What Pots To Use For Indoor Plants?
It is not enough to choose a “pretty” pot for indoor plants. The pots perform much more than merely holding your plant in place, and choosing the right one makes a big difference in your houseplant’s health.
What Pots To Use For Indoor Plants
Choose from a variety of pot materials, sizes, and styles depending on the plant’s moisture preferences and size. In general, use clay pots for drought-tolerant plants or those that prefer fast-draining soil. Use plastic or metal pots for plants that require moist soil.
When it comes to indoor plants, it is crucial that you know how pots impact the growth conditions for your plants. You can adapt the way you care for your plants to almost every choice of pot. Read on to find out everything you need to know about indoor plants and learn how to grow in them.
Different Types Of Pots For Indoor Plants
If you stroll down the plant pot aisle at your local garden center or home improvement store, you will notice all the different types of pots available. They are available in many materials, colors, shapes, and sizes and choosing the right one can seem difficult.
When selecting a pot for the plant you’re planning to grow in it, it’s important to understand the plant’s culture and characteristics first in order to ensure problem-free and vigorous growth.
Here are the pros and cons of different pot materials, as well as how they impact plant conditions.
Common Houseplant Pot Materials
Terracotta
A terracotta pot is typically an unglazed, clay-based material that has been baked. In Italian, the word terracotta means baked earth.
Pros
Reddish-brown Terracotta can be used to enhance any plant.
A variety of pots have been developed over the years, ranging from those that accommodate smaller plants like herbs to those for larger plants like trees.
Terracotta pots range in price from very inexpensive to very expensive.
This variety is ideal for plants that are prone to drought.
It is less likely to tip over when pots are heavier and more stable.
Cons
Terracotta pots with no liner dry out quickly, which means they must be watered more frequently than pots with non-porous liners.
It can be difficult to move larger terra cotta pots filled with soil, so place the pots on wheels as they are heavy and are hard to move.
When the pot is dropped or damaged, the material is fragile and can be broken easily.
Ceramic
Ceramic pots are manufactured using earthen materials that are denser and less porous than Terracotta pots. Ceramic pots have a glaze on the outside as well as the inside.
Pros
A variety of shapes, colors, and patterns are available in ceramic pots, with many of them intricately decorated.
A pot made from this material is much more durable than one made of terracotta and will last for years.
A ceramic pot’s soil does not dry as quickly as one made of terracotta.
It is ideal for plants that prefer consistent moist conditions.
The ceramic pots are stable and heavy, and therefore not likely to fall over.
Cons
If you are moving a larger ceramic pot filled with soil, place it on a stand with wheels to make moving it easier. Terracotta pots filled with soil are also heavy to move.
Large ceramic pots can be very expensive, especially when purchased in bulk.
You might have to drill a hole in the bottom of some pots if the bottom does not have drain holes, this is to prevent soil that is too wet.
Plastic
Gardeners can choose from a wide variety of indoor plant pots in plastic that can be used to highlight the beauty of their plants as well as complement the décor.
Pros
The plastic pot is the least expensive of all the pot materials.
There are many colors and sizes of plastic pots.
Plastic pots are very lightweight and don’t weigh as much as ceramic or terracotta.
When dropped, they will not break and will withstand damage better.
The soil stays moist for a longer period.
Plants that require a bit more moisture would benefit from this type.
Cons
The color of cheap plastic pots will fade, turn brittle, and break over time if allowed to sit in the sun.
Considering that plastic pots aren’t porous, overwatering may cause the soil conditions to become too soggy, which could negatively affect the health of the plant.
Wooden
The natural look and feel of wood give your planter a rich, expensive appearance and make it an excellent building material. As long as they are made of sturdy wood like cedar or redwood and have stainless steel hardware, wooden pots can last for many years.
Using pine will produce wooden pots that last longer, but they might be toxic to your plants if treated with chemicals. Lining a wooden pot with plastic will extend its life by preventing extensive water damage.
