Selecting the best plant pots can be a daunting task for many. It has to be in line with the interior design of the house and also the plant pot has to provide the right environment for the plant to grow. The right plant pot depends on the type of plant that you intend to grow in them as well since the water and soil requirements for each type of plants differ.
We will answer these questions and help you to choose the right plant pot for your garden
Factors to consider while choosing the right plant pot
Size of the plant pot
There are different sizes of pots. As a rule of thumb the diameter of the pot should be more than 1.5 inches than the root system. This depends on the plant that you want to grow in the plant pot that you have chosen. The plant pot size is generally calculated as diameter of the top.
4 inch plant pots
These 4 inch (10 cm) pots are mini pots which could be ideal on a dining table when you have classic dinner sets laid on the table. These plant pots can look great with small succulents. These can be a great choice for your work table as well.
10 inch plant pots
10 inch diameter pots or 25 cm are ideal to grow succulents, herbs, leafy vegetables like lettuce, strawberries, flowers like marigold
14 Inch plant pots
The 14 inch diameter (35 cm) pots are larger and they can grow cabbages, bush pepper, carrots, spinach and other vegetable varieties.
18 inch plant pots
The large plant pots can be ideal for a corner in your home or office. These can be a great choice for gifts as well. This can be a good choice for a dwarf / decorative palm plant which can improve the aesthetics of your home. There are a variety of vegetables which can be grown as well including broccoli, zucchini, brinjal ( egg plant), tomatoes etc
24 Inch plant pots
If you are planning to keep a dwarf tree, you could choose this large 24 inch diameter (60 cm) plant pot. These plant pots ideally should be in your terrace or balcony. You could grow dwarf mango trees in this pot provided, there is enough fertilizer in the soil.
Based on plant pot material
Plastic plant pots
Plastic pots are lightweight and low cost. These are now available in a variety of sizes and colours. If you plan to keep the plant pot in direct sunlight, then plastic might not be the best choice especially the black coloured ones which would absorb the sunlight and burn the plant roots.
Ceramic plant pots
Ceramic plant pots have the classy and royal look but they are expensive These are a great choice to keep inside the house. Almost all the plants go great in these ceramic pots. The only drawback is when you grow a tree with powerful roots, it could crack open ceramic pots
Terracotta plant pots
Terracotta pots are made of clay, these are the classic pots which were popular till now. These days many terracotta pots are available after applying paint but please be vary of those as paint would clog the porosity of the pots which was the main attraction.
One thing to note in the terracotta pots is that since this material absorbs water from the soil they dry the soil. So please ensure you either water the plants regularly or plant water resistant plants
Wooden plant pots
Wooden plant pots are primarily used for decoration plants and can be an ideal companion with the best dinner sets on your table. This can be a great choice for succulents. You cannot get the sufficient diameter to grow large plants and is not recommended
Hanging plant pots
This can be another great choice for improving the decor of your home. This would be ideal for hanging plants. The drawback here is, you cannot have large pots hanging since the weight of the soil would make it fall down if you dont have a tough rope to keep it sturdy
So, overall, the material of the plant pot should ideally be porous which would ensure that there is sufficient aeration and dryness and we recommend terracotta over plastic and wooden are better than terracotta. Ceramic plant pots are also a great choice in this regard
Utility Vs Aesthetics of Plant pots
Drainage is important for any plant pot to ensure that there is not much clogging in the soil and ensures the right water content in the soil, please also ensure the drainage holes are near the bottom and not exactly on the backside since it would be difficult to clean them once you have soil inside.
Drainage platter
Always remember that you buy a drainage plate when you are planning to keep the plant pot inside the house. This is mandatory so that the water that is dripping wont dirty you house
Conclusion
To summarise the three most important things to consider are
- Size of the plant pot
- Material and type of the plant pot
- Utility (Drainage) over aesthetics
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