Ok, so you have your bonsai tree all ready, and you want to go about planting it. In addition to this, you have also found a nice pretty pot that goes well with said tree. Try to find a shallow tray if you want to go for an authentic Chinese bonsai landscape. The next step is to prepare this landscape container so that the tree can be planted in it.
Firstly, take the container and soak it in lukewarm water overnight. After this, leave the pot to dry for several hours. The reason we do this is to add a tiny bit of moisture to the container, if it is bone dry it may absorb moisture from the soil and adversley impact the growth of the bonsai.
Secondly, get some heavy guage wire and bend it at either end to create two loops. These loops hould be bigger than the diameter of the drainage holes so that the wire can run through but not pass through. Test this by running the wire through the first hole, tugging on it so that it is nice and snug. Next get some plastic mesh and place it over the holes. Secure the mesh by weaving the wire through from the bottom, and then weave it back down again through the mesh sitting above the hole and out through the bottom. Make sure the mesh does not have any movement and is held tight by the wire, then make another small loop. Repeat this process with the second drainage hole if one exists.
The mesh will stop the well draining soil that will later fill the tray from eroding away through the drainage holes. Finally take a third piece of wire (or second if there is only one hole) and thread it up through the first hole , along the length of the container and back down through the second. This wire will be used to hold the root ball of the bonsai tree, adding stability, which is essential especially if your container is very shallow.
Phew! Congratulations, you have just prepared your bonsai landscape tray for re-potting. An upcoming article will focus on moving the bonsai tree itself to this new one.