Hi, Rose
I have never had the same kind of success with any other kind of pot
than I have had with plain, unglazed terra cotta pots indoors. Plastic
is cheap and widely available in many different colours and styles.
Though this may have appeal to many, plastic does keep soil too moist
and can encourage mould and root rot. It just doesn't breathe the same
way that clay does. Glazed pots, too, can hold in too much moisture.
Terra cotta is really not expensive. You can get it for cheap in many
hardware, garden, even in dollar stores. They can be reused after a
good washing and, in my opinion, look great. But then again, I try
to 'go natural' in as many areas of my life as possible. You put
plants in your home environment to improve the aesthetic and health of
that place. Why add plastic into that mix when you don't have to? :) I
would, however, recommend getting glazed water dishes for under your
pots. Unglazed ones allow lots of moisture to seep through and can,
depending on other factors, cause a good deal of mould to grow on the
surface under the pot. I learned that through personal experience as
well!
Nic
--- In houseplants@yahoogroups.com, meghan_31
meghan_31
Hello , my name is Rose .. And i have a question .. what is the best
kind of pots to grow your house plants in??? I would a appreciate any
help from you ...
Thank You
Rose Cloud
Northern NB Canada
---------------------------------
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
It's possible, Rose, just guessing mind you, that your plants dry out more in clay pots. Does the soil feel dry to you if you stick your finger down into the soil? Plastic pots hold moisture much longer than clay.
I guess I'm going to be different here & say while I like unglazed clay pots for some plants, I prefer a good plastic pot for many others. There are several reasons for my preference. A good plastic container can grow great plants if one takes care not to overwater & to provide proper drainage.
I like them because
1. They're easy to check for water needs by lifting the pot with plant since the plastic itself adds little weight to the wet vs dry soil.
2. They're cheap & if one breaks or cracks, no big loss.
3. They wash & sterilize easily (clay takes more scrubbing & soaking to clean) & when clean, stack neatly for future use, taking up little room. For me, this means a lot as I grow many plants & transplant fairly frequently as the plant grows or as I start new ones.
4. Since clay is porous, salt or mineral deposit builds up & doesn't with plastc. Even when one flushed the plants regularly, the salt deposit will still build up on clay.
5. Some plants, like African violets, don't like leaf stems touching the clay rim & will rot at that point. Doesn't happen with plastic.
6. And for those plants that really like high levels of soil moisture, clay pots dry out much faster (a good thing though, if you tend to overwater) whereas in plastic, they don't.
To be honest, each person probably will find their situation a little different. Just because my African violets like plastic pots better, doesn't mean the next person's will. And I get most of my pots for free. I feel I'm helping recycle as these pots would've been tossed in the garbage otherwise. I wash & save all I can & have them in sizes ranging from 2.25 inch diameter up to 10 gallon size. I prefer the smaller ones to be square rather than round as they fit nicely on a windowsill or in a longer decorative container where I can put 2 or 3 in a row.
The only clay ones I really prefer are the very big outdoor planters that are permanent with perennials planted in them. They're very heavy & don't need moving very often, if ever.
Judy
Hey ,
Thanks for the reply , i also like the terra cotta ones the best ..
but i was wondering everytime i by a plnt and bring it home in a
terra cotta pot .. The plant dies on me :( .. there so pretty when i
but them .. there the fleashy kind of plants .. tropical i guess .
would apperciate answer for that
Thanks again
Rose
--- In houseplants@yahoogroups.com, "Aelfwine"
> Hi, Rose
> I have never had the same kind of success with any other kind of
pot
> than I have had with plain, unglazed terra cotta pots indoors.
Plastic
> is cheap and widely available in many different colours and styles.
> Though this may have appeal to many, plastic does keep soil too
moist
> and can encourage mould and root rot. It just doesn't breathe the
same
> way that clay does. Glazed pots, too, can hold in too much
moisture.
> Terra cotta is really not expensive. You can get it for cheap in
many
> hardware, garden, even in dollar stores. They can be reused after a
> good washing and, in my opinion, look great. But then again, I try
> to 'go natural' in as many areas of my life as possible. You put
> plants in your home environment to improve the aesthetic and health
of
> that place. Why add plastic into that mix when you don't have
to? :) I
> would, however, recommend getting glazed water dishes for under
your
> pots. Unglazed ones allow lots of moisture to seep through and can,
> depending on other factors, cause a good deal of mould to grow on
the
> surface under the pot. I learned that through personal experience
as
best
> kind of pots to grow your house plants in??? I would a appreciate
any
I guess I'm going to be different here & say while I like unglazed clay pots
for some plants, I prefer a good plastic pot for many others. There are
several reasons for my preference. A good plastic container can grow great
plants if one takes care not to overwater & to provide proper drainage.
I like them because
1. They're easy to check for water needs by lifting the pot with plant since
the plastic itself adds little weight to the wet vs dry soil.
2. They're cheap & if one breaks or cracks, no big loss.
3. They wash & sterilize easily (clay takes more scrubbing & soaking to
clean) & when clean, stack neatly for future use, taking up little room. For
me, this means a lot as I grow many plants & transplant fairly frequently as
the plant grows or as I start new ones.
4. Since clay is porous, salt or mineral deposit builds up & doesn't with
plastc. Even when one flushed the plants regularly, the salt deposit will
still build up on clay.
5. Some plants, like African violets, don't like leaf stems touching the
clay rim & will rot at that point. Doesn't happen with plastic.
6. And for those plants that really like high levels of soil moisture, clay
pots dry out much faster (a good thing though, if you tend to overwater)
whereas in plastic, they don't.
To be honest, each person probably will find their situation a little
different. Just because my African violets like plastic pots better, doesn't
mean the next person's will. And I get most of my pots for free. I feel I'm
helping recycle as these pots would've been tossed in the garbage otherwise.
I wash & save all I can & have them in sizes ranging from 2.25 inch diameter
up to 10 gallon size. I prefer the smaller ones to be square rather than
round as they fit nicely on a windowsill or in a longer decorative container
where I can put 2 or 3 in a row.
The only clay ones I really prefer are the very big outdoor planters that
are permanent with perennials planted in them. They're very heavy & don't
need moving very often, if ever.
Judy
