Xref: kermit rec.arts.bonsai:74993

I don't know where your pots come from, but I have never noticed
such a coating on unglazed Tokoname bonsai pots.
Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin
Thanks for your reply, despite what others may say I can see that there is
some sort of a coating on most of the unglazed I have inspected. If you chip
it off it will often reveal a lighter colored clay. I thought they did this
because they used cheaper grades of clay for the pots I have bought. To
your question as to why I think they should breath. I thought it would help
keep free water from laying in the bottom of the pot. Maybe not a good idea
but I thought it sounded good.
Thanks
Kevin
==========
You are partly right. Most of the so-called unglazed pots are actually
slip-glazed in a matte finish. If you don't like brown, keep looking.
Sometimes
you can find them in tan or gray. However, why do you want the pot to
breathe when it is not supposed to? Good bonsai pots, unglazed or not, are
stoneware, which is fired high enough so the clay fuses and is waterproof.
An earthenware pot, which is porous, would not last very long, especially
for a hardy bonsai which is exposed to freezing.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40

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