After plants themselves, indoor plant pots are my other secret shopping obsession 🤫 Finding the perfect pot to accompany my new plant is such a satisfying feeling - whether it’s an aged terracotta planter or a handmade ceramic masterpiece. But beyond pure ✨ aesthetics ✨, there are other factors that come to mind when choosing a pot - and material is an important one. Here’s what to consider when choosing your plant pot material:
Glazed ceramic
Pros
You’ll come across this material more often than most - and that’s for good reason. Glazed ceramic containers are both versatile in design and affordable. Ceramic looks quality without the huge price tag, and that’s what makes it so attractive to plant owners. Some of my very favourite pots are ceramic, and handled properly they can last for decades. As most ceramic is glazed, it can retain water instead of wicking it out - making it a great option for moisture-loving plants like calathea or ferns.
Cons
The downside to ceramic is that it can break easily if dropped, depending on the thickness of the pot. If you’re clumsy like me, you’ll break at least a few over the years - but in my opinion it’s worth it. Once they’re in place, I try not to move them around too much - which means the only way they can break is if they’re knocked off a height by a pet (my cat Peaches is notorious for this! 😼) or a little one.
Terracotta
The OG plant pot, terracotta is a typically brown-orange fired clay, and has been used for centuries.
Pros
Its most useful feature is the fact it is porous, absorbing water from the soil and increasing airflow to the plant’s roots. This makes them ideal for cacti, succulents and other plants that appreciate dry soil, such as sansevieria (recently reclassified as dracaena) or ZZ plants. Besides this, they are also inexpensive and look effortlessly cool when used across a whole collection.
Over time they develop a lovely patina on the outside, which is formed when minerals are pulled from the water and through the pot’s walls - giving it a glorious, aged look. If you prefer the pot without the patina, you can always wash it off with warm, soapy water - simple! 🧽
Cons
Terracotta comes in just a handful of muted colours and shapes. For those that prefer something brighter or more varied, you’re unlikely to get that with unglazed terracotta. Because they absorb water through their walls, you need to be careful about placing them on surfaces that could be damaged by moisture, such as wood. Of course you can always get around this by placing a watertight saucer underneath.
Concrete
Concrete plant pots have become a staple in the plant world over the past few years, with everyone from interior designers to instagram influencers embracing the industrial feel concrete brings.
Pros
Concrete is cool; it just is. Whether big or small, having a concrete plant pot in your space gives it a real designer’s flair without much effort. Its muted colour simply allows your plant to look its best - whether it’s a graceful hoya or a statement snake plant. Besides this, by its very nature concrete is hard wearing, which means it’s unlikely to be damaged unless it’s dropped from high up. The fact it’s heavy - and boy can it be heavy 😅 - means it’s unlikely to be nudged over, which makes it ideal for those with kids or pets at home, or for larger plants like those on moss poles.
Cons
The main drawback of concrete is its weight. Larger pots can be difficult to get through the front door, and so it’s best to place them somewhere where they won’t be moved in the future. I also advise keeping your concrete pots somewhere they can’t fall off easily i.e. away from any ledges or tight shelves. If it’s on a stand, make sure the stand is secure. The biggest risk is not to the pot but whatever’s underneath - so bear this in mind when placing them in your home!
There are also many alternatives to concrete, including Polystone, that offer lighter pots with a similar aesthetic.
Plastic
Pros
Plastic as a material is well suited to life as a plant pot, with its water retaining, durable, lightweight nature. Even large plastic pots are light to pick up, compared to other materials. They can be easily cleaned, come in various colours and are also cheap to get your hands on - so for indoor gardeners on a budget, they’re ideal. They’re practically perfect, right? 🤔
Cons
When it comes to plastic pots, they can only ever look so good. After all, plastic is plastic - and although they’ve been adapted to look more appealing, they often still look like plastic. Besides this, petroleum-based products like plastic are particularly detrimental to our planet, which means they’re best avoided unless the pots were made with recycled plastic (which any we stock are).
A note on drainage
Most of our pots don’t have drainage holes, which is one reason we never pot directly into them - instead leaving the plant in a nursery pot (usually a small brown plastic pot) which is inserted into the cover pot. We recommend leaving them in the nursery pot as this will provide drainage and keep your surfaces dry - just remember to empty the excess water out of the cover pot after you’ve given your plant a drink.
When you decide to repot, keep the nursery pot as they can be reused over and over. This way we can keep as much plastic as possible out of landfill and do our best to preserve the environment.
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