Hi, I'm new here and am wondering what site you like to order your pots from?
Do you prefer glazed or unglazed pots or does it depend on the tree?
I'm needing to order about a half dozen pots and am finding a tremendous amount of variety online so thought I'd ask which your favorite sources are.
In central Florida I paid 28.00 for a cheap Chinese 6' glazed pot! Crazy.
Thanks a bunch! Katie
Welcome! Glazed pots hold water better than unglazed pots, so keep that in mind. This is also true of standard pots you can buy at Lowe's, Home Depot, or any nursery. A plain, traditional terracotta pot will need to be watered more regularly than a glazed or plastic/resin pot will, if all other factors are equal. It just has to do with the physical characteristics of porosity.
Usually (but certainly not always), "plain" looking bonsai pots are used for evergreens so as to look more natural and not take attention away from the green needles. Colorful glazed pots are (again, typically, but not always) used on deciduous trees that have vibrant leaf colors at different times of the year (such as Japanese maples), or on flowering species like azaleas.
Do you need a half-dozen bonsai pots for training, or for finished trees? If for training, then I've found that terracotta pots meant for bulbs can be easily found at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. They're more shallow and wide (which is better for bonsai), as opposed to tall and narrow. Unless you're doing a cascade style tree that is, in which case tall and narrow would be better.
If you think $28 for a 6 inch pot is crazy, you haven't seen nothing yet! A pot that size from a famous potter/company in Japan, China, Taiwan, etc. can easily cost several hundred dollars, and would definitely be best suited for a finished tree.
EDIT: Just saw you mention Wigert's in Ft. Myers. Their website will give you a good idea of how crazy pot prices can get!
