Save Money With These Plant Pot Tips

It starts with one plant purchase and before you know it you are living in a jungle of houseplants. Keeping enough pots for the amount of plants you have might seem impossible. There are so many options out there it can get a little overwhelming. But there are different ways to use your plant pots benefit your plants and be conscious of your budget . Here are some of my best tips for making the most of your plant pots and helping your plants live their best life.

Keep Your Plant in it’s Nursery Pot

When you first get a plant it is a good idea to leave it in it’s nursery pot for at least a week before re-potting. Your new plant can go through a bit of shock on the journey to its new home and it can take a while to adjust to the new environment. I don’t know about you, but I find moving pretty stressful too.

I keep most of my plants in their nursery pots until they need a bigger pot. I like to do this because re-potting can slow growth and some plants prefer to be a little root bound. I will put the nursery pot into a decorative pot that does not have any drainage holes because I can just pop out the nursery pot when I water my plant. This helps make sure the water drains all the way through before putting it back in the decorative/cache pot. Using a pot without drainage holes can make plants more susceptible to root rot.

Keeping a plant in it’s nursery pot also means you can pick any decorative pot you want while also avoiding root rot.

I prefer decorative pots that do not have drainage holes because they are more versatile and there are so many more options to pick from. Decorative pots without drainage holes also come in handy for growing plants in semi hydroponics. I love multi-purpose pots! If you are interested in getting into semi hydroponics, check out this article on how to get started: semi hydroponics step by step guide.

Use Terracotta for Plants that Like Dry Conditions

The only plants I do not keep in their nursery pots are the one’s that like their soil on the drier side. Terracotta pots are perfect for these types of plants. The Terracotta helps wick excess moisture away from the plants’ roots. For those that have a problem with over-watering your plants, Terracotta would be a great option for you. Terracotta pots are also pretty affordable. If you don’t love the classic terracotta colour there are other neutral colour options out there. You can also paint your pot to which ever colour you want.

I personally love the terracotta look and buy most of my pots from the Dollar Store, Ikea, Home Depot or Michaels.

Add Rocks or LECA to the Bottom of Your Plant Pot

If you are like me you may have more plants than plant pots or maybe just plant pots that are the wrong size for your plant.When I buy a plant that is too small for a pot I have, I like to fill the bottom with LECA and then stick the nursery pot in. It saves me having to buy a small pot that the plant will outgrow anyways. It can also have the dual purpose of acting like a pebble tray to increase humidity for your plant.

You may also like these: humidity tips.

If you want to use a decorative pot without drainage holes but do not want to keep the nursery pot too, you can add some rocks to the bottom of the pot before adding soil. This will be a little extra buffering to avoid root rot. You will want to add a good inch or two of rocks or LECA to the bottom of the pot. I do still prefer the nursery pot inside the decorative pot but this could be a good option if you don’t want to keep the plant in its nursery pot.

Because I have plants in semi hydro I always have LECA on hand so that is what I prefer to use. But you could also use rocks; aquarium rocks, decorative rocks or any rocks you can find would work.

Do Your Plant Research

Get to know your plants and the environment they prefer. Some plants prefer to be root bound. You want to avoid potting these plants in pots that are too large. When re-potting a plant it is best to choose a pot only 1 to 2 inches bigger. A pot that is too big will have more soil that will take longer to dry out and can lead to root rot. Other plants might stop giving you new growth or need to be watered more frequently if you do not re-pot into a bigger size pot. This is because there is not enough soil for the the plant. Not enough soil also means there are not enough nutrients to support your plant. Each plant is different and you will have to get to know each one and their preferred living accommodations.

Keep Your Nursery Plant Pots

I love to save and reuse my nursery pots. Even if you do not keep your plants in nursery pots, they really come in handy when a plant suddenly outgrows its current pot or if you suddenly have the urge to propagate something and need a pot. I also reuse them to start seeds for my garden or grow herbs. This can save some money that can go towards more plants! They can also stack pretty nicely and don’t take up too much storage space. And they can be used along with a cache pot for semi hydro growing.

Recycle Household items

There are so many household items that can be reused for housing plants and plant propagation. I like to reuse mason jars and other glass food containers, candle containers or cans. Get creative; you can help the environment by recycling and save on plant pots.

Do you have any other plant pot tips? I’d love to hear your ideas. Feel free to leave a comment down below.