When you select a pot for your plant, you must ensure that you select a pot that matches the biological need of the plant. Many people believes that selecting a larger pot for their plant is always better, but using a pot that is to large for the plant can lead to the plant’s death. If the pot is too large for the plant, the pot will contain a high volume of soils.
That high volume of soil will cause the soil to become wet. Because the plant cant drink the water that is sitting in the soil, the roots will sit in water, which will lead to root rot. Root rot is the process of the roots of the plant rotting due to sitting in too much water.
How to Choose the Right Pot for Your Plant
Therefore, you must select a pot that provide enough room for the roots to expand, but which also prevents the soil from becoming too wetly. The material of the pot is another important consideration. For example, succulents and cacti requires a material that is porous, such as terracotta pots.
Terracotta pots allow the soil to breathe, and allows the moisture in the soil to evaporate through the walls of the terracotta pot. Thus, terracotta pots are more appropriate for succulents and cacti because they prevent the soil in those pots from becoming too wet. In contrast, tropical plants require different type of containers.
Tropical plants require more humidity. Therefore, people prefer glazed ceramic or plastic pots for tropical plants. Plastic pots are common in these categories because they are general lightweight and affordable.
However, they do not allow for the same amount of evaporation of moisture from the soil different than terracotta pots. Another factor to consider is the shape of the pot. For example, a tall cylindrical pot are appropriate for a snake plant.
A wide and shallow bowl is better for plant like bonsai or desert arrangements. When utilizing window boxes to display plants, the length of the window box should be matched to the width of the glass. Furthermore, you must know when to move your plant into a larger pot.
Many people will only move their plant into a new, larger pot when the plant begin to look unhealthy. Instead, you should examine the roots of the plant. If the roots are visibly circling the top of the soil within the current pot, or if the roots are poking through the drainage holes of the current pot, then the roots has outgrown the root system.
In this case, you should transplant the plant into a larger pot. However, ensure that you do not increase the size of the pot by more than one or two inches for small plant. It is not appropriate to place a small plant into a very large bucket, as the large bucket will hold too much water for the plant, leading to root rot.
Another mandatory component of any plant pot is drainage. The pot must allow for excess water from the soil to drain out of the container. Using a pot without drainage will lead to water accumulate at the bottom of the container.
In this situation, you can use a decorative container for your plant whose bottom does not include drainage hole. Instead, place a plain plastic nursery pot with drainage holes within the decorative container. You can add the plant to the plastic nursery container, and allow the water to drain from the drainage holes in the plastic nursery container.
Additionally, you can lift the plastic nursery container to empty the excess water from the drainage holes. Finally, another consideration is ensuring that the roots of the plant feel slightly crowded within the pot. When the roots feel slightly crowded within the pot, the plant will devote its energy towards developing more leaves and flowers.
If the plant feel too large within its container, it will devote all of its energy towards the expansion of its root system. Therefore, ensuring that the plant feels slightly crowded will lead to a plant with more leaves and flowers. By ensuring that the volume, material, and species of the plant all match appropriately, the plant will have the correct environment for growth.
