What are the best containers or pots to
grow plants in
You've found the perfect house plant and selected its new location. The
next step? Select a container and a potting mix—then put them all
together. A plant container does more than hold the potting mix and house plant:
it also provides decoration.
Bonsai trees used indoors become room
accessories, and their containers help considerably in making them
effective. Choose containers that will suit the plants and enhance their
location.
This section provides you with information on available plant
containers, potting mixes, and step-by-step planting techniques, as well
as planting in drainless and self-watering containers and using
decorative sleeves.
When selecting a plant container, the indoor gardener need no longer
settle for the commonplace red clay pot. A myriad of choices is
possible.
With the rebirth of house plant popularity, manufacturers have responded
by offering a wide variety of containers in many sizes, shapes, colors,
and materials. Indoor gardeners can also utilize decorative
sleeves—large containers of metal, wicker, or ceramic too special for
direct planting—to hold potted plants for display purposes.
Your main consideration in choosing a container is your plant's growing
needs. The size of the container will be determined by the plant's size.
Put your plant in a pot that's the same size as its present container or
in one that is 1/2 to 1 inch larger in diameter. Avoid potting a plant
in too small or too large a container.
Different types of containers offer growing advantages for plants with
special needs. Plastic pots and other nonporous containers keep soil
damp the longest —a good situation for moisture-loving plants. Porous
pots, such as red clay, allow air circulation around root systems; this
hastens moisture loss in potting mix, good for plants that prefer to dry
out between waterings.
Bonsai pots just look better with your tree but the truth is
any container made for plants would work. For more information
about
bonsai tree care go here.
Baskets for holding plants
Though woven baskets make good house plant containers, watering the
plants presents the problem of leakage. Lining the basket with a plastic
bag or aluminum foil is a possible solution, but inevitably the plastic
tears or the foil breaks. The best answer is to coat the basket interior
with polyester resin and strips of newspaper.
You'll need clear polyester resin and hardener, a brush, acetone to
clean the brush, and some newspaper strips. A quart of resin is enough
for about three baskets of wastepaper basket size.
Cut the newspaper into 4-inch wide strips the length of the basket
bottom diameter plus about 10 inches (the strips should go up about 5
inches on each side). Make sure you work outdoors or in a very
well-ventilated area; the resin fumes are both strong-smelling and
dangerous. Protect your hands with gloves. Brush the mixture onto the basket bottom
and up the sides about 5 inches. Place a strip of newspaper to cover
this; then brush resin onto the paper.
Continue with the alternate pattern of resin and paper strips
(crisscrossing the strips to cover the bottom) until you have about
eight layers of paper. Pour any remaining resin mixture into the bottom
of the basket and let it harden. Check to be sure you have a complete
seal. If there's any leakage when you pour in water, let the basket dry
and then mix up some more resin and recoat the paper-covered area.
Once the basket has been waterproofed, it's ready for a house plant.
Either plant directly into the basket following directions for planting
in a drainless container or use the basket
as a decorative sleeve container. Place plants planted in clay pots or
other containers into the basket. A layer of rocks or a drip saucer will
keep the pot form sitting in water.
