I'm going to chime in here being that I worked with ServPro for 2 years and have dealt with lots of moldy items. I actually am growing basil and celery in my house and have this exact issue. My problems are minerals mixed with mold growth most likely Stachybotrys. Typicaly the only way this can hurt you is having a compromised immune system. Now, bleach, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide in no way "kills" mold. Bleach only changes its color to clear or white. Alcohol makes it dry, and in turn flower and spore when it's disturbed (touching, brushing, dry wiping, etc.). Hydrogen peroxide does nothing. I've heard people say sunlight "kills" mold, again untrue. Thee one and only method of "killing" mold is use of a fungicide and removal of spores and hyphae (the rooting system of fungus). Spore and hyphae removal requires agitation (i.e. brushing and clean water or vacuuming, the second is not recommended unless you have a vacuum dedicated for just mold cleanup as cross contamination could result from general use continuing after cleaning up mold). To solve my issue once a week I wet, scrub and rinse the outsides of my pots. It has helped reduce growth and spotting. Unfortunately spores are all around us, in the air, in our homes, and definitely in the potting soil and already on the clay pots at time of purchase. Good luck reducing the mold growth on your clay pots. I hope this has enlightened someone about mold growth and cleanup.

It's almost universally accepted that your succulents need to dry out between waterings, yet I water mine on the same schedule as I do plants like coleus, streptocarpella, and impatiens, and they're all wonderfully healthy. Most would consider my not waiting until my succulents are dry to water to be apostasy, with the added sin of watering on a set schedule to be certain sealing of my plants' fate. Even in winter when my plants are under lights, I water the succulents on the same schedule as all the rest of my plants. Maybe we should look at WHY I can water my succulents when there is still plenty of moisture left in the soil. The reason is, I use a medium that doesn't support a layer of saturated soil at the bottom of the pot. That's the key. Succulents suffer drought stress just as a coleus or impatiens might. They might tolerate drought a little better, and the signals that indicate they are suffering from a lack of water might not be as readily visible in succulents as in more herbaceous plants, but they DO suffer drought stress. Because we know that with certainty, it's logical to think that the plant would rather NOT dry out before it gets its next drink. So why is it so commonly thought they (succulents)SHOULD dry out between waterings? The reason is, most growers use soils that are so extremely water-retentive that extreme measures need to be taken to guard against that water retention. PROBABILITY dictates that unless you allow water-retentive soils to become nearly completely dry before watering plants in them, that over-watering and its accompanying problems will result. IOW, it's better to allow the soil to become drier than the plant would like and allow the influence of some drought stress to come to play, than it is to take a chance that you might be watering too soon, and in doing so ensuring the plant will suffer the impaired root function associated with over-watering - or perhaps even a case of root rot. We can see that the idea you need to allow succulents to dry down to completely dry, or nearly so, is based on the supposition that your soil choice automatically makes watering before your plant absolutely NEEDS water a risky undertaking; but what if you're using a soil that remains well-aerated from the top of the pot to the bottom, no matter how often you water? Wouldn't THAT stand the idea that succulents need to dry out between waterings on its head? It does; and because I use a soil that doesn't support perched water (no part of the soil, even at the bottom of the container, is ever saturated) I can water succulents as often as I like without concern that root function will be diminished or fear I'm setting the stage for root rot. Al

I made hypertufa rings to set in mygarden. The edges of each ring stands about 8 inches above soil level. No bottoms, just the rings. My husband cut out the molds from a heavy black plastic tapered nursery plant pot by rolling it along the blade on his table saw. One ring from the top of the pot and the second ring from the bottom of the pot so there was about a 2-3" space between the two rings where I packed in the hypertufa mix. I laid the smaller ring inside the larger one on a piece of plywood covered with heavy plastic so nothing stuck. When cured for about 6 months outside in the weather, I set rings into soil and planted them with hostas and sedums. All thrived, I think because they could grow into well draining soil rather than into a container with a bottom. Even with drain holes, I think they still accumulate too much moisture in the winter for some hostas. One could make these planters square or round. Carve a design in rim and outside when dry to green stage, about two days after molding them.

"We have a clay pot from our honeymoon, which is probably 500 years old or more" I guess after about 500 years of marriage you lose track of the actual year. LOL joking aside..I think i would have it appraised first. If it's worth a sizeable amount then I would look into a professional restoration. If the value is not that great, then superglue or other over the counter epoxies are great for pottery/ceramics. My 0.02