Ceramic Vs Clay Pots For Plants

The porosity of clay allows air and moisture to penetrate the sides of the pot.

Ceramic vs clay pots for plants. 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. Plants that prefer drier soil are better suited to clay pots. 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.

Recently i had great success growing a yellow bell pepper a in largish ceramic pot. Air movement stimulates root growth which results in healthier plants. Clay pots provide a healthy environment for most plants. 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.

The best thing about ceramic plant pots is that besides the obvious aesthetic advantages they will prevent any ambient humidity from reaching. Terra cotta unglazed clay pots are made of a particular soil and fired in kilns during the manufacturing process. At a glance you may think a ceramic pot is simply a terracotta pot with a good paint job. The pot is about 18 high and 12 14 in diameter.

Clay is the natural raw natural material actually used in making terra cotta and ceramic pots. I think a great place to get pots ceramic terra cotta is on craigslist or ebay. Disadvantages to clay pots. 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.

Ceramic plant pots are really beautiful you ve probably seen them in decorating stores or on cafe tables. For one clay is a heavy material with very little flexibility which means it easily breaks and is difficult to move. Again watch out for pilfering animals. One of the downsides to clay pots is that clay is porous.

Clay pots wick water and potting mix dries out faster which means you need to water plants more. The word terra cotta itself means baked earth in italian. Generally plants that prefer moist soil are better suited to plastic pots. Breaks easily especially if moved around a.

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. That should give us a clue.