To pot up or not...that is the question?

[bonsaibeginer]

Hi everyone
Being a newbie, I'm afraid I've fallen into the "buying lots of different tree's" trap... I'm not complaining as being up here the weather seems to be condusive to things growing. Shadecloth for the sun and corrugated iron sheets for the constant rain when i need it.
Most of my trees are in 175mm squatpots (all trainee bonsai at the moment) in a 50/50 mix of cacti potting mix and Weipa Red expanded clay.
My question is this, I know a tree belongs in the ground, the biggest pot of all, but I've heard you can also overpot a tree? Are there trees that I need to be wary of putting into a grow box or styro box? And how much pruning of branchs do I do while in the box?
From what I understand, you just leave them to grow completly wild while in the box and trim back hard when the trunk is good...
Some of the trees in question:
JBP
Buxus
Chinese Elm
Ash
Swamp cypress
Redwood
Bougie
Various junipers
And of course ficcus
Any suggests would be great thanks
Grant

[bodhidharma]

the biggest pot of all, but I've heard you can also overpot a tree?

The only time you can overpot a tree is when it is in a Bonsai pot and the size of the pot overshadows the proportions of the tree, thus looking silly. The basic concept is, if you want a tree to grow hard and fast to develop a thick trunk, put it in a large container and feed it heavily. If you have said large trunk and branching and want to refine the smaller branching then confine it to a smaller pot for refinement of both roots and branches but still keep up the feeding and watering. Without getting into a Seminar this is the brief outline.

[bonsaibeginer]

Thanks for the quick reply Bodhi. So the over potting is a style thing and not the health of the tree. Good to know.
Thanks again.

[dansai]

Overpotting can be an issue if your potting mix is slow draining. If you place a small plant or slow growing tree into a very large container and your mix is slow draining or made up of lots of organic components the mix may deteriorate quickly and become clogged preventing drainage, souring the mix and rotting the roots of your trees. Your mix sounds fairly open and free draining so should not cause too much concern.

Putting young trees into deep pots may cause issues for the same reasons, but a poly box is usually much broader than deep allowing for better drainage and giving plenty of space for roots to grow which will lead to much better top growth, developing your trunk and branches much quicker.

Planting in the ground can give great results if you prepare the soil properly or have good soil to begin with that drains well. This is very much like a big pot, and can even produce better results quicker. You still need to water and feed well, and close to the base of your tree, as this will keep feeder roots close to the trunk and allow for digging up and placing in a pot at a later date. Also if in the ground, cutting the roots around the base with a spade, or digging up and replanting will give you better roots close to the trunk.