What Are Mica Bonsai Pots?

When it comes to bonsai pots we always think they are either plastic or ceramic and we often forget about the middle man, the mica pot.

Mica pots are pretty cool, they are a mix of both materials and they give you all the benefits of both without any real negatives.

There is not a lot of information out there about them, so hopefully I can spread some light on what mica pots are all about.

What Are Mica Pots Made From?

Mica pots are made of mica …obviously, which is usually mixed with a small percentage of synthetic resin to give the pot some extra strength and stability, usually in the form of polyethylene.

You may also find that a small amount of graphite is added to the pot too, most likely to also help with strength and stability.

What Is Mica?

If you are anything like me, you probably read the above paragraph and though … what is mica?

I had always just assumed a “mica pot” was a certain type of plastic bonsai pot, but mica is actually a type of mineral. It just happens to be mixed with a little bit of plastic, so I guess that is where my confusion comes from.

Mica is just a type of silicate, and like any other mineral, it is mined from the ground. There are all sorts of different uses for mica, one of which is in the electrical industry, due to its excellent thermal conducting abilities it is used as insulation on many electrical components.

The History Of Mica Pots

There is not a lot of information on how or why this mineral ended up being used for bonsai pots, but we can sort of guess why, so take the following with a pinch of salt.

Mica can be easily found in the soil in central Japan and it was organically used to decorate traditional Japanese woodblock prints. The mica was mixed with ink and painted onto these traditional pictures. 

Mica was also used to make pottery and while I am not sure if they made bonsai pots, I do know that the potters in the area where mica was used, did borrow many techniques form the Tokoname area.

Tokoname is famous for bonsai pots, among other types of pottery so we will have to assume that the mica potters also took the techniques for making bonsai pots back to their area too, although I cannot find any information about this.

At some point, I am guessing rather recently, someone has decided to make to mix in some plastic with mica, to make it cheaper and more durable, which are the pots that we have today.

I really need to do a deep dive into the Japanese internet and see if I can dig up some actual facts on this, then update this article, as right now there is a lot guessing which is never ideal.        

How Are Mica Pots Different?

Mica pots are different in many ways. They are kind of the half way point between ceramic and plastic pots.

Mica pots are extremely tough and are often said to be “unbreakable”. They will certainly withstand foist and they shouldn’t crack even if you drop them.

However, they are not just the same as plastic pots, they are a little sturdier and wont bend or warp in the same way that some plastic pots will. They also will not change colour in the sun, which will effect even the sturdiest of plastic pots eventually.

They are also similar to ceramic pots in the way they look, although when you get a bit closer you can see they are not ceramic, but they do look better than plastic pots. They are also able to moderate the soils temperature in the same way as a ceramic pot, as they do not heat up and get too hot in the sun like a plastic pot does.

This really means they do take the best parts from both ceramic and plastic pots and really are the middle ground.

Mica Pots Are All The Same Colour

One of the only downsides to mica pots is that they are all the same colour, which is a very dark brown, unglazed colour.

There is nothing wrong with this and it looks great, but it does mean you do not get all the fantastic colours that are available from glazed pots.

This colour does usually mean they are treated as either training pots, or are used with conifers such as pines and junipers.    

How Much Do Mica Pots Cost?

The cost of your mica pot is of course going to depend on where you buy it from and what size you get.

However, in general, they are reasonably priced. They are going to be more expensive than plastic pots, but cheaper than the higher end ceramic pots. (Low quality ceramic pots are always going to be cheaper).

Quite often they may only be a little bit more expensive than the cheaper ceramic pots, so if you find yourself deciding between the two, it can be worth paying that little bit extra for mica as it will probably last longer.

Where Can You Buy Mica Pots?

Mica pots can be found in all the same places you can buy any other bonsai pot, both online and in person.

Usually sellers have them in their own section so they are easy to find.

Sometimes they are lumped in with the plastic pots and even sometimes plastic pots are wrongly labelled as “mica” pots, although I think this is quite rare. Most bonsai sellers know what they are doing and know the difference between the pots.

(You can read more about – Where Can You Buy Bonsai Pots?)

Are Mica Pots Worth It?

At the end of the day, all we want to know is if mica pots are worth it and the answer is yes.

They are better than plastic pots, and can rival ceramics.

A lot of people will look down at them and say they are just glorified plastic training pots, which I think is a bit harsh. There are often a lot of arguments over mica pots, especially in regards to using them in a show.

Personally I think you can get away with it, they can look really good and I think they can look like ceramic pots, especially from a distance …but then I grow trees in ice cream pots, so of course I am going to think a mica pot looks good!

Either way they are cheap, very tough and they look better than plastic pots. Even if you want to treat them as training pots, they are still worth it. They are not going to get damaged by the weather or weaken over time so they are a great all round option.   

They really do take the best parts from plastic and ceramic make a great middle man.

Conclusion

Hopefully now you know a little more about mica pots and realise they are pretty cool and I think you should consider getting one if you are in the market for a new pot.

They offer a lot of value at a low price and they look great, what is there to dislike?

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