Ups-a-daisy

Would a product such as this be good for bonsai? Could you turn a larger deeper pot into a shallower pot that would work for bonsai? I currently can’t really afford a whole bunch of bonsai pots, but I have some terra-cotta deep pots laying around.  Trying to think of more economical ways to pot up my potential bonsai.

I could not really see the product from the picture, but one approach that is used is to turn a smaller pot upside-down inside of the larger pot to take up some of the volume. You would need to cover the drain hole in the smaller pot and might consider filling the gap between the two posts with some very coarse media to discourage root growth in that area.

I use a variation on this for some non-bonsai that want to grow in more of a garden soil mix. I put some heavy gravel in the bottom of the pot to stabilize it, then a piece of weed block cloth, and finally the garden soil mixed with perlite as growing media. The pot is fairly stable due to the rock in the bottom, but not extremely heavy.

Thank you Marty! That is actually a great idea, and not something I would have to go and buy anyways. I think I will try that. The product in the picture is basically a plastic disc with beveling on the edge and drainage holes through the plastic. I had trouble getting the picture to be the size I wanted it to be.

Also, along similar lines to my OP, does anybody have any suggestions or ideas on cheap pots that I could put bonsai material in? Until I can afford more appropriate actual bonsai pots? I haven’t been able to find a bonsai pot for less than 40 bucks. And I have a lot of material that I would like to get into pots.

Mica and plastic pots are fairly cheap and don't look to bad - particularly the mica pots. Make sure you check prices before ordering a quick search turned up some ridiculously high prices.

You can also build shallow boxes that will mimic a bonsai pot and also look fairly good if you take some care in construction. I like to use cedar or redwood, miter the corners, and use finish nails to assemble. I then add feet across the narrow direction and install wire mesh in the bottom.

I buy these from Tractor Supply.  They don't look great, and I have to punch drainage holes in them, and add wooden feet (I use 2"X2"s to make a cross shape under the bottom - this helps keep the steel bottom from moving)  There's two sizes. I also use wooden boxes.



The TSC link

I also use the plastic saucers for under plants with added holes. I heat a 3/4" (20 mm) copper coupler with my propane torch until it starts glow a bit (holding it with a pair of needle nose vice grip pliers) and use it to melt holes in the bottom as shown in the picture below. I can generally melt all of the holes in one saucer with each heating and push the plugs out with a skewer before reheating which results in burning plastic. I make sure to do this outside and stand up wind of the work since the fumes are rather nasty. The pliers get rather warm after about 8-10 saucers to a bucket of water to cool everything works well while taking a short break to get organized. I use as few as 3 holes in a 6" (15 cm) saucer to as many as 9 in a 16" (41 cm) saucer.



These make fine training pots for maples and similar trees that doe well in shallow pots, but I like to go to wood boxes as the trees start to progress since I think the boxes look a little better.

Dave, there is a tractor supply down the road, I never even thought of looking there. I think I am going to try building some of the wooden/screen boxes Marty described, as my girlfriends dad has all of the stuff to make some laying around. However, I have never really attempted to make anything out of wood before (sounds fairly straight forward though) so if I am not pleased with the results or struggle with building some, I may consider the TSC route. Hopefully doing this today. I’m excited!!

Those saucer pots look nice. Most of what I need to get in pots right now is pine, and I believe that needs deeper substrate. If that is incorrect however, please correct me :-) I’m still very new, and all advice from those who have been where I am trying to go is greatly appreciated.

I have a lot more questions, but I think I’m going to open new threads for those, for the sake of not letting everything get all jumbled up.

Note - No Winter

Pine, Japanese Black pine and Caribbean pines, do not like pots deeper than 5 or 6 inches internally.
All I use is 5 mm grave and a simple earthenware pot.

You would need to do something more for winter, bury in the ground and heavy mulch. unheated
garage .....................
Laters
Khaimraj


From seed - when it was about 4 years - Japanese Black Pine

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another way to make a deep pot shallower is to fill the bottom with gravel, put a plastic plate on top (drilled for drainage) and then also cover the whole mess with weed barrier cloth... i have done similar and it was fine for a quick fix in a tight pinch (like when you are in the middle of repotting something and finding your desired pot is too small or the root mass can not be reduced enough to fit and then having to quickly punt)

Sooooo, here’s what I ended up making from stuff we had laying around the barn.

I think I’m going to put a layer of washed river rocks in the bottom to raise things up a little bit, and to make sure the bonsai soil I will make doesn’t fall out the holes.
Internal dimensions are about 12longx9widex6deep.

Seeing if the root balls will fit.

Is that 5mm gravel a certain type of rock?

Not meaning to cross anyone, but there is something called, a perched
water t.able, which why we no longer use a larger particle
at the bottom of pots.

The 5 mm silica based gravel is about 98 or so % silica.
Used for sand blasting or making concrete.
Laters.
Khaimraj

I’m not cross at all :-) I am very new to this and will take any good advice I can find. I just googled “perched water table”. Do you mean to say, that if I were to put washed river gravel and rocks in the bottom as I had suggested I was thinking about that it might defeat the point of the drainage in the first place and cause an “impermeable layer” and therefore a “saturated soil”? If so, that makes sense and I hadn’t thought of that. If that’s not what you mean, then please clarify for me. If putting large particles in the bottom is a bad idea, then are there any suggestions on how to keep the soil in without reducing drainage capacity? Maybe I could cut some nylon screen and place it in the bottom on top of the mesh I have in there? Maybe what I made today needs taken apart and rebuilt/designed altogether?