Flower pots have personalities too? Choosing the right pot is the key to growing flowers well
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Text and images: Internet
Among articles about succulents, technical posts help the plants, while non-technical posts help people. It is like the relationship between Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Western medicine is devoted to helping quickly eliminate pathogens, while traditional Chinese medicine focuses on improving the patient's constitution so that the patient can overcome the illness on their own. Although the non-technical posts I write often offer no practical help for the plants, they can effectively help beginner growers relieve anxiety. Sometimes caring too much causes confusion. Put your mind at ease, observe patiently and wait, and in this way the succulents will naturally be grown well. This article is a technical post, so let us get to the point.
When succulents are in their place of origin, they appear to be under the open sky and on the open ground, completely unconstrained and very free. Actually, that is not the case. Most succulents that survive drought and scorching sun grow in locations that follow certain patterns. Those growers who like to observe wild succulents (just claiming kinship; they are basically botanists) can roughly judge where succulents grow by observing the broader environment in the wild. This is actually easy to understand. Succulents are not foolish either. Rocks and hillsides can help them block the midday sun. Underground, small environments formed by stones and soil can effectively retain moisture so it does not dissipate quickly. These are the succulents' natural flower pots.
Some growers like to plant succulents in oversized pots, afraid that the succulents will feel wronged. This environment of a large pot with a small plant is equivalent to having no flower pot at all for the succulent. In a large-pot, small-plant environment, no matter what material the pot is made of, the difference is not great. It is not easy to control humidity, nor is it easy to find a watering pattern. This is like using a large bathtub to grow succulents. You do not care at all whether the drain at the bottom of the bathtub is blocked or whether drainage is smooth. Even if water has already accumulated at the bottom of the bathtub, the surface soil may still be dry. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the soil moisture near your succulent's roots. But how deep are your succulent's roots right now? 10 cm? Or 20 cm? You do not know, so this is the difficulty of growing succulents in a large pot with a small plant. If you want to make a large succulent arrangement, it is best to choose a large and shallow pot (but not too shallow; a depth of 8 to 15 cm is good). In this way, you will clearly know where all the succulents' roots are. Dryness and moisture will naturally also be easy to control.
A large plant in a small pot is another rather extreme situation. A large plant in a small pot does not mean that the diameter of the plant is larger than the diameter of the pot, but rather that the succulent's root system is well developed and has already filled the pot. After being removed from the pot, the root system can basically retain the shape of the pot. Greenhouse succulents that have not been repotted will mostly show the state of a large plant in a small pot. Old succulents that have been grown for many years without repotting also often show this state. A large plant in a small pot is actually much healthier than a large pot with a small plant. Because the succulent's root system occupies a large part of the space in the pot, the root structure itself ensures the soil's air permeability. Problems such as black rot and turning to mush are not likely to occur under the condition of a large plant in a small pot. Therefore, once the succulent's root system is strong to this extent, there is no need to worry about what kind of flower pot to use. Apart from the above two extreme situations, the characteristics of flower pots become fully apparent.
Black square pots
The characteristic of black square pots is that they are open through the top and bottom, with a great many drainage holes at the bottom. They can almost be seen as an environment open through the top and bottom, and they dry very quickly. For the goal of rapid growth, which everyone yearns for, this is definitely the first-choice flower pot. However, black square pots also have an obvious drawback: being black, they are not pretty enough. If you like using black square pots, there are now several colors to choose from. I once used pink black square pots (which should be called pink squares) to customize an office succulent gift. Although apart from the color they were completely identical to black square pots, visually they already looked refreshingly new. Some growers believe that black square pots are made of plastic, that the sides are not breathable, and that they are not the best choice for growing succulents. I will not refute your view for now. Let us first talk about the red clay pot, the king of breathability among flower pots.
Red clay pots
Thanks to their super-breathable material, red clay pots enjoy a stronger aura than black square pots in the succulent-growing community. Some picky growers will use nothing but red clay pots. There are also some merchants who became famous for specializing in producing red clay pots. Unfortunately, red clay pots have been hyped up. Growing succulents in red clay pots is not as good as everyone imagines. Among the cases of black rot I have seen with my own eyes, quite a few occurred in so-called breathable red clay pots. So, are red clay pots not breathable? Of course they are breathable. Then why does black rot still occur if they are breathable? This is because succulents are mostly planted in the center of red clay pots, and because red clay pots are breathable, the soil near the pot edges dries much faster than the center. This forms a small environment where the surroundings are dry and the center is wet. Since we cannot directly measure the soil moisture at the succulent's roots, we generally infer the dryness and moisture of the central soil through the moisture conditions of the surface soil and edge soil. Breathable red clay pots make the soil near the pot dry too quickly, and we easily draw the mistaken conclusion that the central soil has already dried out. Thus, watering too early again and again kills the succulents.
I bring up this case not to say that red clay pots are completely useless, but to remind the broad community of growers not to superstitiously believe popular rumors. When facing trends, you still need to use your brain and think about them.
Once you know this drawback of red clay pots, there is actually really no drawback left to red clay pots. Do not mistakenly think that if the edge soil is dry, the center is dry too, and then you will be able to master red clay pots.
Sphagnum moss pots
If you have an idle birdcage or pet cage, you can use sphagnum moss to make a fully breathable flower pot, and then try growing a cage of succulents.
