Terra Cotta pots are awesome. They are super porous, so over-watering is pretty tough to do, and they are a great natural option for housing all of your plants. Because they are made of clay, caring for Terra Cotta is important if you want the pots to last growing season after growing season.
First, it’s important to clean the pots from year to year, for the same reasons you clean your seed trays, you don’t want to pass any unwanted bacteria or fungus along to your next plant. To clean them, first empty them completely of dirt, etc. Brush the inside and out to make sure all debris is gone. Then, you can choose one of three ways to clean them {I’m sure there are more, but these are the only ways I know, so if you do it differently, I’d love to know how in the comment section below.}:
- Bake them. Bake completely dry pots in an oven set at 220 degrees for about an hour. Let the pots cool completely in the oven before removing them. I for one have way too many pots to even consider this option.
- Clean them with a diluted bleach solution. Using 10 parts water and 1 part bleach dunk pots completely into the bleach solution {or thoroughly clean them using a rag if they are too big}. Allow the pots to dry for several days before planting.
- Clean them using white distilled vinegar. This is probably my favorite option. Vinegar is cheap, and it is not as harsh as bleach. Follow the same method as described in option 2, substituting the vinegar for bleach.
If your pots have developed white deposits due to hard water or salty water, make a paste of baking soda and water and gently scrub away the stains.
Once you have cleaned the pots for the year, it is important to soak them in water before filling them with dirt. This stops the pot from pulling water away from your freshly potted plant. After it has been soaked for about 24 hours, fill with potting soil and plant as you normally would.
Once Terra Cotta pots crack, they are pretty much done for. Once, one of my big ones cracked and I tried to seal it up with clear silicone. It held for the rest of the growing season, but the plants did not do as well for some reason. A crack is basically an omen of death for the poor pots, so it’s best just to handle them with general care and avoid cracking them altogether.
Do you have any wise words of wisdom on caring for your Terra Cotta pots?
~Mavis
Ann says
Don’t leave them out over winter to freeze – they will crack.
Matt says
Let the pot and soils dry out before winter thoroughly and place under covers. They survive Canadian winters well enough.
Lisa says
What are some good uses for broken terra cotta pots? How can I dispose of them safely?
Em says
Learned some new tips! Thanks!
Lisa, I sometimes break up the pieces a bit and place them in the bottom of whole pots, to prevent soil from escaping. I’ll also sometimes use a coffee filter for this, as well.
Julie says
Mavis is there any real problem with leaving the white deposits on the outside of the pot? It might sound weird but I like the way that looks – sort of patina’d.
I read in Martha Stewart once that you shouldn’t stack them vertically, because they can get stuck inside each other and crack. Instead, you’re supposed to lay them on their sides like in your second picture. I don’t have space for this; besides, I love the way they look stacked up. Hasn’t been a problem for me in 20 years of gardening!
And FACE PALM I can’t believe I never thought of soaking them before I plant! Great tip!
Mavis Butterfield says
I like the white stuff too. 😉
Phill Schmidt says
I’m a Potter working in earthenware clay (Terra Cotta). The reason they crack is because they are porous and soak up water like sponges. Just like our asphalt pavement gets crumbly over winter, the clay pots do the same. To protect them, keep them from freezing. Store them in the basement or attached garage (as long as these spaces don’t get below freezing temps).. Snowt melts on them and then refreezes or pots that are on moist ground (think sponge, they suck up water) will gain water and the water will expand in the micro pores of the clay and break it up. Also the best way to stack pots is not inside each other, nor laying them down. Their rims are the weak spot. Stack rim to rim and bottom to bottom. This way the weight is passed downwards properly, like walls in a house. Also, don’t stack extremely heavy pots on top of light ones, and don’t over stack because the poor bottom pot has all the weight resting on it.
RUDY NUNEZ says
I have a clay pot that was made in Mexico. I want to preserve it, because it’s shaped like an elephant and is part of an elephant collection. I don’t use it as a planter.
I have seen clay pots disintegrate over time, and I want to know how I can keep this one intact.
Bob says
Thanks, Mavis, very helpful and to the point.