Hello All,

I just recently read..."The inner surface of a pot should be unglazed. Otherwise, roots cannot develop properly and cannot be properly anchored." Has anyone else heard of this? If this is true then several of the *cheap* pots I have collected and drilled holes in the bottom are no good for bonsai.

The above quote is from a book (which may no longer be in print) that I got from the library entitled: "miniature Bonsai A Complete Guide to Cultivating Tiny Bonsai"by Master Lin Kuo-cheng; copyright 1987 Hilit Publishing Co., Ltd.; first English Edition: January 1995.

By the way...this is a delightful book for anyone interested in Shohin and Mame. It is filled with beautiful photographs with descriptions and lots of good information. If you cannot get it from your local library, you may get it through inter-library loan.

Kewl - I will probably start reading more books once I get further into the art of Bonsai. I am trying to hold back on all the research I wanna do right now. I tend to get too far ahead of myself.

I am focusing my energy on making an awesome Gingerbread House for Christmas.

Research? Who said anything about research? I just like lookin' at all the nice pictures! Seriously tho, I hear what you're saying...I tend to do overwhelm myself as well. I'm no longer cramming for information but rather just enjoying whatever presents itself to me.

Gingerbread houses are so much fun to make. Hope to see some photos of it in the Bonsai Cafe!

I've red it in some books too. The roots need a rough surface to settle themselves good in the pot.

I know some of the cheaper glazed pots have something glazed on the inside. That's because they're cheaper, the glazing is done less carefully and sometimes there goes something inside the pot. If it isn't in the whole inside but just on some places, I should use it. I've also some pots where there are some spots on the inside that are glazed.

I don't know if everything is true about full glazed inside the pot, unless you're going to experiment it. But because almost all glazed pots are not glazed on the inside, I guess it has to do something with that.

I agree Youri; if there is just the odd spot of glaze on the inside of the pot, it should be okay to use. I'd like to learn more about (as the quote indicates) how exactly does inside glazing affect the the growth and development of the roots. ???

I just lost a plant that I recently placed into a pot that is glazed inside and out. I don't know if that contributed to it's death or if I let it dry too much between waterings . I had lined the bottom of the pot with pebble-sized pieces of broken clay pot. So much to learn...