What size pot for my maple

[Bonsainoob88]

Hi everyone, just looking for a bit guidance for my maple . I want it in a bigger pot so I can develop this trunk and fatten it up a bit . I don't have room in the ground for it.
I want to go big so I can get rapid growth but I'm not sure how big is too big .
The pot it's in at moment is very small not sure the actual size of it . .
I've made a wooden box up but looking at it I think will be too big ill post pics later but recommendations for a upgrade in potsize appreciated
Thanks

 

[Shibui]

From the leaf size I guess that pot is around 6" diameter.
Normally we upsize just a couple of pot sizes but when trees are this size and healthy as this is it won't hurt to go straight to a grow box even if it is a couple of feet sq.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

I honestly think it's a 4 inch pot its in at moment I'll measure later on . I have a grow box i made that's a couple square foot and maybe an inch deeper than the pot it's in at moment. So you reckon that'll be OK for it then ?

 

[Shibui]

Even at 4" pot I still think it looks healthy and large enough to fill out a grow box quick enough to not be worried.
Measure the box size too. A couple of square foot is only half the size of a couple of foot square! The words are the same but the order makes a big difference mathematically.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

I put it in my growbox if you'll excuse the mitres I didn't have a chopsaw handy that day

The growbox is 10x10x4.

Tree looks lost now but as long as its healthy and growing more

 

[Shibui]

Large container is what you need for this stage of development.
Mitred corners is a bit flash. I would just have done butt joints for a grow box.
What is the base made from? Looks a bit like particle board which swells up and disintegrates real quick but as you know about mitre joints I'm sure you also understand about particle board not being weather proof.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Yeah it's only OSB I know it will rot in time However it should give me long enough for roots to fill pot then I'll upgrade again. Was just some offcuts of wood I had lying around so thought I'd put them to use.

 

[Cypress187]

I think it's too late now, but why didn't you prune those long shoots?

 

[Bonsainoob88]

I think it's too late now, but why didn't you prune those long shoots?

I don't know why I didn't. Im a gardening and bonsai novice and done a lot of hasty sh it last year. So I decided this year I was gonna focus on just keeping my trees healthy and do a bit more reading and ask for a few more hints on here before I killed anything else .
Would I of been better off pruning off the long shoots ?

 

[Orion_metalhead]

No reason to cut shoots back if your goal is trunk thickening. If you didnt prune roots, no reason, imo, to prune back.

 

[Cypress187]

I don't know why I didn't. Im a gardening and bonsai novice and done a lot of hasty sh it last year. So I decided this year I was gonna focus on just keeping my trees healthy and do a bit more reading and ask for a few more hints on here before I killed anything else .
Would I of been better off pruning off the long shoots ?

No reason to cut shoots back if your goal is trunk thickening. If you didnt prune roots, no reason, imo, to prune back.