Clay or Plastic Pots
Your greenhouse is a home for your plants, It is a space that gives you the ultimate conditions for working with them. One thing to consider in the greenhouse is what type of pots will work best for you. It is important that you keep different types of pots around to meet different needs.

Posted Thursday, April 13, 2006

When should you consider using clay pots in the greenhouse? Clay pots are going to be more expensive in the long run. Only grow plants that you are not going to give away in the near future in clay. Clay pots can also break when they are dropped. If you have a hard time picking up heavier things, plastic pots are more for you.

Clay pots that have been sitting in the greenhouse for sometime without being used should be washed before used. Bacteria and fungus can grow easily in the pores of these pots, invisible to the human eye.

Clay pots that you are going to use for the first time will need soaked in water so they can hold water longer after your plant is planted. Using dry clay pots will soak the water out of the soil away from the roots and the plants.

When using clay pots, be sure to keep some type of mulch on the soil so that it does not dry out as fast. In a clay pot, the soil can heat up and dry out faster, leaving you with the task to water more often. Clay pots will not tip over as often as plastic plants because the pots are heavier. If you have a problem with the dog, small children, or even yourself tipping over plants, clay is the way to go.

So, what about all those plastic pots that you see everyone else using? Plastic pots are great for those who cannot lift heavy objects.

Plastic pots are inexpensive enough that you can cut your costs if you are a reseller or if giving some of your plants away. Plastic pots have a life span that is shorter than clay, because after handling a year or two a plastic pot usually is going to crack or break. It takes a hard fall for a plastic pot to actually break on the first time.

Plastic pots take up less space in storage because you can stack them. Most often clay pots need to have piece of broken clay, stone or another material in the bottom to prevent soil from getting out through the large holes. The small holes in the bottom of plastic pots remove this need for additional materials.

Using clay or plastic pots is going to be a personal choice. Each has benefits and drawbacks. If you are a serious gardener, who is also in the resell business, you might like to grow plants in a mixture of pots to meet the personal choices of your customers.