Choosing The Right Pot For Your Plant

Plants come in a large variety and so do the pots. Pots of different shapes, sizes and materials can be chosen according to the need of the plant and your convenience. However, there are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind while buying pots for your plants. Here are a few things you must know.

Usually, people do not have much knowledge about how to choose the right pot, and as a result, either the plant doesn't grow as desired, or it eventually dies due to excess watering and fertilizers. Hence, we will tell you the basics of choosing the perfect pot for your plant.

How To Find The Right Pot?

While choosing a pot for any plant, it is important to check whether there is proper provision for water drainage in the pot or not. Also, know how big your plant is going to grow, i.e. what is the full size of the plant. You also need to keep in mind where the plant will be potted, inside the house or outdoors in direct sunlight.

What Is The Right Size?

From small cup-shaped pots for plants to large ones for growing trees, everything is available in the market. You need to choose the right fit for your plant. Mr. Pawan Singh, a nursery owner in Mahalaxmi Nagar, Indore, says that the selection of pot for any plant should be done according to the size of the roots of the plant, i.e. how much will the roots spread. If the area for the roots to spread is confined, the growth of the plant will be affected. Therefore, it is important to know what kind of pot is best suitable for what kind of plant.

1. 4 to 10 inches: Pots of this size can be used for smaller single cactus and succulents. However, if you want to plant more than one succulent in a pot, then the width of the pot should be more.
2. 10 inches: These pots are ideal for green leafy vegetables with small roots like strawberries, small spreading flowers, and small decorative plants.
3. 12 to 14 inches: If you are looking to prepare a small kitchen garden in pots and are planning to grow vegetables like carrots, spinach, small potatoes, and cabbage, green pepper, then 12 to 14 inch pots are ideal for it. Apart from this, flowers whose roots do not spread wide can also be potted in these pots.
4. 18 inches: These pots can be ideal for plants like Tulsi, Cabbage, Brinjal, Tomato, Okra, Dahlia, Rose, Night Jasmine (Harsingar), Champa, Raat ki Rani, Marigold and Bougainvillea.
5. 24 inches: Pots of this size are ideal for bonsai, or plants/trees of flowers, fruits and vegetables that have deeply developed roots, such as pomegranate, lemon, guava, sweet neem, Rangoon creeper (Madhu Malti), and various ornamental plants such as ferns.
6. 30 inches: Full-sized trees can grow in pots of this size. Generally, people use these pots to plant trees like bananas, apples, dates (ornamental) and neem.

What Should Be The Material Of The Pot?

For the proper development of the plant, not only the size, but the material of the pot is also important. Some of the popular types of pots that are easily available in the market are:

1. Clay Pots
   

   Clay Pots
   
   Traditional pots made of clay are considered to be the best for gardening, but the biggest problem with them is that over time their outer layer gets dried and falls off, making the area around it dirty. Although, such pots are painted with geru mitti powder, in many Indian households from time to time. Also, such pots are more prone to breaking when kept indoors. However, keeping in mind the plant health, earthen/clay pots are best suited because due to the ability of earthen pots to absorb water, the soil remains cool and moist for a long time.
2. Ceramic or Cement Pots
   

   Ceramic Pots
   
   Although they come in different sizes and types, ceramic and cement both have similar qualities. If you want to plant big bushy plants like bougainvillea, mandarin, Ixora, palm, Kalifa, then big cement pots are fine for them. At the same time, most people prefer to plant bonsai in square, oval, rectangular or round ceramic pots with a flat base. Similarly, plants of the succulent and cactus family can be planted in small ceramic pots.
3. Grow Bags
   

   Grow Bags
   
   These types of bags are more in trend these days, but it is important to note that grow bags are not suitable for every location and for all types of plants because in most cases they do not drain water properly. Also, the soil of plants in these begins to deteriorate during summers.
4. Plastic Pots
   

   Plastic Pot
   
   Plastic pots are cheap and light in weight. It is considered better for indoor plants. However, if these pots are kept outside in an open place and under direct sunlight, the plastic of the pot may get affected, which in turn can damage the roots of the plant. Therefore, plants potted in plastic pots must be kept away from direct sunlight.