Hello Bonsai Friends,

I have this ceramic (or porcelain, I'm not sure which) decorative dish that I think would make a lovely Bonsai dish however, there are no drainage holes in the bottom. Is it possible to drill holes in it without cracking or breaking the dish?
If so, what type of drill bits would be recommended? I have a cordless drill and a rotary tool (dremel type tool) both with various types and sizes of bits.

The dish measures 7.5" wide with an opening of 5.75" wide and it is 1.5" deep from the inside bottom to the inside upper lip. Is this a suitable size for a starter Jade forest display? Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

Leslie

Hi Leslie,

I am sure that the dremel-type tool can make a hole, if you have the right tip for it. I would go for a small grinding tip for ceramics / stone and slowly grind our a small hole.

However, I think the tray would not be very suitable. It has s rim which is turned inward. That would make it very hard to get your trees out after they have rooted in the pot.

i have been sucessful,just this week i did one, drilling ceramics. start with the smallest bit that you have and go through the top, increase the size gradually. it usually pops out a larger piece at the bottom so if the material is thin(less than a 1/4 inch) it may not work.
nice pot by the way,you may want to put bigger stones under one side to stop the roots from getting stuck in there cuz leatherback makes a good point

Hi All,

Thought I would give an update on my hole-drilling adventure. I have since gone to Value Village and purchased a few cheap pots and was mostly successful with drilling holes in them.

I had to borrow my neighbour's electric drill because I don't have any masonry drill bits for my cordless drill. Steve is also a friend of mine and he can get kinda *macho* and *ornery* at times so, because it was his drill he "had" to take over. He started with one of four little stoneware pots I picked up for seedlings. Now, Steve is about half the size of me and doesn't have a lot of strength nor fine motor skills because he gets tremors in his hands. It was taking him forever to get thru this little pot...stoneware is *tough*. So I asked if I could try, and finished drilling the hole. Then...and this was stupid on my part, I handed Steve one of my favorite pots...a tall, steel-blue round that had a beautiful *dip and waterfall* design down one side, made from porcelain clay. He managed to put not only the drill, but the chuck right thru the bottom. ...sigh... I was so disappointed to lose that one but didn't get upset about it. I know Steve's challenges and simply said "oh well, shit happens!" Needless to say, Steve suddenly lost his *ornery* streak and let me do the rest of the drilling.

Anyway, I have another similar pot, tall, steel-blue, oval with no design and perfect for a cascade or semi-cascade bonsai. I drilled one hole in the bottom at 7/16" (just under a 1/2"). All holes drilled are the same size. In the white, round low pot and a similar burgandy pot I drilled three holes in the bottom of each. All pots were drilled with the pot sitting upside down so I drilled from the outside in. There was a little chipping that occured on the inside of the pots which I will seal with an instant glue (like *crazy glue*). Note: The edges of the holes drilled should also be sealed so moisture doesn't seep in between the glazes.

I had one other fabulous pot... a large, oval shape in a deep Chinese red with a purple-ish sheen to it. I have no idea what it was made of however, neither the masonry drill bit nor a steel bit would put a dent in it. Man, was I ticked! The pot was absolutely no good to me without drainage holes.

Here are photos of the pots including the Chinese red one and the tall, steel-blue one with the *dip & waterfall* design that I lost. All the others were very successful. Thanks for viewing.

Leslie,
I buy interesting bowls and other things I can turn into bonsai pots too. I love going to Goodwill or the Salvation army thrift store searching

Hi Lance,
Yes, I think I will check out those places next time I go searching...they would be much cheaper. Although all of Value Villages' merchandise is donated, second-hand items...their prices have gone up significantly since the store opened here.

Lol leslie i had to laugh at your macho neighbor, damn that was funny. Shame man it always sucks when someone else breaks something of yours that you like so much. Then you want to kill them afterwards but just say "oh its fine don't worry"