How to choose the right pot for your plant
Whether you’ve brought a new plant home and want to get it out of its nursery pot or you have a plant outgrowing its original pot, you’ve probably wondered, “but how do I choose the best plant pot?” Well, the answer can vary. Ceramic planters, terracotta pots, plastic plant pots, they all have their time and place. It’s repotting season so it’s the perfect time to dive into a step by step guide of choosing the right plant pot for you.
What to consider before you repot
Before you start taking your plants out of their pots, it’s important to know how to properly repot your plant. If you’re unsure, check out Plantclub’s official guide of how to repot a houseplant.
There are five main points to consider when choosing to repot a plant.
Timing. You want to make sure you pick a season that plants thrive in like spring or summer to move your plants’ homes.
Size. The size of the pot should correlate with the size of the plant or what you’re planning on doing with the plant. More on that later.
Drainage. Does the planter have drainage? If not, a nursery pot inside a planter may be a quick fix.
Material. Ceramic pots, terracotta pots, plastic pots, hanging baskets, each can affect your plant's growth in different ways.
Design. Are you looking for that pop of color or something more neutral? How do you find the perfect pot for a statement plant?
There’s a lot of choice when it comes to pots and planters!
Pot size
It matters! Generally you want a pot that fits the size of your plant and its roots, by diameter and by depth. If you accidentally pot a plant into something too small or too large it can affect the aeration of the plant either leading to suffocation of the plants roots or root rot.
Although, in some cases, you may be moving your plant to a bigger pot in order to let its roots grow out and grow the plant to a larger size. We recommend only sizing up one pot size at a time (about 2.5cm) and paying attention to how long moisture tends to linger in the soil.
Don’t forget to consider planter-depth. For pots that are too deep for your plant’s root system, try adding some filler at the bottom of the pot before placing your liner or inner pot on top.
Planter drainage
Drainage is always recommended. Then what about those glossy, designy, ceramic pots? Can we never use those? No. At Plantclub we use a semi-hydroponics method which includes lining our plots, applying volcanic substrate, and monitoring moisture with water level indicators. Read more about semi-hydroponics here.
At Plantclub, we first line our porous pots and monitor the moisture in the substrate with a water level indicator.
Choosing your plant pot’s material
Plastic pots can be a good choice for houseplants as they are usually lower in cost and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors to choose from. The one downside can be that they are not porous so your plant may not dry out as evenly as it would with a terracotta or ceramic pot.
Terracotta pots are a good match for plants that are drought-resistant or don’t require constant moisture because they are good at soaking up water and keeping soil dry. Think succulents and other cacti. Hanging baskets are another option that offer lots of drainage but limited choice in what types of plants can go in them.
With hanging baskets you may be limited in the size of plant you can use and in what direction their foliage grows (hence why we love cascading plants for hanging baskets).
Pot design
Once you’ve crossed all those other bridges, it’s time for the fun part. What kind of design would work with your plant and the rest of your interior? Big bold statement pots fit well with standing plants and roomier spaces. We recommend not crowding a statement pot and letting it speak for itself.
Go big or go home! Think about statement colors and how they tie in with rest of the room, like how yellow was used throughout this Plantclub member’s office.
There’s a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes to choose from when it comes to pot design. Let Plantclub be your guide! All of our memberships include a tailored design concept that offers a huge range of pots for your space. Or if you’re looking for pots for your home office, new pots and planters are coming to the Plant Store soon, so keep an eye out for exciting new updates!
Plantclub.io provides you and your colleagues with the benefits of plants, wherever you work. Rent office plants and transform your space into a green oasis, with flexible monthly membership options to suit your size. Diversify your employee perks with a dedicated company store, where you can give green gifts and your team can buy plants for their home office. Book a time to chat with us today.