Should You Use A Smaller Or Larger Pot When Repotting A Bonsai?

When it comes time to repot your tree you will probably ask yourself what size pot should you use …should you go smaller, or larger?

To get the correct size you mainly need to take the trees health into consideration, as well as its stage of development as a bonsai and also your future vision for it.

This all sounds complicated, but it’s not. I will go through some reasons why you would pick a certain size and you will see its pretty straight forward.

The Trees Health Always Comes First

When you are doing anything with a trees roots you always need to put its health first. This is non-negotiable, if you kill your tree then it doesn’t really matter what size pot you put it in.

This basically means that a large part of your decision around what pot to select is dictated by the tree. You need to assess the roots and evaluate their size and health, then decide if they are going to fit into the pot you are thinking about using. 

Will you need to do a lot of work on the roots right now to make the pot size happen? If you need to cut 90% of the roots off to make it fit, is that going to affect the health of the tree? For some trees, something extreme like this is fine, but for others, it will be fatal, so really you need to understand the species you are working with and what you level of work you can do on them.

You also need to think about how the roots are going to develop throughout the season. It might be a good fit right now, but what happens when the tree grows a lot, do you think it is going to be able to stay healthy with the space you are trying to give it?

This is especially true for vigorous trees that can fill a pot with roots extremely quickly.  

(You can read more about – When Do You Need To Repot A Bonsai?)  

The Size Of Pot You Pick Will Depends On What You Are Trying To Achieve

If you want to know if you should be using a smaller or larger pot, then you first need to know what exactly you are trying to achieve with the tree.

Broadly speaking, if you are trying to develop a tree and you want to thicken its trunk, or grow a branch or anything like this, then you would need to use a larger pot. This will give the tree the space to grow and develop.

If you have finished with this stage and are now trying to refine the tree, then you probably want to start looking at smaller pots to really start getting that “bonsai” look.  

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Repotting Bonsai)

Why Would You Use A Smaller Bonsai Pot?

The obvious reason to use a smaller pot is because small pots are kind of the goal of bonsai. The whole concept of the art form is to have a tree in a small pot, so wanting to go as small as you can does make sense.

It can look really impressive when you have a fully developed tree just living in a tiny pot.

You Will Have To Water Smaller Pots A Lot

The main problem with using a small pot is that it will dry out quickly. This is because you have a small amount of soil and also because this small amount of soil is trying to support a whole tree.

This means you need to water your trees quite often, usually daily and sometimes even a few times a day. If you are going to use small pot, especially the really tiny ones, you need to make sure you can commit to watering them a lot more.

You always have to remember that bonsai is just not about aesthetics, the care and health of the tree always comes first.

Can Your Tree Handle Going Into A Smaller Pot?

Before you decide if you want to use a smaller pot, you need to determine if your tree can even handle this.

Really this means …will the roots actually fit in the pot and will there be space for them to grow and be healthy.

Sometimes you will not really know this until you are repotting. You will have to just get the tree ready and decide there and then if the pot you are thinking about using is too small or not. You will physically have to test fit it and if it doesn’t seem right you will have to go with another pot. 

You need  to take this very seriously as it will drastically influence the health of your pot, so you can’t get this wrong and you can’t just force a tree into a small pot if it isn’t going to fit properly.

You Can’t Keep Going Smaller Forever

While the goal of bonsai may be to have to a tree in small pot you need to realise that this goal can not last forever.

Trees do grow and they do get bigger over time, even if you are trying to keep them small. This does mean that inventively you will need to go up in pot size, rather than go smaller.

However, this may be many years away, so for now, a smaller pot could be more suitable, but over a trees whole life things will vary as it grows.  

Why Would You Use A Larger Bonsai Pot?

Bonsai isn’t always about going smaller and sometimes you might want to use a larger pot. This would mainly be so that you can give your tree space to grow and this going to allow you to develop the tree faster.

You can also use a larger pot if you want to quickly and easily slip pot a tree into a new pot without disturbing the roots.

Have You Got the Space For Larger Pots?

The biggest problem with larger pot is that they take up more room.

This a problem I am certainly cursed with. I have a number of trees that need bigger pots. They need a lot of growth to develop them, which really means they need more space in the form of a larger pot.

However, I have limited space, and therefore can’t give them the pot size I want. I have a number of trees that going to take extremely long to develop as they are simply under potted.

You Can’t Keep Going Larger Forever

While using a large pot is fine for a while, we have to remember that we are growing bonsai and really a smaller pot is the goal.

You can’t keep going larger or you will end up with a massive pot, which is going to look stupid and not very “bonsai” so eventually you will need to stop going larger and instead try and go smaller. This is usually when you change from developing your tree to refining it.

(You can read more about – How To Go From A Large Pot To A Small Bonsai Pot)

You Can Go Back And Forth Between Pot Sizes

I think it is important to realise you can go in either direction with your pot size and you may find that you swing back and forth throughout the years.

You will often see people have their trees in a small pot for a few years then change to a larger one, or even place the tree in the ground.

This is to keep the tree healthy and get some vigour back in it. A small pot is tough for a tree and sometimes you need to give it a year or so in a larger pot to get some strength back.  

(You can read more about – How To Select A Bonsai Pot For Your Tree)

You Can keep The Pot Size The Same

You also don’t need to change the size of your pot. You will probably find that a tree is extremely happy in the same size pot for many years. You will of course need to “repot” it but all you are doing is dealing with the roots and placing it back in the same pot and this will be more than adequate.

Trees grow slowly, so really the need to go larger or smaller isn’t something you need to rush. If your tree is happy in its current pot you can keep using that one for a while longer.

(you can read more about – What Shape Bonsai Pots Can You Get?)

Conclusion

Hopefully now you can understand the reasons for using a larger or smaller pot … or even the same pot when you are repotting your tree.

So long as you keep the trees health in mind along with what you are trying to achieve then you can’t really go wrong.

Even if the pot you pick isn’t exactly the best size, you can always change it the following year. Bonsai can be about experimenting with things until you find what works and what you like as well what keeps the tree happy. 

(You can read more about – What Is The Right Size Pot For Your Bonsai?)