Choosing the right pot and soil for your plants shouldn’t be a challenge.
Here are the basics to keep in mind when making your choice. Follow these steps towards the best pot and soil for each of your plant projects.
Choosing the Proper Pot
Each plant you choose will have its own special and particular needs to thrive. Please review your plants care instructions first and then from there choose the pot you feel would be best for the plant.
Step 1 | Drainage Holes: We recommend you steer clear of pots that don’t have a drainage hole. Yes, those pots may be prettier or more aesthetically pleasing but they will do more harm than good to the plant. If you must have the pot without a drainage hole, we recommend having a split pot. Split pots are usually plastic pots, more than likely the pot the plant came in when bought. Keep the plant in this pot and then place in the new non drainage pot. This will allow you to take the plant out of the pot with no drainage hole and water the plant thoroughly and allow for proper drainage. Then you can place your plant back in the pot that has no drainage.
Step 2 | Size: Look at the size of the pot your plant is currently in. The new pot you decide to use should be 2-4 inches wider in diameter than the pot your plant is currently in. This gives enough space for healthy growth to occur for the plant.
Step 3 | Pot Material:
• Terracotta Pots – Very porous material which allows for drainage to happen quickly
• Ceramic Pots – These pots have a porous base but are glazed, holding in moisture more than the regular terracotta
• Plastic Pots – Plastic pots are not porous at all, therefore having the highest water retention out of the three choices
Choosing the Proper Soil
Once again, please look at the plant you wish to repot and gather its care information in order to properly choose the correct soil.
Step 1 | Most any organic soil will work. The only differences that truly matters is the peat levels in soil. The more peat the soil has the more water retention it will have. So, we recommend checking your individual plants care/needs and choose accordingly.
Step 2 | If you find your soil is taking a long time to dry out, you can amend the soil by adding perlite to the mix. Perlite will help to dry the soil out faster.
Step 3 | If you find your soil is soaking up water too quickly, you can amend the soil by adding vermiculite to the mix. Vermiculite creates more water retention within the soil.
