Why Picking The Right Pot for Your
Succulent is Really important?

Introduction

Succulents are the perfect plants for people who travel, work long hours, or lack the discipline to tend to a plant’s needs every day. They are low-maintenance houseplants that are very fun to deal with. However, they need a safe and appropriate pot to grow well.

When choosing a pot for your succulents, you have to ensure the pot has good drainage ability, suits the plant’s roots, has a size that can accommodate the plant, and is made of a suitable pot material.

Factors To Consider When Choosing a Pot

The four factors you must consider when choosing a pot include the drainage capabilities of a pot, the material it is made from, its size, and the type of plant it will allow to grow within it.

1. Drainage Capabilities

When choosing a pot, you need to ensure it has good drainage; otherwise, your plant may suffer by the hands of root rot.

Succulents store water in various parts like their leaves and stems. They are drought-tolerant plants that don’t trouble you with being excessively needy. However, it is crucial to respect their need for moist soil without letting the soil be soggy. The pot’s drainage capabilities become essential in this regard.

The amount of water accessible to a plant’s root can be the difference between life and death. If the soil remains waterlogged, the plant can develop root rot which is undesirable. Therefore, it is always better to have a pot with good drainage capabilities for succulents. Avoid root rot at all costs unless you want to see your plant die.

You need to choose a pot with excellent drainage that will help excess water flow away.

Some pots available in the market have drainage holes, while others don’t. You should try and opt for a pot with drainage holes, but even if your plant currently doesn’t have a pot with good drainage, there is no need to worry. You can consider repotting the plant.

If you have a pot with drainage holes, you should consider using a pot hole mesh pad. Using it is a good idea as it will prevent insects from entering into the pot or soil from leaking.

2. Pot Material

The plant's material has a bearing on whether the soil stays moist for shorter duration or longer ones. It is essential to pick the right one!

The pot material is an important consideration. There is a range of materials to choose from like terracotta, ceramic, plastic, wood, metal, and glass. However, the right one can vary depending on your goals.

If you’d like to keep your succulents indoors, in a dark place under normal temperature conditions, we recommend terracotta and ceramic pots, which are both made from breathable materials and are excellent to place in spots with poor ventilation.

Plastic pots, on the other hand, are a perfect option for those of you who want to move their plants frequently, as they are lighter than the terracotta and ceramic ones. However, you will need to buy a plastic pot with drainage holes, as the material itself makes it hard for water to evaporate and the plant to breathe normally. Plastic pots are perfect for both indoor and outdoor succulents.

Other materials are available as well, but you have to take a lot of care of them so that they can function correctly. Glass and wood pots make your succulent look amazing. Still, it would help if you kept these pots indoors, as these materials often respond dramatically to changes in the temperature, increasing your plant’s potential to shrivel up.

If you are thinking of purchasing a wood pot, think about the watering process. Wood has the tendency to absorb water which makes it a risky choice for your succulents. After all, the soil will struggle to dry properly.

• Glass and metal pots are excellent for indoor plants as well, but think twice before getting one. The materials of these type of pots tend to get warm or lose heat very quickly, which causes dramatic temperature fluctuations. This is not good for the roots of the plant, which needs a consistent environment.

3. Pot Size

The pot size can cause your plant to either feel suffocated or overwhelmed by the space.

Whenever you pick a pot for the succulent, ensure it isn’t overwhelmingly large. The plant should be at most half an inch or an inch larger in diameter than the plant.

Too much space prevents your succulent from growing correctly because the roots spread out before the succulent can catch up. The perfect pot size is only 10% bigger than the plant.

4. Type of Succulent Roots

Different pot types suit different plants, so be careful when you make the choice.

Different succulents have different types of roots.

For succulents with hairy roots, it is always recommended to use a shallow pot. Hairy roots tend to grow on the soil’s surface to absorb moisture, so shallow pots are the best choice for this type.

However, there are succulents with roots as taproots. These roots tend to always grow deeper in search of water. In that case, the perfect pot for these succulents would be a deeper than usual pot filled with nutritious soil.

Keep Reading

Succulents are outstanding plants that you place both indoors and outdoors. They are low-maintenance and can easily beautify any spot of the home. Even if you place them in the garden, they will look fantastic. When choosing the pot for your plant, you have to consider various things. You have to think about the drainage capabilities of the pot, the pot’s material, the pot’s size, and the type of roots the plant has.

Feeling charmed by gardening? Check out our post on some exotic succulents!.

Posted in: Pot Materials Drainage Gardening Tips Watering Tips