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If you’re a plant parent, chances are, you want your plant babes to be happy and healthy. One aspect of keeping your foliage thriving and looking its best is choosing the right pot material. More than just aesthetics, the material of your plant pot can have an impact on how much moisture is retained or how quickly the soil drains.
Terracotta
Terracotta is one of the oldest and the most popular materials for indoor garden planters. It’s a reddish-brown type of clay fired at low temperatures. The porous nature of this material facilitates oxygen exchange, which allows the roots of your plants to breathe. Additionally, after watering your plants, this type of indoor plant pot absorbs some of the extra moisture, keeping roots from remaining in damp soil for an extended time.
Terracotta indoor pots are an excellent choice for succulents, cacti, Mediterranean herbs, snake plants and other plants that require dry soil. By absorbing water, these porous clay pots allow excess moisture to be released from the soil more quickly. On the other hand, certain plants, like moss and ferns, require soil that stays damp, which makes them more challenging to grow in terracotta pots.
The fact that terracotta clay is efficient at managing the water levels of plants means that this type of quality indoor plant pot material can make it easier for you to keep your plants healthy and hydrated, even if you are not blessed with a green thumb. On the flip side, if you tend to show your plants too much love and often end up overwatering them, it’s a good thing to know that terracotta pots allow excess moisture to evaporate through the walls of the pot.
This can reduce the risk of developing fungal diseases usually caused by overwatering or poor soil drainage. Also, since terracotta absorbs water, it takes up salts, minerals, and fertilisers from the soil and water. Your naturally brown pot may turn white or develop a patchy patina giving planters a rusted, aged look that many find attractive.
However, compared to other planter materials, unglazed terracotta clay tends to dry out more quickly. Therefore you’ll usually need to water your plants more often to avoid chipping or cracking. Speaking of cracking, terracotta planters are prone to breaking if dropped or hit with a heavy object.
Ceramic
Ceramic pots are another popular choice when it comes to indoor gardening. Ceramic is a clay-based material that has been fired at higher temperatures, offering greater durability and versatility in terms of finishes and colours compared to terracotta pots.
As already mentioned, terracotta pots tend to chip and crack. However, this is not the case with ceramic pots. That’s because usually a layer of lacquer is applied to ceramic pots during glazing. This also stops the soil from drying up as quickly as it would in an unglazed clay or terracotta plant. Another great advantage that ceramic indoor pots have over terracotta ones is their appearance.
Contrary to terracotta pots that come in reddish-brown colours, you can find ceramic pots in a vast range of beautiful colours and patterns. However, keep in mind that these pots are usually sold without any drainage holes at all. What this means is that the roots of your plants will sit in very wet conditions. If you plan to beautify your home with these pots, your best bet is to choose plants that prefer evenly moist soil. These include spider plants and Boston ferns.
Plastic
Plastic pots can be a wonderful option for housing your indoor plants because they are typically less expensive and available in an array of forms and hues. Contrary to their clay counterparts, plastic pot containers usually have more drainage holes. These holes serve many purposes, from allowing water to drain from the soil to enabling good airflow.
Also, plastic indoor pots are relatively lightweight and easy to move around the house to meet your plants’ unique sun requirements. This makes them an ideal choice for renters and people who move regularly. Unlike terracotta and clay, plastic pots are non-porous. They don’t let in or out as much moisture or oxygen meaning that air movement doesn’t happen inside the container. Because of this, plastic pots hold moisture for almost twice as long as clay planters.
Therefore you need to water your plants less when they are placed in plastic pots than when they’re housed in clay or ceramic pots. So, if you like greenery but tend to forget to water your plants, plastic is probably a safer option than terracotta or ceramic. On a final note, if you want to take things up a notch, you can use woven baskets. Think of these as jackets to dress up an already potted plant. Woven baskets can elevate your home décor and add personality to your houseplants.