Plants in pots give a neat look
By Satish Narula

GROWING plants in pots is different from growing them in the soil. They have to be looked after differently.

The pots can be kept indoors to decorate the interiors. Even inaccessible areas can be decorated with hardy plants like bougainvillaea. Pots are also convenient for propagating seeds that need shallow pans.

Pots come in different shapes and sizes. Earthen pots and plastic pots are available in various designs. Selection of pots depends upon various factors like potential height of the plant, size of leaves, kind of root system, water requirement etc. The pot size varies from five to 45 centimetres. There are straight pots that have a better capacity to hold compost and also fancy pots that bulge in the middle.

Small pots are used to plant seedlings that are transplanted from a nursery. The 10 to 12-inch pots are used for annual plants and 12-inch or bigger pots for broad-leaf plants like crotons, bougainvillaea, geranium, big leafed begonias, palms etc. In case of bonsai, however, ordinary pots are used in the initial years but later the plant is shifted to another pot.

The colour and shapes of pots have to be selected keeping in mind the characteristic of the plants that have to be planted.

Both earthen and plastic pots have their own merits and demerits. Earthen pots are heavy and prone to breakage, develop moulds and need frequent watering. Plastic pots on the other hand are costlier and may injure the plant as excess water cannot escape. Cement pots are also very heavy. In case of high and grown up plants, such pots with a heavy base, are most suitable.

Care has to be taken while displaying pots. Leaking water can become a problem especially when pots are displayed indoors. To deal with this you can place pots on saucers. The excess water will accumulate on it.

For displaying pots, people also used artistically designed iron stands. No doubt these are costly but the pots placed on stands do not dirty the place and it can also be cleaned after watering the pots. To keep the stand rust-free, you can paint them from time to time.

Brass pots are also used to display plants but these are used only as containers of earthen as well as plastic pots. Although it gives a neat look but it diverts attention from the plant.

This feature was published on September 26, 1999