There is a lot of debate whether plastic pots are better than clay pots for your beloved plants, or the other way around. We will try to go through all advantages and disadvantages of plastic and clay planters so you have all the needed information before deciding for yourself what’s the best option.
Advantages of plastic pots
- Unlike other pots, plastic pots come in many different shapes and sizes, which is a real advantage for all plant lovers. Also, plastic pots have started to be designed to look like ceramic or clay pots, which is a real advantage from an aesthetic point of view.
- Plastic pots are durable and don’t break, so they last much longer than ceramic, clay, or glass pots.
- These pots can be used for indoor plants and the garden or greenhouse, ideal for hanging gardens or a balcony garden.
- Plastic pots can be very lightweight, and even if you pour a large amount of soil, they will still be easy to move from one place to another.
- Another significant advantage of plastic pots is their ease of maintenance. Unlike terracotta or clay pots, which develop limescale and moss on the walls, plastic pots can also be quickly cleaned when plants are transplanted.
- Plastic pots are very cheap and can be purchased by anyone.
Disadvantages of plastic pots
- A significant disadvantage of plastic pots is that this material does not allow the soil to breathe and water to evaporate. Therefore, it is essential that plants get precisely the amount of water they need and not overdo it because excessive moisture can lead to rotting plant roots.
- Plastic pots will overheat and act as an oven for plant roots if left out in the sun.
Advantages of clay pots
- Unlike other pots, clay pots have a significant advantage: they are much more aesthetically appealing. This is one of the main reasons these pots are much more popular than pots made of plastic or other materials.
- And because we are talking about appearance, clay pots can be very different in shape, elegant or rustic, cheerful or abstract, depending on your preferences and especially on where the clay pots will be placed.
- If you want your plants to surprise you both by their beauty and the pot that houses them, choose with confidence the clay pots suitable for the garden, the balcony, the terrace, and the interior. Moreover, you can purchase simple clay pots that you can then paint to your liking, doing an exciting project that will give originality to your home or garden.
- Clay pots have many pores that allow water to evaporate more quickly from the soil, which means that plants will not suffer if excess water has been poured in, which is very common and the leading cause of the destruction of most potted plants. So, if you can’t keep a certain measure when watering potted plants, opt for pots that will not allow the plant to drown under any circumstances.
These pores also allow the soil to aerate, which is not the case with plastic pots. - Clay pots are also ideal for plants that you usually keep on the patio or in the garden in summer because they are more resistant to temperature differences between day and night and do not overheat like plastic pots, thus protecting the roots of the plants.
- Also, the choice of pots is made according to their weight, and clay pots are much heavier than plastic ones, making them ideal for decorative outdoor plants.
- Clay pots are environmentally friendly, unlike plastic pots.
Disadvantages of clay pots
- They are not suitable for the cold season because the clay cools very quickly.
- It favors limescale deposits on the inside but also mosses both inside and outside, as the pores allow water to evaporate. This makes clay pots quite challenging to maintain.
- Clay pots can easily break, so you have to be careful whether you use them indoors, on the terrace, or in the garden.
Conclusion
The choice of pots does not have a generally valid answer; environmental factors, the needs of each plant, and even the gardener’s lifestyle lead to the optimal choice.
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