Clay or Plastic Plant Pots

Some plants thrive best in plant pots. Others need pots to help them through their juvenile life until they can be planted out into a permanent position in the garden.

Uses of Plant Pots

• Pots are a good medium for containing, selling and transporting plants. Garden centers couldn’t function without them and nurseries nowadays only sell a small number of bare rooted plants.
• Pots protect and enable plants to develop good root system.
• Pots can be the final home for some plants and be used in a decorative manner.
• Houseplants are invariably housed in a pot of some description.

Clay Pots

• Terracotta pots made from fired clay are the pots old gardeners had to use.
• Clay pots are porous and allow water and air to move within the compost.
• Water evaporation from the sides is slow but helps keep the pot and soil cool.
• Clay pots can be heavy and well balanced so shouldn’t be blown over.
• Clay pots tend to dry out quicker than other pots and watering needs must be considered.
• Some plants such as Auriculas, love the conditions of clay pots.
• Glazed pots are usually earthen ware or some form of clay pot.

Plastic Pots

• These are cheap to manufacture, available in many sizes and light to carry.
• Black flexible plastic is used for larger pots. Brittle plastic seems to be used for small 3″ and similar pots.
• Plastic pots are easy to clean with a disinfectant. Pots can be reused many time and last several seasons.
• Plastic pots tend to breed and if you end up with a surplus they are not  recyclable.
• Plastic pots rely on the compost to control the watering and moisture level.
• Roots do not adhere to the sides of the pot as they may do with clay pots.

Related article Tips for Planting Summer Pots