Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Discuss repotting, soil, lighting, fertilizing, watering, etc. in this category.
Post Reply
Mrs.Green
Posts: 1083
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:59 pm

Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by Mrs.Green »

Most of my cacti are in plastic pots. Plastic pots are cheap, readily available and are light weight. But for me how grow my cacti indoors only and live in a cold climate, whith temperatures that can change quickly , especially in late winter/spring, are they really the best choice?

It’s not unusual that temperatures can vary from 10 degrees celsius, to minus 10-15 degrees celsius in a few days. The cacti in the livingroom aren’t my main concern, but the ones who are situated in the unheated rooms. Periods with higher temperatures combined with quite strong sun would wake the cacti from winterrest , I guess and will call for a bit of watering. But even slight watering when the temperature suddenly drops quite a lot for a period, is a receipe for rot I fear.

Here is were the unglazed terracotta pots come in. Mye guess/feeling is that terracotta pots are a bit more forgiving or safer than the plastic ones, since they ‘breathe’. Any thoughts/experiences on the matter? :)
User avatar
mmcavall
Posts: 1436
Joined: Tue May 17, 2016 11:54 pm
Location: São Carlos - SP, Southeast Brazil, Cerrado Region

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by mmcavall »

You may like to read the thread "Why do novices always use clay pots".
viewtopic.php?t=34165

The subject is widely discussed.

For me , best results are always obtained with plastic pots, but I live in a hotter climate.
User avatar
ohugal
Posts: 409
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2019 10:45 am

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by ohugal »

A lot has been written about it on the forum. First of all, I think it takes time to discover what works or does not work for certain plants. A lot of my cacti do well in clay (unglazed) pots. I mainly use an all mineral mix for my cacti. Kalanchoës also do well in clay pots in a 60% mineral and 40% organic soil. I discovered that the Crassula muscosa prefers a plastic pot and an all mineral mix. I mostly have had root rot with plastic pots, but also dry root rot with unglazed clay (Crassula muscosa's and Pereskia's). I also like uniformity (to a certain degree) and aesthetics. For plants in plastic pots I always tend to buy cachepots (or improvise with tea and coffee cups) and that can be pretty expensive. Disadvantage of clay is cleaning them.
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
temperate, maritime climate with mild winters and cool summers
hardiness zone 8a
Hero878
Posts: 194
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 1:19 pm
Location: England, U.K.

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by Hero878 »

I live in England and my cacti are mostly kept indoors. I've lost quite a few cacti in plastic pots. Even with a gritty mix it just never dries out quick enough. So now I only use clay pots and so far not lost a single plant this way.
Mrs.Green
Posts: 1083
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:59 pm

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by Mrs.Green »

Thank you for the link mmcavall :) I have read the whole discussion .I got a bit ‘worried’ first when I read DaveW’s comments on frostproof terracotta pots. But all my terracotta pots came with the cacti in it and since they all are bought from a garden senter, I am pretty sure they are of the ‘ordinary’ sort.

Why? Every retailer wants to keep the cost down to maximize the profit. So why use frostproof pots to cacti sold in a cold climate? Even the most ignorant buyer would probably not think that placing the cacti ( and pots) outdoors in winter, would be a good idea.

I don’t have a suction cup at hand to test with but I sprayed a couple of the pots with water and it quickly disappeared in the pots.

It’s a interesting topic though( terracotta versus plastic) , hope to see more peoples experiences here :)
User avatar
MrXeric
Posts: 559
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2020 10:31 pm
Location: California, USDA zone 10a

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by MrXeric »

I grow my plants outdoors in semi-arid conditions (hot, dry summers and mild, "wet" winters..."wet" is a vast overstatement) and most of the collection is in porous terracotta. I am slowly transitioning to square plastic pots, not because I've encountered growth issues with the terracotta, but because they're less expensive and more space efficient. I plan to keep the larger, more mature plants ("specimen" plants) staged in terracotta, while the younger plants will be kept in plastic. I prefer the terracotta purely for aesthetic reasons: the "earthy feel" terracotta has as opposed to the "artificial feel" of the plastic.
keith
Posts: 1860
Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:50 am
Location: S. CA USA

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by keith »

I use plastic for sizes under 4" and terracotta for larger pots plus I coat the inside of the terracotta with polyurethane . This is a Warm and often dry climate.

Bigger plastic pot sizes get heavy and the plastic pots often break when trying to lift them causes a big mess.
User avatar
7george
Posts: 2628
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:49 pm
Location: Calgary, Canada
Contact:

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by 7george »

I think the main concern in you case should be the size of the pot and the soil mix quality. Also be very careful with watering plants in unheated rooms. Rather start watering after (or in late) May to avoid rot risk. Tropicals and heat-lovers better be kept in warm place.
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by mikethecactusguy »

All 800 plants of mine are in terra cotta. Low fire pots are the ones that develop the calcium layer on the outside over time because they are porous and the minerals leach out. I use high fire pots. Not very porous. I have no issues with roots only growing on the surface of the pots. Only have that when I have accidently used a low fire pot. My cactus mix drains feely and 4" and smaller pots are usually dry in 2 to 3 days. 5" and above are usually dry in 4 days. It also depends on temperature and how active the roots are.
Then again, the average humidity is 10% to 15% where I live.
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
Mrs.Green
Posts: 1083
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:59 pm

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by Mrs.Green »

Thanks everyone :) The biggest ‘problem’ for me is the watering part..Or what I am most uncertain about. I do know the expression, when in doubt, don’t water. Easy enough in theory but.. I may be wrong about this but I am thinking, the longer the period without water , the bigger loss of roothairs? Without roothairs no uptake of water and when the spring/summer comes with higher temperatures and sun , dehydration starts . My main concern is the small/young cacti who don’t have much to go on waterwise because of their small bodies.
User avatar
greenknight
Posts: 4813
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by greenknight »

Root hairs regrow very rapidly. They are extensions of root epidermal cells, the cells remain alive when the root hairs are cast off and quickly produce new hairs when needed.
Spence :mrgreen:
Mrs.Green
Posts: 1083
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:59 pm

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by Mrs.Green »

greenknight wrote: Mon Apr 04, 2022 1:18 pm Root hairs regrow very rapidly. They are extensions of root epidermal cells, the cells remain alive when the root hairs are cast off and quickly produce new hairs when needed.
Thank you Greenknight :)

I bought a couple of suction cups to test the terracotta pots, they are as I expected low fire pots. There is no way the suction cups will stay on the pots, even when they are wet. I may very well be wrong but it still feels safer to keep at least the ones that lives in the unheated rooms, in terracotta pots. At least to I get more experience :)
User avatar
7george
Posts: 2628
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:49 pm
Location: Calgary, Canada
Contact:

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by 7george »

My main concern is the small/young cacti who don’t have much to go on waterwise because of their small bodies.
These are better held in plastic pots with more often watering but also in warm place to avoid rot. Real winter rest is needed for more-less adult cacti. And also depend on the species.
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
Mrs.Green
Posts: 1083
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:59 pm

Re: Terracotta pots- a safer choice for the novice growers ?

Post by Mrs.Green »

7george wrote: Thu Apr 28, 2022 2:12 am
My main concern is the small/young cacti who don’t have much to go on waterwise because of their small bodies.
These are better held in plastic pots with more often watering but also in warm place to avoid rot. Real winter rest is needed for more-less adult cacti. And also depend on the species.
Thank you 7george . Yes, my thought too. The smallest ones are in small plastic pots I feared they would dry out otherwise.
Post Reply