Clay Vs Ceramic Pots

The debate regarding plastic versus ceramic pots is long standing.

Clay vs ceramic pots. Clay is a type of ceramic but not all ceramics are made of clay. The material of pre fired ceramics. 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 later is mostly made from ceramic clay a composition of stoneware porcelain or terracotta.

As nouns the difference between ceramic and clay is that ceramic is uncountable a hard brittle material that is produced through burning of nonmetallic minerals at high temperatures while clay is a mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina that is ductile when moist. This is the environment that cactus type plants love so much. Clay planter pots have small holes and allow easier water flow and air flow to the roots of the plants. Some gardeners love plastic pots others will only use ceramic or clay.

The word terra cotta itself means baked earth in italian. Clay pots are very useful for plants that like dry soil. Each type of flower pot has advantages and disadvantages. That should give us a clue.

Most often the precursor rock is a type of granite. Why choose between plastic vs clay pots when you can have the best of both worlds. Like terracotta pots they are made by firing clay in kilns but are then painted or glazed in decorative colors and designs. Clay is the natural raw natural material actually used in making terra cotta and ceramic pots.

Clay is created by the by the chemical weathering and geothermal alteration of igneous rocks into hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates. Clay and ceramic are often used to describe different materials for making pottery. The commercially popular clay pot cooking sets are nowhere close to this one. These go through a mechanized manufacturing process which necessarily uses chemicals.

Ceramic planter pots are one of the most common and durable pots if you compare clay pots vs plastic pots. Glazed clay pots are somewhat of an intermediate between plastic and unglazed clay pots.