Tie Pot (Part 2) - Fantastic Air Pruning Bonsai Pots !!!

In this part 2 video of Tie Pot, I explain extra benefits of the pot & also show two of my trees being planted into them. 

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Tie Pot is great not only for bonsai but also for growing orchids, cactus & succulents, since the pot has excellent drainage & aeration. It is a large-sized, lightweight & strong pot and can be used for various gardening needs. It can even be used as a hanging pot. Orchid pots (both terracotta & ceramic) of equivalent size, are heavy & expensive and hence, Tie Pot provides a nice alternate solution. 

Read : Tie Pot (Part 1) 

Tie Pot (Part 1) - Fantastic Air Pruning Pots For Bonsai !!!

My unboxing & review of Tie Pot, a fantastic air pruning bonsai training pot (plastic), from Austria, Europe. It is designed & sold in Europe, by my friend Jens Lindworsky, who is a potter, bonsai artist and now a businessman too. I am fortunate enough to get my hands on these pots & be one of the first people to review this pot.

 

 

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The 2 main benefits of this pot are : 

1) Knobs for tying down branches & 

2) Air pruning of roots, for obtaining dense radial roots, by preventing root circling, a common problem in the nursery industry.

 

What is air pruning & what are its benefits

 

Tie Pot website - TiePot.com 

 

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Instant Bonsai + Air Pruning Pots

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Part 1 video - covers Instant Bonsai concept with tips on collecting good tree material from ground & explains my choice of colander pot for it & some potting tips too.

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Part 2 video - covers a partial self-watering setup for my colander, benefits of air pruning pots, drainage speed test between 1-2 holes vs. multiple holes, converting a bonsai pot to air pruning pot, net pots of multiples sizes & shapes, massive ignorance of air pruning concepts among people growing plants/trees in containers and existence of ceramic colanders & 3d printed air pruning pots.

Good Drainage And Aeration Begins With The Pot, Not Soil

Soil comes later. Many bonsai experts & artists 'say' good drainage & root aeration is very important, yet very strangely, some of them use pots that are poor in both areas. Though the pots shown below are tiny, the difference in drainage speed will be similar even with the bigger pots.

This classic 1 hole pot on left, gives you circling roots,  poor
drainage & hence, poor root aeration. So does a 2 hole pot. 

So, which one is your choice ? 
Multiple holes or just 1 to 2 holes ?

Large Scale Pot Manufacturing Videos

I was wondering why colanders are never sold in garden centers or nurseries, along with garden pots. Are they costlier to manufacture compared to a plain plastic pot ? These videos suggest that is not the case. So, I suspect the reason has to be the ignorance of pot manufacturers & buyers. To know more, read Colander vs. Bonsai Pots.

Manufacturing plastic colanders 
 

Injection moulding - liquid plastic is pumped under high pressure into the groves on the mould.
 
 More :
http://youtu.be/gwDwGf613UU

Colander vs. Bonsai Pots - Part 1

Are many bonsai experts & artists ignorant about 

which one is better for training / growing bonsai ?

Bonsai Pots & Air Pruning Of Roots

Usually these 2 topics do not go together, though they very well should. The content that I have seen online for air pruning is either limited to growing vegetables or big trees. For some strange reason, many expert bonsai artists and hence, their followers, don't seem to have adopted this horticultural science. 

3d Printed Air Pruning Bonsai Pot

 Holes on side & base - helps in better aeration & air pruning of roots.
Source : shapeways.com

Specimen For Mini Bonsai

Tree Species : Unknown 
Collected On : Aug 18, 2015

I collected this plant seeing the vigorous growth of its multiple suckers on a thick short trunk. The plant survived my initial months of ignorance & mistakes and is still alive, although in a diminished form ! In the wild, it is a short tree, with the mature trunk looking almost blackish and having thick scaly bark.

After basic pruning

20 days later

Articles On Bonsai Pots

Making small bonsai pots with cement


Choosing a Pot Plant Container – The Pros and Cons


How To Make Bonsai Pots


 From clay to Bonsai Pot - the process of pottery explained


 Why use good pots ? - Part 1