Potting Advice (approach?) for a Kunzea Baxteri

[BonsaiBobbie]

I have a number of Kunzea Baxteri that I have grown from seed. They have been a great plant for me the last few years. They have tolerated everything that I can throw at them. Lack of sun. Lack of water. Repots without any thought. Hard pruning etc. Great trees.

I'm really excited about the range of options that are developing from this batch, and I'm keen to learn more and see what I can develop from them.

I'm considering if I lay this tree horizontally.

Screenshot 2025-03-11 115328.png

Like this...

Screenshot 2025-03-11 115546.png

In something like a moon pot, like this.

Screenshot 2025-03-11 114354.png

So my question is...

What generally would be the best way to approach moving from the grow pot, where it is growing vertically, to something horizontal?

Would you normally try and do something in the grow pot / another grow pot, or move it into the intended pot?

While the Kunzea isn't the fastest growing plant (that tree is coming up to three years old), and could be repotted now or later in the year, the pot I'm looking at would initially be something for it to continue to grow into. There also would be a benefit for me, as someone still learning the craft, as it would better enable me to manage its development. Either way I'm interested what others would do / should do etc before I decide my approach.

Rest of my plants are staying in grow pots for the moment.

[Ryceman3]

It's a bit difficult to know how big the crescent pot is in relation to the tree without them being side by side for scale. You say the trees are pretty hardy so if the new pot isn't miniscule in relation to what it is already in I doubt you'd have much issue transferring over, even with the change in angle. There is no real difference in technique when leaning the tree over. Just need to ensure that all branching is positioned to still have access to air/sun and the roots are able to remain in the substrate because obviously any exposed ones are going to die back. This is a pretty small tree with a smallish root ball by the look so I don't think there is much to worry about there.
Good luck, it's always fun moving trees up to a bonsai pot!
Grow pots will get the development happening at a faster rate generally, but I understand the need to elevate a tree to a proper pot.

[shibui]

Agree with the above.
You can obviously gauge the relative size of both tree and pot but you've only given us photos with no real reference to determine whether the pot the tree is in is 10cm or 30cm.
Then you give us a lovely photo of the pot posed on a great background but with no size reference.
Your inference is that the pot is sufficiently large for the tree to grow and develop but there's no way anyone else can confirm that or gauge how much space there might be for growth.

As a general rule, I do not move trees into bonsai pots until they are very well developed because any bonsai pot will restrict growth, either by physical size or by allowing the temp, nutrient and water levels to fluctuate much more than most nursery pots.
Your inference that you will be able to manage development better may be valid though, depending on all the other competing variables.

[BonsaiBobbie]

Thank you both.

Collectively that answers my question(s).

Re comments on the pot, note I haven’t bought anything yet. This post was ahead of that. Wasn’t expecting you to dive in and comment on that aspect more general approach.

As Ryceman says there is something great about putting a tree in a bonsai pot, especially when you are a hack like me and especially when you don’t have many trees that you can whip out. Sometimes you just need something.