After soaking bought dry sphagnum moss in water until it opens up, squeeze out the excess water from the moss and keep the moss moist. At this time the sphagnum moss is in its most moldable state. Arrange the moss into sheets and lay them into the birdcage. The bottom and sides both need some. If the birdcage is relatively sparse, lay it thicker. After the moss dries, you will find that the sphagnum moss has already set in shape. At this point you can use it to hold soil and plant succulents.
Permeable to water, water-retentive, breathable, able to hold soil, and able to be shaped: these are the irreplaceable characteristics of sphagnum moss as a special growing medium. Although long-fiber coconut coir also has similar characteristics, its moldability is much worse than sphagnum moss, and it can only be used as a base lining for hanging pots. So what special personality does this kind of sphagnum moss pot have? It is breathable, too breathable. It simply feels like a clump of soil exposed in the air. You can use it to grow those succulents you want to let grow casually and naturally (such as a large bunch of Pachyveria 'Clavifolia', Sedum adolphi, Graptopetalum paraguayense, and so on), and then water them often and let them go wild.
Drainage-type plastic flower pots
Not all plastic flower pots have good drainage capacity. But only plastic flower pots can achieve rapid drainage. After all, it is quite difficult for ceramic flower pots to make fine grid-like drainage openings at the bottom.
Just turn a plastic pot over and look at the bottom, and you can distinguish which plastic flower pots are drainage-type. Drainage-type plastic flower pots all have one or more grid-like drainage openings at the bottom, with supporting feet that lift the bottom of the pot to facilitate air circulation. Some pots also have water-guiding plates designed inside so that excess water flowing along the pot edges to the bottom will not spread out, but will drain away from nearby drainage openings. Non-drainage-type plastic flower pots only have a single round hole.
Drainage-type plastic flower pots can be considered an advanced version of black square pots. Their appearance is often fairly attractive, and their breathability can also rival that of black square pots. They are the flower pots favored by somewhat higher-end greenhouses.
Earthenware pots and ceramic pots
Earthenware pots and ceramic pots are both impermeable to air and water, and the difference is very slight, so I will not discuss them separately. In terms of air and water permeability, ceramic pots are somewhat inferior to drainage-type plastic pots, but in terms of aesthetics, ceramic pots absolutely cannot be replaced.
When ceramic pots are sold, they are all measured by exterior dimensions. It is worth noting that ceramic pots are generally rather thick, so you must pay attention to ceramic pots with a height below 10 cm, as they may have the problem of insufficient interior height. The bottom often takes up 2 cm or even more of the height. The bottoms of larger ceramic pots used for arrangements often tend to be even thicker and take up even more space.
Zisha pots
Zisha pots are often quite expensive. Unless one has a special love for the beauty of zisha, probably not many people use zisha pots.
Zisha pots are finely made, have a certain degree of breathability, and are not as exaggerated as red clay pots. Their drainage is also better than ceramic pots. If price is not a consideration, I would recommend pots of this material.
The color of flower pots
When it comes to the color of flower pots, I do not want to drag aesthetics into it. The main issue is that dark-colored pots heat up rapidly under strong sunlight, and with that the soil temperature also rises rapidly.
The most suitable temperature range for succulent roots is between 15°C and 25°C. Within a temperature range below 30°C, the higher the temperature, the more active the life activities of succulent roots. But once it exceeds 30°C, due to the influence of high temperature, the activity of succulent roots will instead weaken. If the soil temperature is even higher, the succulents will automatically enter a dormant state to protect themselves.
On a midsummer afternoon, especially in northern regions, the slanting sunlight shines directly onto the pots. Black pots will be heated until they are hot to the touch, and at the same time the soil also heats up rapidly. If the soil is relatively dry at this time, it is easy to cause the roots to age and scorch to death. If the soil is moist, it will create local sauna-like conditions inside the flower pot, causing black rot.
Although the midday sun is abundant, because there is generally shade above and the sunlight does not directly strike the flower pot, the temperature rise is not obvious. The afternoon sunlight is what is more worth guarding against.
When placing flower pots, you can put light-colored flower pots on the west and south sides near the sunlight. Or set up barriers to appropriately block the slanting sunlight.
Vases
Growing some old-stem styled succulents in them looks very beautiful. Because a vase has a small mouth, it is very difficult to dry out after watering and is very hard to care for.
My first principle for using a vase is that there must be a hole at the bottom. If there is no hole, make one. Think about it: the top already has a very small mouth and is already hard to ventilate. If the bottom also has no hole, it is simply too difficult to take care of.
The second principle is that you must use granular soil. Growing in this kind of airtight environment, believe me, granular soil is an essential condition for growing succulents in vases.
Open-mouthed bowls and plates
Some beautiful tableware has also been drilled with holes and turned into pots for succulents. The craftsmanship of tableware is even more refined and beautiful than flower pots or even zisha pots. But you must remember to drill holes in this tableware before using it. First, for drainage; second, so your mother will not dump out your succulents when guests come and then use it to serve braised pork.
Carefully measure the depth of bowls and plates, and avoid using pots that are too shallow, which will cause the soil to dry too quickly. Having sufficient depth is a condition that any succulent flower pot must satisfy.
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