Olive tree and pot proportion

[pureheart]

Hi All,

Could you please give me your honest opinion about the below tree and pot combination.... is the pot too small? if you think the pot is not sized correctly, could you please tell me what do you think the size should be or what kind of pot should I use? I'm thinking that maybe I should build a grow box and put it there until the branches are fully developed and styled... I don't know please let me have your opinions and ideas!!

Thanks

Tad

[Watto]

I'll kick off with my two cents worth.
Good tree and good pot. My preference would be for a pot with less depth however I think the size is fine. The tree appears to be developing fine but could do with a clean of the leaves to help with photosynthesis and therefore increased vigor. So if anything the pot is a bit big and the tree is going along OK.

[pureheart]

I'll kick off with my two cents worth.
Good tree and good pot. My preference would be for a pot with less depth however I think the size is fine. The tree appears to be developing fine but could do with a clean of the leaves to help with photosynthesis and therefore increased vigor. So if anything the pot is a bit big and the tree is going along OK.

Thank you! What do you mean a clean of the leaves? Are you saying I should remove old leaves at the start of the branch?

[Watto]

If you have a close look at the leaves many are covered in dust/dirt. If you remove that the tree will be better and also look better.

[Paul W]

Geez watto you must have good eyes, I cannot see no dust

[shibui]

Geez watto you must have good eyes, I cannot see no dust

I had to have a second closer look, then another one but he's right! Brown dirt on some of the older leaves..... Watering the whole canopy should wash most off but it's probably not that detrimental. Scrub with a toothbrush if you like but I don't think that's worth while.

Re the pot: This tree is still developing. New shoots are wired suggesting the structure is still being grown. No real apex or canopy so I guess the plan is to develop it some more still. In that case I'd say a slightly large grow pot is ideal. reducing root space will almost always reduce top growth and therefore development. Maybe this pot is a tad larger than ideal for a completed bonsai but great for a developing tree - small enough to slow growth and reduce internodes but still enough space to allow some reasonable growth.

[pureheart]

If you have a close look at the leaves many are covered in dust/dirt. If you remove that the tree will be better and also look better.

Amazing Watto! Your eyes could spot anything! Well that "dust" is actually fertiliser that I sprayed on all my plants (a very bad idea) as all my bonsais are now dirty and so the pots and the wall of my house...
It's so dense that to clean it I have to remove it by hand...

[pureheart]

Geez watto you must have good eyes, I cannot see no dust

I had to have a second closer look, then another one but he's right! Brown dirt on some of the older leaves..... Watering the whole canopy should wash most off but it's probably not that detrimental. Scrub with a toothbrush if you like but I don't think that's worth while.

Re the pot: This tree is still developing. New shoots are wired suggesting the structure is still being grown. No real apex or canopy so I guess the plan is to develop it some more still. In that case I'd say a slightly large grow pot is ideal. reducing root space will almost always reduce top growth and therefore development. Maybe this pot is a tad larger than ideal for a completed bonsai but great for a developing tree - small enough to slow growth and reduce internodes but still enough space to allow some reasonable growth.

Oh so pleased! I didn't do too bad then! :):)

[bunce]

Hi There,


If I may, id like to suggest that there are two things you can take away from asking this question. Firstly, I wouldn't use a glazed pot on an evergreen, there is no need to 'colour up' the tree since it won't lose its leaves in winter. Secondly I think this pot is too big. Id opt for something slightly shallower with some time of cut corner (think mokko, cut corner, rounded corner) + (not specifically rectangle pots (mokko is rounded)) in some grey hues of clay.

For now though the tree is gaining great health in this pot, so I would suggest looking around for a few years for the right pot before repotting. No need to rush it into the 'perfect' pot.


*edit*

also I forgot to add, you'll want a flare and a lip, Why? Because this tree is yet to be developed, and when it is developed, it'll need the pot to replicate the branching. Now the we develop new olives, like other evergreens (including Conifers) we pull the branches down and the tops up, which is the reverse of the false and lip. This harmony will create a great composition. As the tree ages, you'll be more free to use straighter cut pots.

bunce.

[MJL]

Hi Pureheart,
Noting that other folk have suggested a shallower, unglazed pot - here a two photos of a tree that I picked up recently. This shows you how shallow an Olive will tolerate - that’s said, I have subsequently moved this tree into a slightly larger , slightly deeper pot.

IMG_0013.jpg

IMG_0014.jpg

That said, as others have also suggested, there’s no need to rush to a pot. My suggestion would be a low, long rectangular unglazed pot with the olive mounded and offset in 1/3 of the pot with the mound the tapering into the negative/empty space.

As an aside - I also like the yellow pot and maple above the olive in your photo. Is that a maple? That looks lovely too. [THUMBS UP SIGN]




Bonsai teaches me patience.
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