Bonsai Pot Collection – Multi-Size Set with Drainage & Wire Fixing Holes

🌿 This collection was born from a genuine passion for bonsai. Designing and crafting pots that are both functional and elegant for my own trees has become an important part of my practice — every shape, proportion and detail has been carefully thought out to serve the plant first and look beautiful second.

The set includes multiple shapes — oval, rectangular, octagonal, round, and flat suiban trays — each available in different sizes to accommodate a wide variety of bonsai styles and tree dimensions. Every pot sits on small feet for proper airflow and drainage clearance. Each pot also features dedicated drainage holes for proper water management and wire fixing holes for bonsai anchoring wire, all designed at a fixed diameter of 2 mm. The collection also includes a printable drainage mesh sheet — simply print, cut to size, and place over the drainage holes before repotting to prevent soil loss while maintaining water flow.

🧱 Material

These pots were designed and tested in PLA. A special note on PLA: despite the common misconception, PLA is actually an excellent material for bonsai pots. It takes many years to degrade and requires very specific conditions for deterioration to begin. With 4 perimeter walls — as used in this project — the process is slowed down even further, making PLA a perfectly viable and durable choice for both indoor and outdoor long-term use.

⚙️ Print Settings

All models were sliced and printed with the following settings:

• Layer height: 0.16 mm
• Walls: 4
• Infill: 15% – Honeycomb
• Outer wall speed: 80 mm/s

🛠️ Support Settings

Supports are required due to the pot geometry. The settings have been specifically optimized for easy removal despite the large contact surface.

When printing in PLA with a PLA interface, set the support interface top distance to match the layer height you are using — if you print at 0.16 mm, set the distance to 0.16 mm; if you print at 0.20 mm, set it to 0.20 mm; and so on. This alone is sufficient for clean and easy support removal with these settings.

If you choose to use a PETG support layer, set the top layer distance to 0 mm: this is the key setting that ensures a clean, crisp detachment every time

💡 To detach the supports, gently work a small spatula between the two surfaces applying light, controlled pressure without forcing it.

📐 Scaling & Wire Hole Compensation

The wire fixing holes are designed at exactly 2 mm. If you scale the model up or down, the holes will resize proportionally. To keep the hole diameter at 2 mm regardless of scale, use the following formula to calculate the XY Hole Compensation value in your slicer:

Compensation = 2 − (2 × scale factor)

📌 Example: scaling to 120% (scale factor = 1.2)
2 − (2 × 1.2) = −0.4 mm
→ Set XY Hole Compensation to −0.4 mm in your slicer

The negative value slightly expands the hole in the sliced model to counteract the proportional enlargement, resulting in a printed hole of exactly 2 mm. ⚠️ Always do a quick test print before committing to the full pot.

🎋 About the Collection

Inspired by traditional Japanese bonsai pottery, these pots blend functionality with a clean aesthetic. The flat suiban tray is ideal for rock or forest compositions, while the taller oval and rectangular forms suit upright, slanting, and cascade styles. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced bonsai practitioner, this set covers a wide range of compositional needs. All models are original designs, printed and created by the author.