Pros
Creating wooden pots that are sized and styled to suit your preferences is an easy DIY project that requires basic tools.
Staining or painting the wood can be done to suit your preferences.
A wooden pot is significantly cheaper than a ceramic or terracotta pot of similar quality.
Wooden pots can be made from recycled materials, such as wooden boxes, crates, baskets, or bark.
Cons
For a wooden pot to last longer, it is necessary to periodically reseal it.
In addition to the wood decaying after a few years, if a plastic liner is not used the pot may remain wet or being made from inferior woods.
It depends on the pot’s wood, whether it is sealed or unsealed, whether it is porous or not the soil will dry out quickly.
Wooden pots and planters indoors are more likely to leak, so you’ll need a drip tray.
Metal
The unique look of metal plant pots can enhance the beauty of the plants they hold. No matter your design style, you can find a metal pot that complements it.
Pros
Make sure to provide a bottom drainage hole when repurposing metal items into plant pots.
Metal pots can be used as decorative items in indoor settings by adding plants.
The metal containers for indoor use are long-lasting and durable.
The options for metal containers are endless, from different sizes and shapes to various colors.
Cons
Certain metals, including copper, copper alloys, and zinc alloys, can rust.
The heavier the container made out of a metal such as iron once filled with soil, the harder it becomes to move.
Drain holes are usually installed in the bottom of solid metal containers.
In a constantly hot and sunny place, the container can heat the soil, which causes it to dry out faster.
The soil remains moist longer on metal than it would on ceramic, so if you have an inclination to overwater, this can pose a problem.
Fiberglass
A fiberglass pot is made of fibers mixed with resin, resulting in an exceedingly lightweight container. A fiberglass pot can be molded into almost any size or shape. In fact, you may mistake it for plastic or even ceramic.
Pros
The pots made from fiberglass are durable and can last for years.
In contrast to ceramics or clay, fiberglass is extremely lightweight.
Fiberglass pots come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and designs.
It retains moisture longer, since it is non-porous.
Cons
Pots made of fiberglass can be expensive.
Occasionally, the pot’s outside can become frayed after years of use.
They break more easily than plastic pots.
Houseplant Pot Size And Drainage
Consider pot size and drainage when choosing pots for your indoor plants. Pot material is one factor to consider, but so is the material for the pot.
Pot Size
The pot size of a particular plant compared to its size may not seem like a big deal, but it is in fact crucial. The pot size can make all the difference between a healthy plant and one that’s in poor condition.
Small Pots
The pot for your indoor plants should complement the size of the plant. Using a pot that’s too small means that the soil will dry out much more quickly after being watered. A drought-tolerant plant can benefit from this, but one that requires consistently moist soil will have difficulty being managed.
Additionally, a pot that is too small for the plant increases the likelihood of it becoming root-bound faster than if it were grown in a pot with several inches of room to grow. Rootbound plants may not mind being crowded, some of them prefer it, but others will not tolerate crowded conditions, causing the plant to grow and become unhealthy.
A relatively small pot is better for plant types such as African violets, Hoyas, and Phalanopsis orchids that prefer to be rootbound.
The majority of succulents and cacti prefer conditions that are drier, so small pots work well for them.
Furthermore, a plant in a container that is too small can make the plant top-heavy, making it prone to falling over, which not only creates a messy mess on the floor, but can damage the plant, too.
Large Pots
A large pot is useful for growing plants indoors that will grow too top-heavy to keep from tipping over and possibly breaking the pot or damaging the plant. Large pots are important when growing tall, heavy indoor plants.
When using larger pots for indoor plants, you can create a container garden and plant many different types of plants together, allowing the roots of each one to grow properly.
The pot must not be larger than the plant growing in it. However, there are things to consider when you use a pot of that size.
Large pots with excess soil can cause health problems such as root rot houseplant diseases. They will not perform their best if grown in a pot that is too large. Some plants like spider plants and African violets can do better in root-bound containers.
