I grow all my cacti in unglazed terra cotta. Why am I supposed to use plastic?

That is the million dollar question. lol

I keep changing my mind.

A few years ago I changed almost all my plants over to plastic. But I've noticed that the ones in glazed pottery do the best. I live in the high desert and the black plastic gets really hot when the sun is beating directly on them.

But glazed pots are expensive and can get heavy if big, so now I'm researching how to seal and decorate all the clay pots that have been laying around. When I repot in Spring, hopefully I'll have semi-glazed, cute, clay pots.

Another option to throw into the mix :-) With my extreme climate, I just don't know how long they will stay cute. It will be fun experimenting, though.

This post was edited by notolover on Sun, Sep 21, 14 at 23:02

That's interesting; I wasn't aware there was any debate. I had heard that unglazed terra cotta was better because plastic would tend to keep the potting medium damp and maybe lead to root rot.

Myself, I'd far prefer plastic due to both cost and weight considerations on my balcony, so I'd be interested to know the reason for the debate and the arguments in favor of plastic.

I grow my succulents in plastic and my cacti in clay. I think it's personal preference really.

Planto

If anyone has time, read this. lol
Can anyone really be sure their way is the right way?

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's the debate on the other forum.

I have half my plants in terracotta pots and I like that it helps the soil 'breath' and I can touch the pot itself and sort of get an idea of how damp the soil might be.
the rest are in either glazed or plastic,they seem to be doing OK too. Plastic is cheap, so its got that going for it which is nice.

I'm quite new to C&S as well, but I believe the key thing would be how one waters their plants (?) All down to preference I suppose

Most of my succulents are in unglazed terra cotta. I like the look, the feel and the heft of terra cotta, plus the fact it does allow the soil to dry out faster.

Christopher

Never mind the patina of whites/greens one gets on TC, as illustrated on Christopher's pot.

Personally, although it does take up more space, I'd use TC.

I am aesthetically allergic to plastic. I get them out of it as soon as possible.. Plastic melts in Texas sun. I like materials that have integrity and staying power.

I would definitely use all terracotta if I have more space. For now my mesembs are in TC but most of the rest are in 2.5-4" plastic pots.

I wish I can find square plastic pots though they seem to conserve even more space.

I like terra cotta, but many of Mesembs are now in small square plastic pots only because they take up less space ( I can fit two rows of them on my windowsills). However, as my fellow Canadian David mentioned, they are hard to find, the ones I have I bought on a whim 6 or 7 years again, I really wish I bought more then! I have found them online, but the shipping is too much...
Terra cotta is also good for plants that tend to be top heavy.
But in general, use what fits your watering habits, your space and your budget!
Happy growing!
Breton

Im in zone 5 so I guess I dont have to worry about the sun melting my plastic pots (during summer it does get 30 to 40c in the balcony). I too have my garden in the balcony and I have mixed pots of everything. I water my plants once a week and I have made my own soil. So the thing about staying damp and plants not being able to breathe as good does not matter. Besides better air circulation in terra pots, is there anything else more beneficial? I dont think so, but if there is, Id like to know. Personally, I like terra but I like plastic more because of the weight, price and not the worry of breaking them. All my pots are stacked and boxed in my balcony, where space is tight, I couldnt do that with terra.

all of my plants are in TC, I strongly dislike plastic. I would think that the breathability with TC would be better for the roots, and to help with the soil holding too much water. I think if you are using 100% gritty mix plastic would be okay, but if you are using soil it would be terrible!

just my opinon

What a strange thread that is...
I have never found any difference in how the plant turns out between plastic or clay.

The soil makes a difference.
My watering habits make a difference.
The weather and how the sun is on a given day will make a difference -- as in cook the roots in a black plastic pot.

But I've never seen any regular plant, cactus or otherwise, suffer because it was planted in a clay pot.

Like Breton, I have a lot of plastic pots here just from saving this or that plant's pot when I repotted, since I repot everything upon purchase. They're fine and I also like the square small pots a lot -- but if that pot came in clay, I'd really like it just as much.

I'm glad that I wasn't the only one that thought it was strange. I was beginning to think I was doomed because of t.c. I love it. I love glazed pots too, but I hate plastic for anything except for starting seeds. These people are crazy. I though they were professionals. I think I was wrong.

I think it's a personal preference however, I've heard some suppliers state terracota is the best. I personally prefer terracota. My plants seem to do well in this unbearable CA heat. At this time, I have over a hundred plants and my goal is to get them all out of plastic and into clay pots. I do have some of my bigger plants in glazed ceramic but only because I got them at a reduced price mostly by luck.

Hello! First time poster here. Found this thread while doing a Google search on the topic.

My girlfriend and I live in Los Angeles county and recently attended a gardening class where the expert advised everyone to avoid terracotta pots. My guess (as mentioned in previous posts here) is that our region is too dry for them. She suggested glazing the pots first if we were to use them.

The interesting thing is, we have a combination of pot types (glazed, unglazed, plastic, etc.) and my girlfriend has been watering all of our succulents on the same schedule (once a week). You can actually see the difference in their success (the soil in all of them is exactly the same, from the same mix). The ones in glazed pots are doing fine, but the ones in terracotta aren't doing so well.

Here in LA, our climate is generally dry (although this year has been uncharacteristically humid) and we've been experiencing a terrible drought for a while. So, I have to weigh in and agree that region and watering schedule should be considered against the type of pot used.

We're considering a trial run of watering our succulents that are in terracotta pots more often than once a week...or perhaps glazing them all, but that would be quite the project!

A while ago, I had a conversation in the carnivorous forum about growing plants in styrofoam containers (cups, etc.)

Never tried it, but the combination of inertness and superior insulation suggests it could very well be quite successful.

By use of common sence any succulent can grow in any pot
It's not the plant, it's not the pot its what you do with it.

Here is an article mentioning a study at a college showing there is virtually no difference between 'breathability' between black plastic pots and terra cotta ones. You would think there would be, but apparently there is not.

http://houseplants.about.com/od/PottingPlants/a/How-To-Choose-A-Plant-Container-Picking-Containers-For-Plants.htm

I have had succulent plants in pots for many years and have not really seen a difference myself between plastic and clay in terms of survivability⦠even here in the high desert where black plastic pots feel hot (but soils on the inside feel about the same even between black plastic and clay). I don't particularly find black plastic pots highly ornamental, but they are certainly cheaper than clay. Here in the windy mountains of California, heavy pots may be an advantage- some blowing over less easily⦠sort of⦠a lot of clay pots are smaller at the bottom than the top, and most plastic pots are not⦠so some clay pots tip over more easily even if super heavy. Kind of depends what sort of 'sail' (plant) you have sticking out the top and how top heavy the whole set up is.

think it still all comes down to a matter of preference and how much you want to spend.

roots get all the oxegen they need from the H2O ( water) that is suplied
If terra cotta breaths better thany other pot please explaine the high fired hand made pot that are more solid than either TC or plastic