Our last couple posts were about houseplants and/or potted plants. Let’s stay on that subject for now. Let’s focus on one of the very first things that you will need when planting in pots, that is, the ‘Pot’ itself.
The very best pots for plants’ health and vigor are made from materials that are porous. The soil and the roots need to ‘breathe’. This may not be the same type of breathing that is needed above ground, but still, the access to air should not be completely limited to the ground surface. The types of pots that meet the ‘breathable’ requirement are made from:
- Terra cotta
- Un-glazed ceramic,
- Stone
- Coir (coconut composite)
- Concrete.
This is not a comprehensive list. Wood and fiberglass (of particular specs) also work, and there are still more out there, but these are just the most available options.
The easiest way to know if a material is porous is to consider how it holds water.
• If you fill a container with water and (after some time) the outside of the container darkens in color and feels cold or damp to the touch, then it is porous
• If you fill a container with water and no matter how long it sets, the outside of the container remains completely dry, it is not porous.
Considering this attribute, you may see that perhaps the most popular material used for economical pots is not recommended for permanent or very long-term plantings. That is, plastic is not on the list of good porous breathable planter material. Sorry about that. That said, plastic planters are fine for temporary situations as in transportation, or when re-potting is going to be performed within a relatively short period of time (as in within a month or two). Also, there are some plants that require high volumes of water to pass through the growing medium or that consume so much water, that non-porous pots are fine.
Good luck finding the perfect pot 😉
Happy Growing
Gardenersbud
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