Potted plants are a great way to enhance the visual appeal of your space. To keep them looking beautiful, you must understand and meet all your plants’ needs. That includes choosing the proper planter.
Planter choice isn’t only a matter of aesthetics; it’s the key to successful gardening. The type of pot you use, both for your indoor and outdoor plants, can determine how healthy or unhealthy they are. A pot’s material, size and drainage feature impact a plant’s wellbeing. Also, you need to bear in mind that different plants require different growing environments and, therefore, different types of planters.
How can you choose the best garden pots for your plants? What are the most important factors to consider?
Material
As long as you know how the pot’s material impacts the plant it holds, you can successfully use any type of planter. Every material type absorbs water and retains heat differently, meaning you must adapt your watering schedule. Knowing the amount of water your plant needs can be challenging, especially if you’re a gardening newbie. With that said, it won’t hurt to understand how different materials work. Terracotta, concrete, plastic and wood are the preferable material choices.
Terracotta
Terracotta plant pots come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They look great anywhere you put them, and their earthy colour highlights the beauty of plants. Terracotta planters are made of porous clay rich in iron, meaning it’s breathable. Breathability can be very beneficial for plants, as it cools potting soils and wicks excess moisture away from plant roots, keeping them healthy.
The main disadvantage of terracotta is that it’s relatively fragile. Ensure keeping these garden pots inside during low temperatures to prevent container frost cracks. You must be especially careful with placing terracotta flower pots in the sun, as it can dry them out quite quickly, retaining heat. Some gardeners prefer glazed terracotta pots because of their efficient water hold.
Concrete
Concrete pots are heavy, making them ideal for large plants or trees that need more support to keep contained. Using concrete flower planters provides a comfortable soil environment that helps insulate and protect root systems. They are well if left outside in winter, as frost and low temperatures can’t harm them. Bonus tip: because of their heavy weight, it’s unlikely that anyone would try to steal your prize plants in concrete pots.
Plastic
Plastic is a brilliant choice if you aren’t concerned about container appearance or have another option like putting them in another container, such as a beautiful woven basket. Besides being durable, plastic pots retain moisture well. And they’re very inexpensive, offering an opportunity to make a worthy splurge on the display containers. Also, they’re very lightweight, making them a good option if you tend to rearrange your garden often.
Experts’ tip: choose light-coloured plastic pots for very sunny locations: the dark-coloured and black pots absorb heat and get hot, damaging tender roots.
Wood
Natural and looking good, wood containers are one of the most functional garden pot materials. They retain water well and are lightweight. When choosing wooden pots for your plants, opt for those made of rot-resistant woods, such as cedar or redwood. Also, check the quality of construction, as wood will shrink and expand when exposed to the elements. Pine or other softwoods can work well, too; just select ones painted with non-toxic paint or stain to prevent rot.
Size
The general recommendation is to choose a pot one size larger than the size of the plant, typically 3-5 cm larger on average. Experienced gardeners recommend starting with a smaller pot and moving the plant to a larger one as it grows. The same advice goes for seedlings and houseplant cuttings. Also, when you decide on repotting your plant, you should select a 3-5 cm deeper pot than the previous one. The larger the plants, you should use even larger pots: 7-10 cm on average.
Another factor for repotting is the hoe large a plant grows. Some plants can stay in the same pot for years, while others require frequent repotting. If you see the plant’s roots sticking out from the bottom, or if it dries soon after you water it, the recommendation is to place them in a bigger pot. Other signs include mould and odour developing and roots replacing soil at the top.
Drainage
Planter’s drainage features are one of the crucial factors to consider when buying a flower pot. No drainage puts plants at risk of being wet for a prolonged time, and too much moisture can be as harmful to plants as too little.
Opt for pots that have holes in the bottom, even if you’re growing plants that love wetter soils. Pots with drainage holes allow the excess water to drain out at the bottom and not gather at the pot’s base since it can cause root rotting and the growth of bacteria and fungus.
When choosing pots with holes, be careful, though. Ensure catching the leaking water by putting fitting saucers under the planters. That way, you’ll prevent the extra water from ruining your floors and furniture. Some containers come with matching saucers, or you can buy separate ones in case they don’t. Regarding the saucer’s size, you should go for at least 3-5 cm wider than the bottom of the container.
If you like a garden pot with no drainage holes, know that you can still use it. It’s possible to add a drainage system to these so-called cachepots. One way to do it is to put your plant in a plastic pot and then place it in the decorative container of choice above some gravel. Then, you can hide it by putting some Spanish or sheet moss on the top. Note that plants in cachepots need less water.
The Bottom Line
So, what are the best plant pots to buy? There’s no single solution for choosing the right pot for your plant. You must consider several factors like the information in this blog post, how much time you have and the needs of your plants. That’s the only way to make the best choice and help your green buddies thrive.
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