Msalex - yes, it would make a difference if you painted terra cotta or other unglazed clay containers. The paint will eliminate the permeability factor (stop gas and water vapor from migrating through container walls/bottom), which is the primary benefit of clay. Clay containers cool roots as water evaporates from their surface and allow fresh air to circulate more freely in the root zone, helping to drive down CO2 levels as O2 takes its place. CO2 impedes root function/metabolism and O2 is a necessity for healthy roots and robust plants. Plants in clay containers also need more frequent irrigation which automatically insures that air is returning to the root mass in abundance in addition to a massive exchange of soil gasses at each watering. Plants grown in a container/media combination that requires more frequent watering will usually ALWAYS be more robust and healthier overall than plants grown under the same conditions in a soil/container combo that stays wet for extended periods (for the reasons I listed). Only one poster has made the statement that plastic is better, but I think the reasoning is at best unclear. I'd be very interested in seeing if the statement is supportable. Better for the grower and more convenient for the grower shouldn't be taken to mean better for the plant. That a soil remains wet longer in a plastic or glazed container might be nice for the grower, but the question was asked with regard to plant welfare, not grower convenience. I have dozens of plants in plastic and glazed containers, but I readily admit that I compromise/sacrifice plant vitality to a certain degree by choosing those types of containers over containers with porous walls. Al

Thanks for the replies everyone and especially for the picture from Phyllis. While going over my pots yesterday I noticed not one of them had a hole directly in the middle as do most clay pots, so hubby's drill will come in handy this week. I've lurked here now for about 5 or 6 years, think I became a member in 2001, and have learned so much from all of you. I have done one BB and 2 smaller styrofoam balls, using GEII and they have held up fantastically. I also shreeked to a stop one day while driving with my son for a metal headboard that later became a trellis for one of my climbing roses. Eventually if we can figure out how to use the digital camera I bought my hubby a few years ago, I'll post pictures. Again, thanks for the replies. Alberta

70 miles away is far. If it must be pots, your plants can be OK in pots. Most gardeners have a more or less permanent pot ghetto in any case! I would keep the pots in part shade whenever that is possible. If they have to be in full sun for awhile, do check them every morning - as you head off for work, for example, or when you get home, if you usually get home before dark. Plant in a mix of potting soil and bagged topsoil. This would be my personal preference for water conservation, even though potted plants generally don't want heavy topsoil. I think any pots that give your plants some room to grow without being the size of Kansas should be fine. Trays or water-catcher things under the pots may help save you some watering work. In zone 5, if you can't get everything into a permanent planting spot by October, use the holding bed idea but just drop the plants (in their pots), into the soil. Plants in pots are vulnerable to freezing. Some people are able to overwinter stuff in pots in an unheated garage but from back when I lived in z5 I know for a fact that, when it was -12 outside, it was -12 in my garage. That's too cold for most potted plants, even if they're hardy in the ground.

I hear you Joe. for me inside isn't the problem it's when the're outside. Best of luck on finding that non top heavy pot. I find keeping them closer together and tighter does help & for the better part the lip on the tray(s) also helps. For pots that are bigger and/or more top heavy I wire the pot(s) to hold them tighter down. The taller sail type plants and trees ... I'm not beyound straping a pot to a tree or clamping pot's via cable to a bench. It takes a bit of practice for anyone to win agaist the wind, best advice I can offer is don't wait for the wind to blow , don't hessitat on being creative when it comes to keeping them down it's that or your plants and pots could become a poor flying kite they could be. No doubt about it plastic has alot more to offfer in a wider range of sizes and shapes & depths,but is not as good at being wind resistant. When it comes to outside & wind resistance I cant give to much credit to terra cottaeither. Some ideas are to keep them as close to the next pot as you can at times I wire pots down. Problem being is wiring down a pot is a bit more difficult to do if plastic. Inside storing and winter cultivating is alot eaiser for any pot VS wind I keep shorter height pots closest to the flowing air and the taller in height are furthure away Small treat for you Joe ( with a minor complant from me) Three days ago I had less pot storing room than today on the same surface area. What you see is a couple of adros a conophytum and an avonia on the right tray and some extra space that use to house some pots and to my blunder is more space for more pots became avalable on one tray. What you don't see A low speed fan is to the left apx three or four feet and (a few more than a couple) taller pots are to the right on thelower shelf, to the left of the shelf is a bench that houses 12 on a good day upto ( a very crowded) 18 on an even better day taller and bigger in size pots. These pots range in size of 6 - 12 inches with the tallest being bottom of pot to top of plant 6 feet in height. (If your curius it's a 188 inches of window level to the next higher shelf) Easy to assume and also correct is that a shorter pot is less likley to tople over but are also a bit eaiser to drop when moving.. If the only choice where plastic be plastic I can assure you any one of the plants seen and not seen would also fit in the same amount of space Interesting idea that you ask for info on plastic as every plant I have was in a plastic pot at one time for some time Fact is I still have several plants that are in plastic pots as well and will be in them for a while Even more interesting is with in a few miles I can also see countless to millions of plants doing there thing in..... Plastic. By comparison plastic wins even though some will be in terra cotta , some in hand made fired clays The real winner is the poted plant that gets handed down to the next generation.