Advice:. What pot to pair with this tree for local show.

[chicago1980]

Preparing to show this tree at a local club event.

Any advice or opinions.

Currently the tree is on its 2nd styling.

I'm planning for summer 2023 to be able to remove the larger structure wire, reduce several branches, clean the live vein/Deadwood, and an appropriate pot.

 

[penumbra]

Sounds like you have a plan. Following plan you have described and plant is a low pot.

 

[Dav4]

As I look at this tree, I see a relatively thin but elegant trunk with nice gentle movement along with beautiful deadwood at the base, so it has both masculine and feminine elements. My first thought would be a dark brown and relatively shallow oval or bag pot, but a rectangle with rounded corners might work as well. Either way, the pot shouldn't be elaborate. Nice tree!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Low flat simple oval or round, unglazed, dark brown or reddish brown is my call also.

 

[chicago1980]

As I look at this tree, I see a relatively thin but elegant trunk with nice gentle movement along with beautiful deadwood at the base, so it has both masculine and feminine elements. My first thought would be a dark brown and relatively shallow oval or bag pot, but a rectangle with rounded corners might work as well. Either way, the pot shouldn't be elaborate. Nice tree!

What do you think of this option

 

[chicago1980]

Low flat simple oval or round, unglazed, dark brown or reddish brown is my call also.

As I look at this tree, I see a relatively thin but elegant trunk with nice gentle movement along with beautiful deadwood at the base, so it has both masculine and feminine elements. My first thought would be a dark brown and relatively shallow oval or bag pot, but a rectangle with rounded corners might work as well. Either way, the pot shouldn't be elaborate. Nice tree!

What do you think of this option

 

[penumbra]

Good call from everyone on this. That is the type of pot I had in mind.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I like the color, but it feels like it may be too "heavy" for your tree. If the nebari/trunk were thicker I feel it would be a good fit.

 

[Adair M]

This is a nice tree and many pot styles would work. I suggest that you google “juniper bonsai” and scroll down thru the images. Of course, you will have to ignore the sticks-in-a-pot, just look at the ones of similar quality of yours. Then look at the pots. Some pot-tree pairings will look better than others. Figure out which ones look best for you and your tree. There is no one right pot, but there are many wrong ones! That said, it can be fun to change up the pot-tree pairing every so often. The pot can change the feeling you get from the tree. Actually, the best way to choose a pot is to have a selection to choose from at the time of potting. Prepare the rootball, and set the tree in each pot. Step back and take of picture of the tree in each pot. Then, choose the pot based upon how it looks in the picture.

 

[chicago1980]

I like the color, but it feels like it may be too "heavy" for your tree. If the nebari/trunk were thicker I feel it would be a good fit.

How you propose the pot design be made "lighter"? Currently this pot size is Size 44 x 33 x 9 cm. Maybe a similar size but with smaller feet and less wall thickness

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Something slimmer and less bulky. That's all.

 

[PiñonJ]

What do you think of this option

Too masculine. Oval (including oval mokko) would be a better option.

 

[Hartinez]

Yeah i agree with the other comments, the pot pictured above feels to heavy and lacks the softness your juniper has.

 

[Dav4]

What do you think of this option

You're in the ball park. For some reason, I feel like a bag style pot...

would look great with this tree, but like @Adair M said, having multiple options at re-pot time is a great idea. This may be a bit more ornate then ideal but you get the idea.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

The "bag" type seems to be too constricting. That tree has a "free" look and I wouldn't "bag" it.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

+1 for bag shaped oval; could go more toward the brown clay than red due to bark and foliage color. Nice tree, happy hunting.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

General guidelines would be a pot depth no more than 1.5 the diameter of the trunk at its widest... or it will feel too heavy.

Based on how you have it planted, draw a line down from the apex, and then visualize a space halfway between where that line meets the soil, and the base of the trunk. That will be the center of where you will plant it in the pot.

Current pot width is probably fine. You could go a little wider, but definitely not narrower.

 

[Hartinez]

I like the lines on that one. How about this one? The shallower profile may work better with the trunk. The taller feet may or may not be favorable though.

 

[Adair M]

General guidelines would be a pot depth no more than 1.5 the diameter of the trunk at its widest... or it will feel too heavy.

Based on how you have it planted, draw a line down from the apex, and then visualize a space halfway between where that line meets the soil, and the base of the trunk. That will be the center of where you will plant it in the pot.

Current pot width is probably fine. You could go a little wider, but definitely not narrower.


View attachment 414352

I don’t know where your rule for determining trunk placement came from, but based upon your virtual, the trunk appears to be too far over to the right.

The modern trend is to place the tree much closer to the center of the pot, for horticultural reasons. Yes, it should be slightly off center for aesthetics and balance, but only “just off center”. Front to back, the trunk should be on the centerline. Side to side, just off center.

The reason is by placing the trunk far off center, the root mass will become one sided. Trees like junipers have direct connections of the roots to specific branches. So if the roots on one side get weak, you might end up up weak branches somewhere up on the canopy. Placing the trunk more in the center allows all the roots good access to soil and they won’t get confined to a small area.

 

[PiñonJ]

I’ve been taught to center the tree in the container, precisely for aesthetic reasons.. If you’re building asymmetry into your design, you don’t want to counter that by displacing the tree in the pot.