Elegantly dressing the containers, the flowerpot is the touch of refinement that changes everything in a decor of indoor plants. It sets the tone and unifies the presentation, while creating a transition with the furniture. Countless models are available in various materials, adapting to all styles.
Pot and pot holder for indoor plants, what’s the difference?
The first distinction between a pot and a flowerpot comes from the presence of drainage holes in the former, while the flowerpot is always waterproof. This peculiarity is intended to allow the watering of plants anywhere in the house, even on the most valuable furniture, without risking staining them with a runoff of soiled water. This practical aspect of the flowerpot entails the absolute obligation to empty the excess water, between ten minutes and a quarter of an hour after watering. Without this precaution, the roots of the plants will suffocate and rot. Note, however, that in very hot weather (when the temperature in the house exceeds 23 ° C), it is possible to leave water in the pot. As the evaporation is very rapid, there will be no damage to the plant.
Plant pots are sometimes used in winter to help increase the humidity of the air in plants. You just need to buy a flowerpot with a diameter of at least 3 cm greater than that of the pot. You can then insert artificial (oasis) or natural (sphagnum) wet moss between the inner wall of the flowerpot and the pot itself, to improve the humidity. This is a very valid solution for plants with downy foliage.
Our advice: Buy a plant pot that is significantly larger than the diameter of the container where the plant is located and, above all, deeper. You can thus place at the bottom a bed of gravel or expanded clay balls, which will prevent the base of the pot from being permanently in an environment saturated with water.
Some practical ideas
In everyday life, the flowerpot is mainly used in the first sense of its name. Indeed, it makes sense to place an ephemeral flowerpot (primrose, cyclamen, begonia, azalea) in a flowerpot, rather than repotting it in a decorative container, knowing that the plant will be discarded after a few weeks. You save time and unnecessary purchase of soil.
It is often cheaper to keep a plant (especially a large one) in its original plastic container, dressed in a pretty flowerpot (pay attention to the quality of the soil, which is often too peaty).
The plant pot also contributes to the stability of the plant. It also makes it possible to set up a small ornamental trellis for climbing species, without having to push it directly into the pot.
A decorative covering
The flowerpot is mainly considered as an element of pure decoration. Its choice must first of all be aesthetic. Consider the overall decor of the room when choosing the style and color of the flowerpot.
Ceramic planters, very fashionable, are available in shapes and patterns of the greatest fantasy. The easiest way is to use white ceramic models. You will be able to vary the shapes to infinity, while maintaining a perfect unity. The advantage is the simplicity and the possibility of marrying the flowerpot with all types of plants and almost all styles of furniture, especially modern ones. Ceramics with colored or raised patterns can fetch high prices.
Basketry planters had their heyday at the beginning of the 90s. Rattan, bamboo and woven raffia offer an advantageous price and a certain aesthetic aspect, well in phase with rustic furniture. On the other hand, they do not offer any guarantee of waterproofing, their stability is average due to their low weight and they deteriorate quickly because the material fears humidity and the workmanship often leaves much to be desired.
Metal planters are the latest fashionable creations. For modern interiors, we appreciate zinc. For rustic decorations, we find the virtues of wrought iron, often painted or hammered. You have a variety of lines, often innovative. However, these planters are sensitive to corrosion, which sometimes gives them a very aesthetic patina, but can also make them ugly. In the same spirit, there are also very pretty colored glass containers.
Bonsai cups and terrines
There is too often a tendency to reserve the pretty lacquered terracotta of Chinese, Vietnamese or Japanese origin, only for the cultivation of bonsai. It is true that their rather small dimensions and their flat bottom were designed to accommodate small trees. But many houseplants, especially cacti and succulents (succulents), fit very well in these containers.
Most of these are true grow containers because they have good drainage holes. However, there are more ordinary ceramics, whose shapes and dimensions are inspired by these bonsai cups. You can use them as a flowerpot.
Note that terrines and bonsai cups are excellent containers for making indoor seedlings and small cuttings. They are filled with a mixture of equal parts of sand and blond peat, ensuring that the coarser elements are distributed at the bottom, over about a third of the total height of the container. Indoor bonsai will of course be repotted in this type of cut, harmonizing the model with the particular shape of the tree.
Read also : 19 deco ideas of plant holder and plant pot on foot
