Dissolved solids in your tap water are a part of the accumulation on the pot's exterior. Water from the soil solution moves through the walls of the container, carrying dissolved solids from tap water and fertilizer solutions, as well as naturally occurring organic salts with it. When the water reaches the pot's exterior it evaporates and leaves behind everything that was dissolved in it. The only way these solutes could make it back into the container is if the flow of water was reversed. This would require that the solids on the pot exterior go back into solution and then migrate back into the soil solution. In order for that to happen, something needs to be seriously out of whack - like a pot that is continually wet outside and a dry plant inside the pot. The last thing you need to worry about are the salts that have already precipitated out of solution. Those are salts that are no longer a threat to your plants. Obviously, if you can see them they're not in the soil solution, though visible accumulations on the soil surface are good indicators that you should have a closer look at your soil choice and/or your watering habits and adjust as required. The ability to flush the soil each time you water is important to the best interest of your plants, and usually eliminates almost all of the salt accumulation on the soil surface, though it doesn't do much to slow deposits on the exterior pot walls. Basically, the water moves only one way - from inside to outside. Once the salts have collected on the exterior of the pot, they present no risk of elevated EC/TDS (roughly salt levels) of the soil solution. I have many pots of all sizes with thick crusts that you can flake off the outside of the terra cotta. Before repotting into these containers, I wash the inside with a bleach solution to kill anything harmful that's biotic, and don't even concern myself with the outside - I love the old, weathered look of terra cotta and the plants can't tell if the pots are 10 days fresh or 10 years old. Al

that's just a drop in the bucket... I sincerely appreciate that you say 'treasure trove' and I do love all my 'acquisitions' it's taken me some time to gather things that I knew would go somewhere in the yard. that's just it..I have so much more and so little energy to keep up with my ideas. it's also what's gotten me in trouble with the county. it's not even the county..it's the neighbor, who has complained of too much junk..so, by law, the county has to investigate the complaint. I got a 'rambo' enforcement officer, who has no idea or tolerance for non traditional collections of garden junk. in fact, he'd never even heard the term 'garden junk' before I was talking about it. he follows up on acreage with junk vehicles, illegal dumping of oil and other things that are environmentally injurious. but, he got to be on good speaking terms and later on phone calls to the neighbors. so, if they don't like something, they simply give him a quick phone call. it's been going on for months. but you know, I've come to the realization that life is way too short to die over this type of trouble. I already have the stuff..it's both in my yard and a lot in storage. it's not even the first day of summer yet and I have grandsons who would love to come over and slap some paint on boards, or pallets to make into things..or even if I can get in touch with my garden junk neighbor, I bet she and I could have a mess of fun, getting into muddy messes, or cement, or whatever... he more or less came from behind and hit me behind the knees but I'm only down for a while. I'll be back up and loaded for bear one day soon. the weather has been such that it's not made a huge difference in plants..it rains enough that I haven't had to go out and water things..that's a good thing. one thing that has put a spark back in my mindset is that website of the lady with all the stacked pots, all around her yard with the succulents..tho I can't grow that type of plants here in the northwest.. but good grief, that's exactly the epitome of what I have wanted all along.. who was that...Edna?... it was amazing and I was looking at that last night, around midnight..I was so mentally captured by it all, I nearly wanted to go outside in the yard, right then...lol time will be right, I'll be fine, I just need to heal a bit and then, I may have to tape stickers onto certain things, to keep track of the different projects that need attention. with school out, the little boys are 6 and 9 and will be spending a lot of time over here, for fun..I've had them mosaic rocks in the past and they loved that. I think they're old enough to help me make a good difference around here. larger rocks would be really pretty around the yard in planers or labeling plants on the ground....

Interesting you brought that up....Saw a comment that clay pots get cold, never thought about it before. Checked the pot that I planted my new Meyer in, and wow, cold! I wanted to change the gritty mix ratios anyway (drying way too fast) so I switched to a glazed clay pot, changed the gritty mix and my fingers are crossed... not sure whether an exterior glaze will keep it any warmer, but that's why I did it. I have 2 thicker Terra Cotta planters with decorations designed into them, they don't feel cold to touch like the standard TC pot I originally used for the Meyer. That's so interesting about the differences in your Meyers based on their container! Do you think you'll change your Meyers out of TC pots in the future?

Here are a few more recipes. The first one is definitely tried and true, not so sure about the others. Roast Chicken in a Clay Pot 1 chicken about 3 lbs. Marinade: 2 cloves garlic minced 1 cup orange juice 1 TB dried tarragon 1 TB olive oil 1/2 t. salt and fresh ground pepper put all the marinade ingredients in a large stainless bowl or a heavy zip bag; add the chicken, turn over in the marinade to coat all surfaces of the chicken. Chill 2 hours or overnight. Save marinade, then boil to baste chicken with the last few minutes of cooking. Soak clay pot 15 minutes in cold water in the sink. Put chicken in the clay pot along with oranges wedges 1 red onion cut in wedges Put lid on pot. Put in cold oven. Set oven temp to 450 F. Bake for one hour; remove lid, bake 10-15 minutes more basting with hot marinade that you have brought to a boil. Creamy Paprika Chicken 3-3 1/2 lbs. chicken pieces flour 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 t. Hungarian paprika 1 t. salt 1/8 t. white pepper 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 cup sour cream chopped parsley for a garnish Soak the clay pot for 15 minutes, drain. Coat chicken lightly with flour. Put onion and garlic in cooker; add chicken pieces and sprinkle with paprika, s&p. Pour in wine. Put cooker in a cold oven. Set temp at 450 F. Bake 1 1/4 hr. Stir in sour cream. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes more. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve with noodles. Daube of Beef serves 6-8 2 medium onions, sliced 4 carrots, sliced 1/4 lb. cured ham (a ham slice) or Canadian Bacon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 3 lbs. lean stew beef, cut in 2" pieces 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 t. thyme 1 t. basil s&p 1 bay leaf 1 lb. can chopped/diced tomatoes 1/4 cup brandy 3 cups red wine Soak pot 15 minutes, drain. Put half of the beef cubes in the bottom of the pot; sprinkle with half the onions, carrots, ham, garlic, thyme, basil. Sprinkle with s&p and add the bay leaf. Add half the tomatoes. Repeat with the other half of the ingredients. Pour over the tomato juice from the can; pour in the brandy and the red wine - the liquid should cover 3/4 of the meat. Marinate for 2 hours. Soak the top of the cooker for 15 minutes. Put cover on, put in oven, set temp at 425 F and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Stir meat once or twice during cooking. Serve with boiled potatoes as the French do.