Will a Bonsai grow into a pot that is to large for it ?

[IndorBonsai]

Here is one of my chinese elms.
The blue pot is the pot I would like to use for this tree.
I am wondering will the tree grow to fit the pot blue pot size? ( the blue pot is a 9 inch chinese style oval ) The pot it is in now is a 8 inch plastic starter pot ( also to big for the tree ).

Here is a picture, if you click the picture it gets bigger.

[url=https://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=outelm1.jpg][img]https://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4750/outelm1.jpg[/img][/url]

The 12 ounce beer can is to help show size of the tree and the pots.

I was thinking since the tree will have to grow to fit either of these pots correctly, I may as well put it in the pot I would like the tree to live in for the rest of its life or mine which ever comes first. LOL

My question is if I keep this tree in this blue pot will the tree eventually grow to fill the pot correctly( years from now of course) ? Or would it be better to use a large pot to grow the size of the tree I want then re-pot it into this blue pot at a later time?
Any ideas?

[snowblind]

tbh id say go for it and re pot into the lovey blue pot yes its a little big but I think your tree will handel it well allso give it more a kick start for more growing imop. once again I say its a elm go for it you may have a little bit of sulking from the tree at the start (leaf droping ect) but it should do really well in there

go for it hun =D

[Gnome]

IndorBonsai,

Sure you can over-pot a tree, this is common practice when growing a tree out in order to increase its size substantially. I use over sized boxes for trees that are still in the development stage.

If your tree is at the stage where you intend to refine the branches and ramification then the advantage is lost, there is no point, and indeed there are disadvantages to over-potting.

Since you feel that the pot it is in now is not too cramped, and since it is mid season, why not leave well enough alone now and instead take the opportunity to purchase a more appropriate pot?

If you intend to keep this tree outside, allowing a dormancy, next spring would really be better time to re-pot.

Norm

[IndorBonsai]

Yes this chinese elm is going to live outdoors all year long, and I would like to Increase its size. I think that the 9 inch oval pot will be good for this.

Also if you look at the picture(previous post, the one with the beer can) you can see I put a few handfuls of my soil mix on top of the soil the tree came in. This was because the tree lost some of its soil during shipping.

The soil the tree was in held way to much moisture( mostly peat moss mix) I gave the trees 2 days trying to let them dry out some, but day 3 and still soggy wet soil it had to go. I went ahead and re-potted both of my chinese elms to get them into a better soil mix for my area. Since I re-potted both of the trees I went ahead and moved them into the pots that they will live in for along time( many Many years). Both my elms came the same day and were in the same poor soil ( normal for trees bought online or from box stores).

Since this is not the time of year for root trimming and the trees dident need it, I only did a quick rinse with the hose to clean the old soil off the roots before I moved / re-potted them into better draining soil. This method seems to be the best way to move a tree into new soil without sending the tree into shock from the transplant. Specially when it has to be done during the wrong time of year for the tree.

Here are some pictures. Click the pictures they get bigger.
The 12 ounce beer bottle is there to show size of the trees.

[url=https://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=elms1.jpg][img]https://img505.imageshack.us/img505/4073/elms1.jpg[/img][/url]

[url=https://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=elms2.jpg][img]https://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4755/elms2.jpg[/img][/url]

The blue oval pot is 9 inches- this tree will live outdoors all year long. The little blue rectangle pot is 7 inches- this tree will live indoors during winter.

[url=https://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=elms3.jpg][img]https://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2109/elms3.jpg[/img][/url]

[url=https://img37.imageshack.us/my.php?image=elms4.jpg][img]https://img37.imageshack.us/img37/3936/elms4.jpg[/img][/url]

In the back is my Brazilian rain tree. Notice that it lives in a pure inorganic soil mix( basically lava rock and sand ). This is the only tree I own that lives in this kind of soil.

Also notice the way I hold my trees in the pots, this makes it easier to remove the wire when the roots are established enough to do it on their own. On most of my trees this takes only a month or two, then I can remove the wire.

[logic1248]

If you want fine twiggy branching to be developed soon I wouldnt repot it in a larger pot, I have done that to a couple of trees to increase size faster and the side effect is longer internodes and thicker branches which is fine for getting it bigger but if the roots arnt well developed yet they will shoot off in all directions and then branch off making it harder to create the fine mat of roots we all want later on, I am no bonsai master just giving my personal opinion based on my trees, they were ficus not chines elm but I think the principle stands, take it with a grain of salt though I've only been active in bonsai for 6 years, a blink of the eye in a tree's life.

Hassan