Finding the right container or planter isn’t just about style—it’s about supporting healthy growth while also choosing the right fit for your plant parenting style!
Whether you lean toward glazed ceramic, breathable terracotta, or self watering, your pot choice plays a key role in how your plant thrives and how your planting journey can become more relaxed and enjoyable.
For new plant parents we suggest keeping plants in nursery pots for a few months to understand the watering needs and create a routine around caring for your plant. You can place the nursery pot into a catch pot for added aesthetic and style too. This is the easiest way to learn the hydration schedule that best suits your plant as you always have the option of removing the nursery pot from it's container to check for overwatering, root health, and growth.
For those planting directly into a pot, we have suggestions and tips for you!
4 MOST COMMON CONTAINER CHOICES:
-Terra Cotta
-Glazed Ceramic
-Pots with no drainage holes
-Self Watering
Terra cotta: The word terra meaning 'earth' and cotta for 'cooked' gives us a good idea of how this pot functions.Glazed ceramic: Glazing renders a ceramic pot non-porous which enables it to retain moisture for longer periods of time. These types of pots are a perfect match for water-loving houseplants like calathea, maranta, papyrus, and ferns (and a good match for the laid back personality too).
Pots with no drainage: Have a lovely container you're just dying to use to house your plant but it lacks drainage holes? Then you have a few choices:
- Catch pot: Reuse a slightly smaller nursery or repurpose a to-go container (add drainage holes) that will nest easily inside the outer decorative pot, this is called a catch pot. To hide the rim of the plastic pot you can use moss around the edges or simply trim away the top edge. After each watering, empty any excess water that has drained into the cachepot or simply pop the plant out, bring it to the sink to water before replacing back into the catch pot. Pro Tip: When using our Sacred Soil Tonic, be sure to catch all that liquid gold draining out to water another plant!
- Plant directly into the pot. This requires a bit more attention, but is a good choice for those who like to pay attention to small details as you’ll need to be extra-careful not to overwater. This method takes a bit of time and experience to master, but if you are up for it, you’ll have more potting options!
Here are in depth tips for learning to pot without drainage holes.
4. Self watering pots
The right self watering pot can be the perfect fit for many plant parents, especially for those who travel often or forget to water on a regular basis. Self watering pots can be filled up and left alone for weeks on end and still keep your houseplants and outdoor patio plants hydrated.
Self watering pots, in my experience are good options for peace lilies, alocasia, African Violets, philodendrons, calathea, anthuriums and ferns, plants that are more sensitive to hydration consistency.
There are many good self watering companies out there, here's a good article by Better Homes & Gardens but you can make your own fairly easily too. We even made a wine bottle self watering pots for our African violets and they have never been happier!
Plant Parent Quiz
Want to learn which type of plant parent personality you are? We crafted a quick quiz to help guide you to selecting plants that fit your vibe and guide you to choosing plants that flow with your lifestyle.
Take the quiz
Happy growing dear ones!
with love,
Karina and Team SE