Selecting the Right Pot

Pot Rim and Feet - A softly curved rim, as on the feminine pot above, reinforces the curved body. A lip on the upper rim gives more strength to a masculine pot. The feet of a masculine pot will usually be larger and perhaps squared off while the feet of a feminine pot will be smaller and perhaps curved or decorated.

What Size? Once you know the style of pot you’re looking for now you need to decide the size. There are three dimensions to consider – depth, length (left-to-right) and width (front-to-back). 

John Naka and many others recommended that the depth of the pot should be about the same as the width of the nebari. This is a good guideline when potting a tree for show. But, most of us don’t pot our trees just for a show and then up-pot afterwards. Trees do better in larger pots, so we may want to make the pot a bit larger than John’s guideline. According to John Planting there is a trend in Japan to use wider pots (back-to-front) for this reason.

If you’ve chosen an oval or rectangular pot, the length of the pot should be ~2/3rds of the height of the tree. The width of most pots is usually about 3/4ths of the length of the pot. But you can find pots that are very long and narrow and others that are square, or nearly so. When the roots are deep, you may decide to use a pot that’s deeper but not as long.

Pot Surface – When choosing a pot color consider the color of the trunk and whether the tree has any dramatic foliage, fruit or flowers.

Conifers (e.g. pines and junipers) have dark gray bark that looks good in a brown pot. But shimpaku juniper and scotch (or Scots) pine have reddish bark, so they look good in a reddish brown pot. Both of these are easy to find in an unglazed pot. Olives and oaks often have lighter gray bark. Brown or unglazed gray is a good choice.

Flowering trees, like azaleas or quince, may use light blue or green. Maples are often in pots with a cream glaze. Occasionally a yellow ochre or green pot may be used to compliment the autumn leaf color. We’re seeing more matt glazes now, not just the high gloss of a few years ago. And, sometimes a blend of glaze colors are used, especially when the pot surface is textured.

Color is a matter of taste; don’t feel constrained by these guidelines. Find what you like!

Examples of Different Pots

John Planting allowed me to photograph a lot of different pots he has - each one "just right" for a particular style, size and type of tree. When you click on a pot image you'll see a larger version plus commentary about that pot. 

Masculine Pots

Here's a variety of masculine pots.

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Feminine

For comparison Here's a variety of feminine pots.

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Pots for Cascade-style Trees

Cancade trees may be either masculine or feminine. But all cascade pots are deeper than wide - compared to the "regular" pots shown above.

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How Many Holes?

Now we'll look at the number of holes. Older pots usually had 2 or even fewer holes. But it was recognized that those pots did't always drain as well as was needed, so newer pots have more holes. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use an old pot. Old pots can be very beautiful. You just need to be a bit more careful when watering trees in these pots.

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How to Recognize a Good Bonsai Pot

Look at the bottom side of bonsai pots for a signature of the artist, a chop or “han”, and perhaps a sticker. The signature identifies the artist who made the pot. Signature pots are generally highest quality, followed by those with just a chop. Pots without anything are the lowest grade. Many of us are aware of the signature pots made by American artists Jim Barrett of the Los Angeles area who puts either JB or his entire signature on the bottom of the pots he makes. Another artist is Sara Rayner of Red Wing, Minnesota who makes one of a kind highly sought after bonsai pots. She also puts her signature on the bottom.

Pots made in Japan may include a sticker. A small golden red oval sticker indicates a good quality pot. A diamond shaped green, blue or gold sticker indicates the pot is of the highest quality. The elegance of a pot is recognizable in the lines on the pot and in the crisp cut of the holes in the pot. 

The chop or “han” indicates the region where the pot was made. A catalog of chops indicates the region in Japan the pot was made, sometimes down to the individual shop.

Below is an example of a signature inscribed in the bottom of the pot. There's also a chop and a blue diamond sticker.