Planting Tips

Chapter 34 How to choose flower pots for family gardening
Flower pots are important cultivation utensils for family flower cultivation, and there are many kinds of them.The material properties and volume of flower pots have a great influence on the growth of flowers.Therefore, it is very important to choose a flower pot reasonably.

An ideal flower pot should have the following characteristics: light material, easy to carry; durable, not easy to break; color, style, thickness, size can meet the needs of flower growth and viewing, and have a variety of specifications; low price, etc.

The flower pots currently used can be divided into the following types according to the difference in production materials.

(1) Biscuit pots, also known as clay pots, are made of clay and come in two types: red pots and gray pots.Clay pots are most suitable for potted plants.Clay pots are not only cheap and practical, but also have good air permeability and water seepage performance because of the many tiny pores on the pot wall, which is good for the decomposition of fertilizer in the pot soil, and the respiration and growth of the root system.The disadvantage is that the texture is rough, the color is monotonous, it is inconvenient to carry, and it is easy to break.Biscuit pots are usually round in shape and vary in size and specification.Generally, the diameter of the most commonly used pots is about the same as the height of the pots, but the most suitable depths are different for different cultivation types. For example, bulb pots and rhododendron pots are shallower, peony pots, rose pots, and clivia pots are deeper. Shallow pots are used for seedlings.

(2) Purple sand pot Yixing purple sand pottery pot or painted porcelain pot has exquisite and beautiful color and shape, and has weak air permeability. It is also ideal for planting flowers, especially for orchids or tree stump bonsai, which can greatly improve their ornamental effect. .There are many types and specifications of purple sand basins.There are square, round, rectangular, elliptical, polygonal, disc-shaped, boat-shaped and stick-shaped.The largest diameter is 30 cm, the smallest is only 3 cm, the shallow one is less than 3.3 cm, and the deep one is more than 33 cm.There are feet under the bottom of the basin, which is convenient for drainage and adds a sense of space to the basin.There are various patterns, paintings and calligraphy on the walls of the basin, which add to the beauty.The pots are rich in color, including beige, ocher red, gray purple and different shades.Due to the high price, heavy quality, and easy breakage, purple sand pots are generally not used except for planting precious flowers and tree stump bonsai.

(3) The plastic basin is light in material, easy to use, durable, not broken, and rich in color.However, it is impermeable to air and water seepage. Attention should be paid to the physical properties of the cultivated soil to make it loose and breathable to overcome its shortcomings.Plastic pots are most suitable for planting flowers that are very resistant to water and humidity, such as dry umbrella grass, monstera, calla lily, evergreen, etc., or flowers that prefer humidity, such as ferns, spider plants, purple commelina, auspicious grass, begonias, etc. .In the nursery stage, a small soft plastic pot is commonly used, which is easy to use.

(4) Ceramic pots The outer walls of flower pots are painted with colored glaze, some are gorgeous (painted and painted plastic), and some are elegant (such as blue flower pots on a white background).Airtight and seepage, it is not easy to grasp the dry and wet conditions of the pot soil, especially in the dormant period in winter, often due to excessive watering, the roots of flowers and trees will rot and die.Therefore, it is not suitable for planting flowers, and it is generally used as a set of pots for flower display in halls and reception rooms.It can also be used as a pot for bonsai, but it is not as good as a purple clay pot.

(5) Wooden bucket pots are used to plant large flowers and trees, which are lighter than large tanks and not easy to break.Families use less.

(6) Orchid pots are specially used for the cultivation of aerial orchids and epiphytic ferns, and the walls of the pots have holes of various shapes for air circulation.In addition, orchid baskets of various styles are often made of wooden strips instead of orchid pots.

(7) Aquaculture pots are specially used for potting aquatic flowers. There are no drainage holes in the bottom of the pots, and the pots are wide and shallow. For example, the "lotus pots" in Beijing are mostly round in shape.Most of the pots for bulbous water culture are shallow pots made of pottery or porcelain, such as the "narcissus pots" commonly used in my country.Hyacinth also can adopt special " hyacinth bottle ", the usefulness that only supplies water to support.

(8) Paper pots made of artificial paste are only used for cultivating seedlings, especially for flower species that are not resistant to transplantation, such as sweet peas, radish, poppies, etc. Before planting in the open field, seedlings are raised in indoor paper pots Then plant with adobe.

(End of this chapter)