What to Grow In - Types of Containers

When selecting a new container for growing, it's important to first clarify a few basic things. The most important are the plant's space requirements (trees and shrubs will need really large containers, while small houseplants need minimal space) and also whether the container will be placed outdoors, where it must withstand weather conditions, or indoors.

Classic Pots

Everyone is certainly familiar with these planters. They are manufactured in many variations. They can be used short-term outdoors as well.

They are sold mainly in ceramic and plastic. Because these pots themselves are often not very decorative, they are frequently placed in decorative pot covers. These are usually ceramic, in various colors. However, there are also decorative covers made of metal, wood, plastic, and other materials. Covers typically don't have drainage holes, so plants in them need to be watered moderately. There should be a gap at least one centimeter wide between the pot wall and the cover.

For flowering plants, we choose pots or covers in solid colors, undecorated, in which the flowers will stand out.

Pots are most commonly round, which usually look better, but there are also square ones that save space. Among other shapes, triangular and multi-sided containers occasionally appear. For orchids, transparent plastic pots are suitable, ensuring light access to the roots.

Window Boxes

Window boxes are elongated, usually designed to be placed or hung on a windowsill or railing. Self-watering boxes are common, saving time spent watering while simultaneously providing plants with necessary moisture throughout the day, thus protecting them from stress caused by water shortage. A mounting structure with hooks usually needs to be purchased separately for the window box, enabling safe hanging.

Hanging Planters

Hanging planters are an impressive variation of classic pots. These planters are also very popular in self-watering versions because they are often difficult to access and therefore harder to water. They are suitable for growing all not-too-tall plants. They look very impressive planted with abundantly flowering annuals or trailing foliage. They find use in both interiors and exteriors.

Hanging Baskets

These are metal frameworks lined with permeable material, often coconut fiber. Inside, they are filled with substrate into which plants are planted. With this type, flowers can also grow out from the sides between the bars.

The disadvantage is rapid drying out of the substrate. Hanging baskets are not suitable for interiors as water flows freely through them.

Outdoor Containers

For containers that will be outdoors year-round, it's essential to pay attention to their durability. They must be frost-resistant, UV-resistant, and resistant to mechanical damage. In any case, they should have drainage holes, even in self-watering types, to prevent overflow during prolonged rain.

Outdoor containers are manufactured in various materials, for example stainless steel, which doesn't corrode, or galvanized steel, though acidic fertilizer solutions may cause problems with these. Poly-rattan planters are popular, excelling in both durability and appearance. They usually lack drainage holes, but you can easily create them yourself. The same applies to fiberglass planters. Massive containers are also made from concrete and stone.

Containers for Sowing and Pre-cultivation

For sowing large quantities of small seeds, a wide shallow container is sufficient, from which the emerged seedlings are later pricked out into individual pots.

For sowing larger seeds or to make later handling easier, you can use small plastic pots, seed trays, peat pots, flats, and pellets.

Seed trays are essentially connected small pots. They're filled with sowing and propagation substrate, into which seeds are placed. Later, young plants are transplanted from them into larger individual pots or directly into garden beds. Seed trays are made of thin plastic, so they wear out quickly.

Peat pots have the advantage of serving directly as substrate. Roots grow through the pot walls and plants are planted out directly with the pot, so there's no risk of root damage during handling. However, they're single-use only. Peat flats work the same way, where a larger number of containers are connected, as do peat pellets designed for smaller plants.