonsai Tree Survived Hiroshima Blast mymodernmet" and see 3rd pic from top - a bonsai pot buried in substrate.