I scrub them and reuse. Can't waste money, can use the money on a new plant! K

I try to use everything to save the landfill. I even have learned to make pots using styrofoam. If I get deliveries with large blocks I glue them together and cover them in stone for planters.

I cut up the smaller pots and make plant markers.

For less than 5.00 I made this pot out of styrofoam I got from a delivery.

This was the last planter I made out of styrofoam and dollar store stones and a ivory chest set I found at a thrift store for a couple of dollars.

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I take mine to the thrift store I volunteer at and we sell them, all our proceeds goes to our local SPCA. Cool pot marquest !!!

Yeah, Marquest! Awesome!!!!

I reuse them until they fall apart, most of my plants are still in these kinds of pots. Also so easy to make the holes bigger or add more, which I do to almost any/every pot.

Going to a swap in Panama City in a couple weeks and mentioned that I have too many on the discussion and somebody wants a stack. I don't make beds and I don't wash pots, and never throw away anything that's good for something to somebody. If I don't need it, it will disappear quickly if I put it at the curb, or I figure out who can use it and give it to them.

I found a wholesale place in N FL that I go near about once a week. When there's no plants to buy over winter, I'll probably hit that place up for some better pots a few times. They're so heavy though. I already worry (well that's too strong of a word, but it crosses my mind) about the front porch. There's SOOO many pots out there, that are already heavy, at least 600 lbs of weight out there. And OMG I'm clumsy! I can drop a pot like nobody else, and soo often do. Usually right on top of another plant. Having a broken pot to clean up too would really burn my toast!

Until somebody brings it up like this discussion, I don't even see the pots, just inspect them to make sure they're doing their job. Just wish clay pots had holes around the edge, not just the one central hole, but have had so few of them (and broken them so quickly) that I can't really talk much about them.

Wish I'd put more thought into some of the selections I made this spring. Got a bunch of succulents, which are a new thing for me, and used black pots. So I think on the rare occasions they've had sun to bake in, the roots are getting too hot. Now this is fugly, but I used 2 aluminum baking pans as mixed nursery pots to propagate leaves, stick cuttings, and house some little ones small enough to blow away if left in tiny lone pots. Those have been great! I think the plants love the reflecting sun from the sides, and they don't get hot to the touch. Not for the front parlor, but for $.68, they make a fine shallow nursery container. The traditional pot shape is not suitable for all plants or purposes.

One never knows what will be handed to them next to please our our plant thirsty habit I keep a few extra of several sizes mostly for rooting proposes and seedling

I see it on the lighter side they dont break as easily as the Big Box Tera-cotta

Thank you all. I try to do my part and finding a use for styrofoam and plastic is one of the ways I hope I can help. Styrofoam is awesome for keeping the soil at a steady temp too. Plants love the even temp.

I too save plastic pots.

Of course I had a million 4"ers,,,ended up tossing more than half, 2 years ago.

My favorites are large, perennial pots. The cost of a large container is outrageous.

If I knew of a place that wanted containers, I'd donate.

Our conservatory used to accept plastic pots, now they want clay. Oh well!

BTW, people sell used, plastic pots on Ebay for those who would like to make a little extra $.

I also save 'certain' frozen dinner treys and round, plastic containers that held dog food. They make great saucers.

Milk and vinegar containers for water.

Styrofoam for pots in pots w/o drainage. Styrofoam goes between plastic and decorative holiday container.

Quite a few items can be recycled instead of tossed.

My only problem is storage. Most of my pots/saucers are in the basement. Wanna know what else is in the basement? Spiders and centipedes.

A few wks ago, I saw a 'pede as large or larger than a mouse.
Now I fear going downstairs to collect pots and saucers. Sigh.

Toni

The really flimsy ones I rinse and toss in the recycle bin. The better/heavier duty ones I save and either reuse or try to find someone who could use them. When supply gets too great, then those also go in the recycle bin.

Marquest, I would worry about the Styrofoam breaking/snapping easily when picking up the pot to move it (once loaded up with moist soil and dirt). Have they proven to be strong enough to handle such stress?

Oooooh! You can send the pede to me, Toni! Awesome lil predators ......

Marquest, I would worry about the Styrofoam breaking/snapping easily when picking up the pot to move it (once loaded up with moist soil and dirt). Have they proven to be strong enough to handle such stress?

You do know we are talking about styrofoam. The stuff that will not break down in our lifetime. lol I am not using the thin styro that they use for insulation this is packing styrofoam pieces. Have you purchased a printer, TV and seen how thick that stuff is?

The pot above is heavy because of the onxy chess pieces but most of my styro pots are heavy because I use rocks as a covering. There is no breaking because of the outdoor caulking and rock/gravel covering used and they can be left outside in our weather because there is nothing more able to handle weather than styrofoam and rocks. The styrofoam I am using is thick that is in the boxes of appliances and lights it is very thick. Some of them are as much as 4" thick.

The styrofoam cooler size pots I cannot lift them because they are too heavy with rock and soil so I only push them in another area if I want to move them. That is pretty easy since I do not have to bring them inside for the winter pushing them to another area on the patio is fine. I have pots that have been outside for 8 years or more.