The pick is almost endless when it add up to pot for your plant babies . But there are a few key things to bet for to make the good choice .
There ’s a surefire way tolove a new houseplant : Pair it with the complete pot . Just purchased plant in fictile glasshouse containers can go into anew plantation owner as soon as you play them home . After spend months ( peradventure even age ) in a belittled grow pot , your novel plant has in all probability outgrown the space and would prize more elbow room to grow . Other candidates in need of a container upgrade are any of your established houseplants that have uprise too large for their container . Whether your existingplants need repottingor you have a few recent accession to yourhouseplant collectionthat could use roomier digs , here ’s how to choose the proficient raw homes for them .
1. Size Matters
opt a raw container begins with identify the sizing of pot you take . Here ’s a handy guideline : increase sens size by one to two inches in diam for plants that are spring up in potentiometer 10 inch in diameter or less . For larger plants , those growing in pots greater than 10 inches in diameter , increase the pot size by two or three inches in diam .
For example , a brand newZZ plantin a 4 - in plastic glasshouse pot is ready to transition to a container that is 5 column inch or so in diam . Aphilodendrongrowing in a 12 - column inch pot can size up to a 14 - inch - diam pot . While you might be allure to pick out a pot that is a few inches larger than prescribed to accommodate future growth , stand . Houseplants originate easy . An to a fault large pot will calculate out of proportion with the works . Also , pots that are too large for the plant life can cause health issuing because the surplus potting soil will dry out out too slowly . territory that stays wet too long encourages root and fore rot .
2. Drainage is Key
Always choose a pot with drainage holes , which also ensures potting ground does n’t stay too wet afterwatering your houseplants . The overabundance can freely get off out the bottom of the container , allowing O to make its way to found antecedent ( if you utilise a disc or tray underneath the sens , verify to empty it to prevent roots from soaking in too much moisture ) .
If you happen across a beautiful planter that does n’t have drain hole , you’re able to still use it . The trick is to cover it like a cachepot , which is a term for a cosmetic out container that cover a slightly smaller but plain container with drainage holes in which your plant is grow . you may overturn out that internal pot and move it to a sink to water , or leave it where it is and then dump out the excess from the cachepot when all the spare water is done draining out of the smaller container .
3. Find Your Style
Planter size and available drainage are the two most important factors in selecting a pot for your houseplant . After fill those two motivation , pick out a pot that has a lookand palpate you get laid . Ceramic pot are the most popular character of container for houseplants today . You ’ll find them in all kinds of styles , colors , and sizes .
At one time , the clay potbelly was the most common container for indoor plant . stiff spate are attractive , heavy ( nonsuch for prominent plants ) , and holey ( fantabulous for bromeliads , cacti , ferns , orchids , andsucculents ) . However , clay spate require more frequent lacrimation and are challenging to clean .
credit card and fiberglass pots offer several advantages . Available in all sorts of colors and panache , these lightweight muckle are light to clean and cheap . Plastic and fibreglass pots do n’t need to be water as frequently as the Great Compromiser . Other materials for houseplant container include metal , basketry , do by or rot - resistive woodwind instrument , glaze pottery , and trash .
Credit: Jacob Fox
4. Keep It Clean
Keep stack unclouded to forbid disease . If you plan to reuse a sens , cleanse it well both at bottom and out . mud smoke often get a white crust on them after prolonged use , do by mineral buildup after water evaporate . To murder this impudence , scrub it off with a steel - wool launchpad or smashed bristle brush in a vinegar and water solution . If the impudence is boneheaded , brush first with a ironical steel fleece lodgings . Rinse pots , then imbue them in a bleach solution ( 1 part bleach to 9 division water ) for 20 minutes to kill any bacteria , fungus , or pest nut on them . Rinse again . Clean charge plate mess with a cloth dipped in warm soapy water . Scrub the pot until it ’s completely free of soil and grime . Soak the kitty in a bleach solution as you would a clay bay window .
