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Pot selection – exposed root black pine

January 22, 2016 by Jonas Dupuich

One of my favorite activities relating to bonsai display is pot selection. I’ll be showing a young black pine at tomorrow’s Bay Island Bonsai exhibit and the pot used for the past year isn’t exactly show quality.

13 year-old black pine in colander

Here are 11 options for the tree. Some look great to me, others less so. A couple of my favorites are either a bit too small or a bit too large. Any favorite combinations?

Pot 1 – scalloped sides

Pot 2 – Chinese antique

Pot 3 – nanban style

Pot 4a – Reiho

Pot 4b – same pot from the other side

Pot 5 – drum pot

Pot 6 – shallow dish

Pot 7 – nanban

Pot 8 – flower-shaped pot

Pot 9 – square pot

Pot 10 – Bunzan

Pot 11 – square pot

To see the final selection, come to Bay Island Bonsai’s 17th annual exhibit this weekend or stay tuned for upcoming posts from the exhibit.

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Filed Under: Display Tagged With: Black Pine, Exposed root, Pot Selection, Pots, Repotting

Previous Post: « Dropping in on a Bonsai Intensive
Next Post: Pot selection follow-up »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michael Mitchell says

    January 22, 2016 at 5:58 am

    Hello Jonas, The Yamaaki pot #1 will look good if placed higher in the pot. #2 appears to be made by Bonsai, not antique Chinese. The Reiho #4b wood also look good.

  2. bonsaiko tony says

    January 22, 2016 at 6:21 am

    I like pot 3 or pot 8.

  3. Mac McAtee says

    January 22, 2016 at 6:23 am

    Pot 8

  4. AlexV says

    January 22, 2016 at 6:47 am

    Gonna go with the first pot 8 (there are currently 2 pot 8’s), the flower shaped one. Lots of good choices there, I just like the small bit of stability the wider lower pot offers. One of the nanbans would be my second choice.

  5. gabegunz1 says

    January 22, 2016 at 7:10 am

    I like 4a or 5

  6. Dane buxbaum says

    January 22, 2016 at 7:14 am

    First choice #9 followed by 6.

  7. Roberto Dominguez says

    January 22, 2016 at 7:31 am

    How can I get one of those shoin black pines!!!

  8. Alain Krizic says

    January 22, 2016 at 7:54 am

    Very interesting, thanks for posting.

    I think the square ones don’t fit the overall design.

    I Think shallow pots enhance the exposed roots better, the deeper ones don’t work so well.

    My favourite one is Pot 4a – Reiho : the spot on the front is not too distracting, it looks like an imperfection rather, and lead the eyes upward, first the roots, then the canopy.

    Alain

  9. evanmb says

    January 22, 2016 at 8:04 am

    Pot 8 (flower)

  10. mcktextiles says

    January 22, 2016 at 8:18 am

    Voting for #5 the drum pot, but wish it was just a little bigger. Guessing that won’t be your choice though. I’ll see tomorrow!

  11. mcktextiles says

    January 22, 2016 at 8:19 am

    Correction to above – wish it was a bit ‘smaller’.

  12. Tom Knoblauch says

    January 22, 2016 at 9:43 am

    4a for show then back to 1 for the bench

  13. Fr. Wm. Tom Davis, OSA says

    January 22, 2016 at 10:44 am

    #8 in that the lines of the flower pot work with the lines of the exposed roots, a nice melding. I also like the depth of #8.

  14. Todd says

    January 22, 2016 at 11:37 am

    I feel better with pot #1, it seems to anchor the other end of the seemingly tenuous root network… must be the engineer in me…

  15. LeeBee says

    January 22, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    Liking #9. It gives a sense of stability — an anchor to a tenuous life.

  16. Graham says

    January 22, 2016 at 2:14 pm

    4(b).

  17. Bonsai Scratcher says

    January 22, 2016 at 2:28 pm

    Def pot 8

  18. Linh says

    January 22, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    Pot 8 too. Have fun my friend.

  19. brendenstudio says

    January 22, 2016 at 7:34 pm

    Fun stuff! Have any shovels handy? 😉 I like 4a best if it were a little deeper…

  20. Carol says

    January 23, 2016 at 1:36 pm

    4 definitely. Just have to picture it mossed up.

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