One of the best ways to set yourself up for success or failure as a plant parent is to choose the correct pot or planter for your house plant.
This is a step that I don’t hear spoken about that often yet, it is critical in helping make sure that your plant does not get root rot and thrives.
In this blog post, I’m going to be sharing some simple steps that will set you up for success when it comes to choosing the correct pot for your plant.
Most of the plants that I have are tropical plants and it’s really important to pick the right pot that meets their needs.
If you’re like me you’ve probably heard people swear by using either terra cotta or plastic or ceramic.
I have to say it depends on your care schedule so are you the type of plant parent that is like me? I’m an under waterer. So I wait until the very last minute when I have to water my plants.
They’re usually a little thirsty or are you the type of plant parent that loves going around and watering your plants you know you enjoy that care routine.
Key factors you should consider
As per my experience, following key factors you need to consider when choosing the right pot for your plants.
Plant size
It’s essential to choose a pot, based on the plant site. It will help its growth & health. If your plant is too small when compared to the plant, it will restrict roots from healthy growing. As a result, it may limit the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients and water which is a barrier for your plant to grow.
Therefore, when you select the plant pot, you must consider how much space your plant demands for roots. For example, a plant like Mosntera requires more than 14 inches of pot. If you are unable to visualize how much it will require, research the plant, before you buy a pot.
Water needs of your plant
Another critical factor is how much water the plant requires to drink. If your plant needs more water, it’s better to choose a big pot as it will help to hold more soil & moisture. by getting a larger pot, you can keep the solid without drying out too quickly.
However, such as cacti and succulents like smaller pots as there is not much water requirement for those plants.
Material of the pot
The material of the pot directly affects your plant’s health. When it comes to terracotta pots, they suck water too quickly hence terracotta pots are more suitable for plants that don’t require much water. But, if you use terracotta pots for plants with more water requirements, you have to water them frequently.
Also, using terracotta pots will help you to avoid root rods.
If you have an idea to select a plastic pot, it is the ideal solution for plants that want to drink more water.
The Best Plant Pot for a Top Waterer.
If you’re the type of plant parent that does a really good job at staying on top of watering, your plants don’t go thirsty for any period.
Your main concern is the soil becoming over-saturated because you are on top of your
Watering. In this case, I would recommend or you may want to consider a couple of different options the first of all being a terra cotta pot.
Terra cotta pot
Terra cotta is a very porous substance and type of porous material. so it actually will wick away its extra moisture. It does a great job of preventing your plant from becoming oversaturated.
It’s great for Anthurium or philodendrons if you’re watering a lot. Almost all of our indoor plants don’t want to be sitting in saturated soil. so terra cotta is a great option.
Nursery pot
Another fantastic option that is one of my favorites is using a nursery pot that has a lot of drainage holes. I like to use nursery pots inside of other pots. So that I can have the decorated planter that I love.
I can just move my plants around or I also like the clear ones so that I can keep an eye on the roots and see if there is root rot or if it needs to be repotted.
I would say with any kind of nursery pot that you choose, just make sure there is a ton of drainage holes. The drainage will help allow airflow into the plant & allow the extra water to escape from the pot.
Best Plant Pot for an Under Waterer.
If you are an under waterer and you wait until the very last minute to water your plants, your soil tends to stay dry for some time. So, you may have to consider a plastic or a ceramic type of planter. This will just help the soil retain some of that moisture for a little bit longer and not wick away the moisture quite as quickly as maybe a terracotta.
Choosing the correct size of your pot
When choosing a pot, the most important part is choosing the correct size. If you are looking at repotting your plant or if you’re sure that the soil is compact with roots there’s no more room for the roots to grow, then you have to be mindful when choosing your planter.
When you are choosing a new planter, you want to get a pot that does not have a lot of extra room for the roots. You just want to have that extra one or two inches to allow some room for the roots to grow. But you don’t want to have a ton of excess soil around the roots when you repot it.
If you end up getting a planter that’s far too large and your planter ends up being full of soil and not roots, when you water that plant those roots aren’t going to be able to absorb all that moisture in the soil. As a result, those roots are just going to end up sitting in saturated wet soil. This is likely to cause root rot.
Sometimes you may find a planter that’s perfect for your space, but it’s just too big. what I do in that case is, plant my pot in a correct size nursery pot and then I just the plant in a nursery pot and I put that into the perfect planter.
But, you can maybe put something underneath it to elevate it if you need to. But you know that that plant is not going to be susceptible to root rot. Because it is in the correct planter.
Importance of drainage
The Next thing is drainage and I cannot stress enough how important drainage is on a planter.
you can’t have too much drainage. I came across so many beautiful pots, but they only have one little drainage hole on the bottom.
When it comes to terra cotta, with a terra-cotta pot even if it just has one little drainage hole on the bottom, that’s usually fine.
As long as there’s at least one drainage hole because it’s wicking moisture.
So it’s not going to develop root rot on the plant, because it’s not going to be sitting in super-saturated soil usually. But if it is plastic and ceramic that is a problem.
I’ve seen people do this, just getting a drill bit and drilling holes in the bottom of the planter. That’s not my favorite thing to do. I prefer using a nursery pot.
I find nursery pots to meet all of my needs when it comes to a planter. I can always find the perfect size one it has all its draining.
What I do is, I just like put it into the cash pot or the nursery pot that maybe doesn’t have any drainage holes or just one or two.
It’s perfect and I like that I can kind of decorate with it and move my plants around.
The most important point with any of your house plants and whatever type of planter you’re using whether it’s terra cotta ceramic or plastic is to make sure there is good drainage.
there’s not just airflow to the plant but that the water can easily escape the plant. any excess water can escape and help prevent your plant from developing root rot.
Correct Soil
It’s very important to note that even if you pick the absolute perfect planter that has everything, if you have the wrong soil it’s going to hold too much moisture and it will cause root rot on your plant.
Most of our indoor plants are going to be much more at risk of developing root rot with a regular potting mix.
If you’re comfortable with mixing your soil, that’s a great option. Because you can work with kind of any potting mix that you already have.
If you like to mix your soil, make sure you have at least 50 of either orchid bark or perlite, or pumice mixed in.
If you’re using a regular potting mix, there are so many different options out there for soil that works around your budget.
Those are my top suggestions and tips to keep in mind when you are choosing a planter for your plant.
If you are a plant lover like me, keep my tips in your mind. See you soon with a new post.
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