Glazed for Deciduous, Unglazed for Conifers. hard and fast rule?

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Mame
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Would you ever put a maple in an unglazed pot? or a conifer in a glazed pot? why/why not?
 

just.wing.it

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I would.
I'd sooner use unglazed for deciduous than glazed for a conifer, I think...
The shape and size of the pot plays more of a role than the color, for me.
If it looks good to me, it's good.
...or if it's the only one you have on hand at that moment...
Best to be prepared tho...
 

just.wing.it

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Ha! I actually have a conifer in a glazed pot right now! :eek:
My mini mugo, which has a long way to go....
I remember thinking, when I potted this, that the dark turquoise color looked nice against the foliage...and this mugo's foliage has a weird blueish tinge...in the right light...I swear...:p
IMAG2572.jpg
 

kakejiku

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If you would like to get an outline of the guidelines for pots to use with bonsai, I will share what I have translated from the Gaddou Kyouhon. Gaddou is a Japanese style of formal bonsai display. You can PM to me and then I will share my email, or you can go to my website directly and ask for it on the email or contact form page there. www.customjapanesecalligraphy.com
 

Eric Group

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Rules... oh boy... here we go again!

In general, people do it this way. Some formal display rules may indicate a conifer "has to" be in an unglazed pot... but they are your trees, do whatever you feel looks good. Believe me, people will agree and disagree regardless!
 

just.wing.it

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If you would like to get an outline of the guidelines for pots to use with bonsai, I will share what I have translated from the Gaddou Kyouhon. Gaddou is a Japanese style of formal bonsai display. You can PM to me and then I will share my email, or you can go to my website directly and ask for it on the email or contact form page there. www.customjapanesecalligraphy.com
Thanks, I so obviously needed that. ;)
Rules rules rules....
 

kakejiku

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Rules... oh boy... here we go again!

In general, people do it this way. Some formal display rules may indicate a conifer "has to" be in an unglazed pot... but they are your trees, do whatever you feel looks good. Believe me, people will agree and disagree regardless!

That is why I said PM me. If he wants the translation I will provide it to him. If this was just some click bait, then he won't. Personally, I don't care what people do...but I know what my eye prefers to look at and maybe there are reasons for that....
 

just.wing.it

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That is why I said PM me. If he wants the translation I will provide it to him. If this was just some click bait, then he won't. Personally, I don't care what people do...but I know what my eye prefers to look at and maybe there are reasons for that....
If I were to enter a tree into a contest with such a rule, I would gladly abide.
But for my back deck... eh...eh...
 

Cadillactaste

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For a deciduous tree...if it has some deadwood/scaring on the trunk. Then...it could go into an unglazed pot in my minds eye.
The rules more apply if your planning on showing. For your own enjoyment in your backyard...guidelines I think. The most important thing then...is the size of the pot...and the health of the tree once in it. But...there are pots that compliment such features of a tree...that is taken into consideration.
 

Eric Group

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View attachment 123740 View attachment 123741
Here are 2 that I saw at the arboretum this year...deciduous in unglazed...
Does it break the rules if it's a forest?
I think the rule is less important for deciduous. It seems conifers are the ones people get all in a huff about... I see deciduous and flowering trees in either commonly.
 

Eric Group

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That is why I said PM me. If he wants the translation I will provide it to him. If this was just some click bait, then he won't. Personally, I don't care what people do...but I know what my eye prefers to look at and maybe there are reasons for that....
Hey, no offense intended man! I was referring to the rules thread and the downward spiral it took...

I agree, generally conifers look better in unglazed pots, deciduous in glazed- but it does depend on the glaze too. A nice, earth toned muted glaze can still look good with a conifer, and I have seen many Deciduous trees that look fine in an unglazed. I think of Lynn August's pots for instance- she produces vibrant red colors from unglazed pots... what would you put in there? Probably not a juniper or Pine, right? :)
 

Bonsai Nut

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It depends on the nature of the tree / design.

Unglazed tends to be more masculine, glazed tends to be more feminine. I say "tends" because you can have some subtle glazes with textured pots where the end result is very formal/masculine.

I personally would think:

(1) Pot shape (square/rectangular/polygonal/lotus/oval/circular) from masculine to feminine > (is greater than)
(2) Pot finish (lip/feet/texturing) >
(3) Glaze... including not only color and type, but application

You can have a gnarly old formal elm that will do well in an unglazed formal pot. You can also have a youthful bunjin white pine that will do quite well in a glazed pot. It all depends on the vision of the artist.
 

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Mame
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I often hear bonsai described in terms of masculine/feminine, so it makes sense that we want the pot to harmonize with the tree in that way.
 

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Mame
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what about this glazed oval pot?
Screenshot_20161022-191759 (1).png
what kind of tree would you want to see in it? its roughly 6 x 5 x 2 in inches.
 

fredtruck

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I have a cork bark Japanese black pine in a glazed Vietnamese container. I did this for several reasons, but among them was this: I have a book called Artistic Potted Plants. The author was a Hong Kong banker who amassed a huge collection of penjing. He had many cork bark Japanese black pines, and some were potted in glazed Chinese fishbowl containers. I have written about this book elsewhere on BonsaiNut. So, this is what my tree looks like now.

upright ondae 11-11-16.jpg

I hasten to add that when I toured the gardens around the Emperor's palace in Tokyo, the guide explained that the Emperor who moved the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo specified evergreens as the predominant planting. He could have had anything but chose evergreens because they remained the same year round, were unobtrusive, but could be magnificent. Though I have no proof of this, my feeling is that bonsai masters must have taken their cue from this. They planted evergreens in unglazed pots--unobtrusive, earthy and humble.

And that's why my Ondae, above, is in a glazed pot. In this, I followed the Chinese.

I found the book I mentioned above: Man Lung Artistic Pot Plants, Second Edition published in 1974. The cork bark pine I mentioned in particular is on page 271, in the color section.
 
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