Tranquil Pots FAQ

Email us within 7 days of delivery with your order number and a photo, and we will send a free replacement or a full refund, including the shipping you paid. You do not need to send the broken pot back unless we ask. Ceramic travels well when it is packed properly, but it is still ceramic, and the cost of a breakage is ours rather than yours.

Orders are usually packed within 1 to 3 business days, and transit is typically 2 to 7 business days depending on where you are. We ship within the United States only. Once a package is with the carrier we cannot control its timing, but if it is lost or arrives damaged, tell us and we will make it right.

Because pots are heavy and fragile, and we charge what it actually costs us rather than burying it in the price. Shipping runs from $4.95 to $59.95 depending on the size and weight of the piece, and you see the exact figure on the product page and again in the cart before you go anywhere near a payment form. We would rather you saw the real delivered total up front than discovered it at checkout.

Yes. Unused pots in original, resalable condition and packaging can be returned within 30 days of delivery. Contact us first for a return authorisation. Return shipping is yours to pay in that case, and we refund the original payment method within 5 to 7 business days of receiving and inspecting the return. Damaged, defective or wrong items are different: those cost you nothing, and are covered above.

OD is the outside dimension, measured at the widest point of the rim, and ID is the inside dimension, which is the space the rootball actually has. The difference matters: a pot with a heavy lip can lose an inch or more between the two. Where we know both figures we publish both, which most sellers do not. Where a title shows one set of numbers, that is the outside dimension.

The usual starting point is a pot roughly two thirds the height of the tree for an upright style, or two thirds the width of the canopy for a spreading one, with depth about equal to the diameter of the trunk at its base. Cascades are the exception and want depth instead of length. Treat that as a starting point rather than a rule, then check the interior dimension against the rootball you actually have.

It depends on the piece, so check the product description, which says where we know. Bonsai pots are normally made with drainage holes and often with tie-down holes as well. Humidity and drip trays are the opposite: they are meant to hold water, so they have no holes at all. If a listing does not say and it matters to you, email us before you order and we will confirm the specific piece.

Be careful. Any glazed or unglazed ceramic pot can crack when water gets into the clay and then freezes, and a pot that is fine through a mild winter can fail in a hard one. Mica is more forgiving of freeze and thaw, which is why growers use it for trees that overwinter outdoors. We cannot guarantee frost resistance on any individual piece, so if the pot will live outside year round in a cold climate, mica or a training pot is the safer choice.

Glazed ceramic is the display option and the largest part of our range: colour and finish, usually chosen to set off flowering or deciduous trees. Unglazed ceramic is the traditional choice for conifers and for anything where the bark should be the thing you notice. Mica is a composite, much lighter, far more tolerant of frost and handling, and the usual choice for large trees and for development years.

Often, yes. A good part of the range is humidity and drip trays, and some pots ship with a matching tray attached, which the title says when they do. Be aware that a tray bought separately carries its own shipping, because it ships as its own item.

No. Tranquil Pots is containers only, on purpose. Our sister site Bonsai Wonderland carries the trees, tools and soil, and keeps a free care guide for every species it stocks.

Development pots. Use them for the grow-out years while you are building trunk girth and a fibrous root pad, then move the tree into a ceramic, mica or unglazed bonsai pot for display.

No. The breathable fabric sides and base drain and dry on their own. Use a free-draining aggregate bonsai mix rather than a peat-heavy potting compost.

More often. Fabric loses moisture through the walls as well as the surface, so check daily in summer. That same airflow is what keeps the mix oxygenated and the roots working.

Match the size to the stage: 0.5 gallon for rooted cuttings, seedlings and separated air layers, 1 gallon for shohin and mame stock, 2 gallon for young stock building taper, 3 gallon for thickening medium trunks, and 5 gallon for large-tree grow-outs and recovering collected yamadori.

Designed for multi-season use with durable stitching and reinforced webbing handles. Lifespan depends on sun exposure, how often they are moved and whether they overwinter outdoors.

Yes. Empty the soil, brush off debris and rinse with water. Let them dry fully before folding them flat for storage.

Work as you normally would at repotting time. Lift the rootball out, comb out the nebari and cut back anything circling. The wall gives as you work around the edge, which makes the lift easier than it is from a rigid rim.