Pots intended for planting
March 16, 2022 7:14 AM Subscribe
I have a few non-hardy plants that are planted in the ground in their pots during the summer, and are dug up, cut back, and spend the winter semi-dormant in the basement. Is there a permanent or semi-permanent pot that's designed for this?
To be super clear I am not looking for the sort of biodegradable fiber pot used for garden starts (aka Jiffy pots or peat pots).
Right now the plants are in 5-10 gallon plastic nursery pots, sometimes with material cut away to allow better root growth outside the pot during the growing season. These are plants with indeterminate growth patterns (generally creepers/vines) and this strategy has worked well--it allows them to sink roots into the ground and grow more vigorosly than they would if they were just sitting on the patio. They also tend to be thirsty and the roots in the ground give me a bit of a buffer in hot, dry weather.
But the pots are a persistent problem. They aren't particularly durable, and in a few cases I've destroyed the pot while digging it up or "planting" it and have had to scrabble for an appropriately sized replacement.
So: are there pots intended for this sort of treatment, or can you offer alternative strategies?
To be super clear I am not looking for the sort of biodegradable fiber pot used for garden starts (aka Jiffy pots or peat pots).
Right now the plants are in 5-10 gallon plastic nursery pots, sometimes with material cut away to allow better root growth outside the pot during the growing season. These are plants with indeterminate growth patterns (generally creepers/vines) and this strategy has worked well--it allows them to sink roots into the ground and grow more vigorosly than they would if they were just sitting on the patio. They also tend to be thirsty and the roots in the ground give me a bit of a buffer in hot, dry weather.
But the pots are a persistent problem. They aren't particularly durable, and in a few cases I've destroyed the pot while digging it up or "planting" it and have had to scrabble for an appropriately sized replacement.
So: are there pots intended for this sort of treatment, or can you offer alternative strategies?
You could use those plaster-mixing/all-purpose buckets and just drill a bunch of holes in the bottoms. Those things are nearly indestructible and cost around $5 at a hardware store. They are pretty large, though, and aren't very attractive. You could probably spray paint them. Downside is, full of moist soil, they'll be very, very heavy.
My folks have a couple cats, and they get their litter in these indestructible, squarish plastic buckets with handles. Seems like an incredibly wasteful use of heavy-gauge plastic to me, but if you know someone who uses that stufff they'd likely give you some empty ones. Drill holes in those, too. These seem a little smaller than the aforementioned plaster buckets, but I've never scoped out the sizes. These have fold-down handles which might make it a good choice for pulling out of the soil in the Fall.
Plastic or glazed ceramic is generally a better choice for houseplants as unglazed terra cotta will wick moisture out into the atmosphere. But some plants like to dry out quickly, and some plants prefer being dry-ish in the winter/dormant season. It all depends.
posted by SoberHighland at 8:15 AM on March 16, 2022
My folks have a couple cats, and they get their litter in these indestructible, squarish plastic buckets with handles. Seems like an incredibly wasteful use of heavy-gauge plastic to me, but if you know someone who uses that stufff they'd likely give you some empty ones. Drill holes in those, too. These seem a little smaller than the aforementioned plaster buckets, but I've never scoped out the sizes. These have fold-down handles which might make it a good choice for pulling out of the soil in the Fall.
Plastic or glazed ceramic is generally a better choice for houseplants as unglazed terra cotta will wick moisture out into the atmosphere. But some plants like to dry out quickly, and some plants prefer being dry-ish in the winter/dormant season. It all depends.
posted by SoberHighland at 8:15 AM on March 16, 2022
What a fantastic idea puyallup-- I'm going to try that in my 6b yard this year. Following this thread for sure.
posted by travertina at 8:43 AM on March 16, 2022
posted by travertina at 8:43 AM on March 16, 2022
Fabric pots originally designed for cannabis indoor growing might work well for this; they can be made of felted wool, canvas or polyester; the former two might degrade more quickly than you want, but not on the same timeframe as a peat pot. They're harder to damage than rigid pots. They're also cheap as shit. We use these exclusively for our pepper and tomato plants (they seem to enjoy them more than our garden beds) and we nestle them into fuller-foliage areas all the time. We don't bury them, but we do hike them up to our greenhouse and overwinter the peppers; we get 2 years out of each plant (sometimes three!). I can't attest they'll survive being buried season after season, but it might get you close. They sure as hell are fine having soil in them for multiple years at a time without issue.
If I was going to do this, I would get some smaller and larger ones, and nest them in each other for overwintering. Like, cut some holes in a 3 gallon one for root growth, and leave a lip above the soil line so that you can 'find' the edges of the pot easily.Then scoop the whole thing up and nest that inside of a 5 gallon one over the winter with soil or sand around it for protection.
Might not be the best answer, but you've inspired me towards some experiments around the house!!
posted by furnace.heart at 4:36 PM on March 16, 2022
If I was going to do this, I would get some smaller and larger ones, and nest them in each other for overwintering. Like, cut some holes in a 3 gallon one for root growth, and leave a lip above the soil line so that you can 'find' the edges of the pot easily.Then scoop the whole thing up and nest that inside of a 5 gallon one over the winter with soil or sand around it for protection.
Might not be the best answer, but you've inspired me towards some experiments around the house!!
posted by furnace.heart at 4:36 PM on March 16, 2022
How long are you looking for them to last? I think some of these answers are geared toward a single season (I have some five-year-old buckets of the plaster mixing sort and after a few years of sunlight if I lift it from the sides sometimes a chunk just snaps off in my hand.)
posted by Lady Li at 7:26 AM on March 17, 2022
posted by Lady Li at 7:26 AM on March 17, 2022
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