Ceramic Vs Clay Pots For Plants

Plants that prefer drier soil are better suited to clay pots.

Ceramic vs clay pots for plants.

Disadvantages to clay pots. That should give us a clue. Yes plastic pots hold more water than clay but this makes them an ideal choice for plants that thrive in moist soil or if you tend to forget to water. Ebay is great for smaller prettier pots for your succulents.

Generally plants that prefer moist soil are better suited to plastic pots. They can be heavy and fragile and will break if they fall on the floor so we wouldn t recommend hanging them or placing them up high. Plus clay pots release moisture faster when it s hot outside which means you ll need to water plants more frequently to prevent soil from drying out. Porous ceramic pots also called unglazed clay allow air and water movement through the sides of the pot.

The pot is about 18 high and 12 14 in diameter. One of the downsides to clay pots is that clay is porous. The word terra cotta itself means baked earth in italian. Again watch out for pilfering animals.

To explain a little better let s talk about these types of pots their general attributes why they work better for some plants than others and their overall pros and cons. For one clay is a heavy material with very little flexibility which means it easily breaks and is difficult to move. I think a great place to get pots ceramic terra cotta is on craigslist or ebay. Air movement stimulates root growth which results in healthier plants.

At a glance you may think a ceramic pot is simply a terracotta pot with a good paint job. Terra cotta unglazed clay pots are made of a particular soil and fired in kilns during the manufacturing process. Clay can be thought of in terms of geological raw material which is the foundation product for the firing in the kiln which produces terra cotta and ceramics. The best thing about ceramic plant pots is that besides the obvious aesthetic advantages they will prevent any ambient humidity from reaching.

However ceramic pots are typically glazed with a coat of lacquer that prevents the soil from drying out at the same speed as it would in an unglazed clay or terracotta planter. The porosity of clay allows air and moisture to penetrate the sides of the pot. Clay is the natural raw natural material actually used in making terra cotta and ceramic pots. Clay pots provide a healthy environment for most plants.

Clay pots wick water and potting mix dries out faster which means you need to water plants more. Recently i had great success growing a yellow bell pepper a in largish ceramic pot.