In order to select the perfect pot for your houseplant, you need to know how to answer these questions.
- Are wettier or drier soil conditions preferred by the plant?
- Is the plant more comfortable being root bound?
- Are the plants succulents or cacti that prefer drier, fast-draining soil?
- Do the plants grow quickly and will they become root-heavy quickly?
Expert Tip: If you are not able to determine the answers to the above questions, there are basic pot selection tips that should work for most plants and get you using a suitable sized container.
The container should be approximately one to two inches larger than the one the plant is currently in. This prevents the possibility of the soil being overly wet.
The chosen pot should have plenty of drainage holes so that you don’t end up with waterlogged soil.
Make sure the potting mix is well-draining so plants receive adequate oxygen and drainage.
The Importance Of Proper Drainage
Plants that grow well in soil with adequate drainage require good potting soil and containers with bottom drainage holes. Part of the solution lies in choosing the right pot and soil and part of the solution in making sure that the container has drainage holes.
Since the extra water cannot escape the container when it stays moist for longer periods, the soil can become soggy. Most indoor plants cannot tolerate soggy soil conditions, especially for prolonged periods.
In a plant container with drainage holes, the water will run to the root system and stay moist while draining out of the bottom. This results in a healthy, thriving plant.
People with a tendency to overwater are most likely to have problems growing in pots without bottom drainage. Non-draining pots can cause the following problems:
Plants often die from root rot.
It is more likely that pests and diseases will flourish in wet soils.
Salts in fertilizer can’t be dissolved in water, causing foliage burns.
In soggy soil conditions, the oxygenation of the root system is significantly reduced, which negatively affects plant growth and roots.
Generally, indoor plants should never be grown in containers without drain holes. However, there are some situations in which this is possible, but it must be done with utmost care.
Making and caring for open or closed terrariums can be fun and exciting, and they can make beautiful ornaments for your home. Terrariums are one notable exception, with no drainage holes required.
Depending on the material of the pot, you can drill holes in the bottom or punch them through with a can opener or screwdriver if the pot does not come with bottom drain holes.
Basic Tips For Planting Houseplants In Pots
Once you have chosen the container you want to use, it’s time to get your plants ready for growing. Here are some basics to remember:
Indoor plants should be potted in pots that are only an inch or two larger than the container they are currently in. This will reduce the risk of overwatering.
Keeping plants as deep as they originally grew in their nursery container is key to preventing undue stress on the plant, preventing it from flourishing.
Most potting soils are too heavy and not able to drain effectively, leaving the soil soggy. Potting mixes are lighter weight and more drainable.
Using Pots In Indoor Spaces
Home should be a place of calm and relaxation, in addition to reflecting your personal style. It’s also a place where you can be yourself. Adding an indoor plant can bring a positive impact to your home whether you have a specific design style or not, also creating an interesting and peaceful environment.
In your home, you have a wide range of options for displaying greenery, from tables and shelves to bookcases, plant stands, to hanging pots from the ceiling or rafters.
No matter what kind of tropical look you seek or what kind of bohemian style you desire, potted plants will fulfill your dreams and aspirations.
A natural feel will enhance any indoor space with a variety of hanging plants hung from decorative hangers.
Use decorated cachepots for your houseplants to complement your design style.
You can place your potted plants on racks, tables or tree stands near a staircase, depending on your preferences.
Using appropriate sized plants to fill bookshelves, windowsills, and tables will help create a sense of organic beauty in your home.
Raised planters and taller plants help you highlight your plants and complement your decor and furniture.
Mix containers of different sizes and styles in one location, placing the taller ones at the back and the smaller ones at the front.
Whether you are looking for pots or plants to fill your indoor space with living beauty, there is something for everybody. As long as you know your plant’s specific likes and dislikes, you’ll choose the container that’s best suited for good growth.
Adding more than a few potted plants to your indoor space can bring a natural and relaxing vibe. You have many options for indoor plant pots from the plain to elaborately decorated.