Plant Pots

Pot selection is important for any pot-grown plant. Size is very important: do not use a pot that is too big, hoping that the plant will eventually grow into it. This will happen, but much slower than anticipated. Large volumes of growth medium stay cold and wet longer, and slow growth. Root growth will predominate, and actual plant growth is inhibited. Flowering may not take place.

When repotting, move up slowly in pot size, ideally in the spring, as days start to lengthen. Make sure that provision is made for drainage, in all pots: soil must drain to permit oxygen to reach the roots.

I prefer clay pots for my plants. Their weight gives them stability, and I like their look and feel. Since they're porous, they evaporate moisture easily, making it harder to over-water. This makes them ideal for cacti and succulents, though they'll work well with any plant. However, this evaporation from the pot does drop the soil temperature, and can affect growth in a room with low humidity and lower ambient temperatures.

If re-using a clay pot, be sure to sterilize it by scrubbing with a solution consisting of equal parts of bleach and water. This solution may be re-used, if desired. Cover the center hole with a smooth, flat stone to prevent clogging. Soak the clay pot before use, so that it does not dry out your growing medium when first planting or repotting.

Plastic is easier to clean and sterilize. Since no evaporation takes place from its sides, it also keeps soil warmer. These probably make it the better pot material for starting seeds and cuttings, though I'll still use clay in many of these cases. Margarine containers, perforated repeatedly through their bases, particularly work well.

Biodegradable Containers for Seedlings

Biodegradable pots, made of pressed peat or home-made from newspaper, are very suited to starting seedlings, especially those that resent transplantation. Since seedlings are buried pot and all, no root disturbance takes place, and thus there is no shock to the young plant, no temporary set-back in growth.

Thin, flat peat 'pellets' are popular variations on standard peat pots: the addition of water causes them to expand, after which individual seeds may be planted into them. Again, they are planted, seedling and all, at the proper time of transplantation.

Illustrated are home-made pots made of a double layer of plain, black-and-white newsprint - coloured newsprint may contain toxins you don't want your tomatoes exposed to. While the photo shows a simple wooden 'Potmaker', people have rolled them successfully by hand, have used empty tomato paste cans as forms, etc.

One final note: when transplanting seedlings grown in this manner, ensure that the edges of the pot are completely buried. If exposed to the air, these free edges can wick away and evaporate significant amounts of moisture from the young plant.

Here is a video to explain further, remember you can adapt this idea to suit other sizes.

Take toilet roll tube, cut in half with scissors to give two shorter tubes, they will crush slightly but it is easy to regain their shape. Place on potting tray and fill with potting compound or sterilised soil, plant seeds...

The fact that they have no bottom doesn't really matter as they are on a tray and also once a little moist the contents will tend do stay in them even when picked up. once the root ball has formed that will hold everything together anyway...