How To Pick High Quality Planters For Successful Container Gardening
When you imagine the perfect landscaping space, you likely don’t imagine cheap looking planters that are dented in and heavily weathered. But buyer beware, many of the container planters on the market will break down within only one year. For instance, the fluctuation from cold to hot might be too much for the planter material to take without cracking.
No two container planters are made equally, instead a wide variety of materials are used to craft planters—some far more durable and good-looking than others. If you pick a cheap potted planter it might end up needing to be replaced within only one year. But just because you opt for a costly planter doesn’t guarantee it will help with successful container gardening.
Here we explain some of the different types of materials used to make planters, including the benefits and drawbacks to each. We also highlight the 5 most important things to look out for in order to buy the best planters for your container garden. After all, successful container gardens rely on high quality planters!
The 5 most important planter characteristics are:
1. Durable Planter Made From High Quality Materials
Outdoor planters are left out in the elements; they experience hot weather, cold weather, and the abrasive forces that come with a fierce storm. You might expect all outdoor planters to be able to withstand the weather, but think again. Some planters are made from materials known to break down when tossed out to the elements. If a pot breaks down, this requires you to replace the pot and re-soil the plant currently living inside. This costs money, time and effort that your busy life doesn’t need to deal with.
Two ways you can easily judge how well a planter will hold up:
-Research the materials used to create the planter
-Find out what type of warranty the planter comes with
2. Mobile Planters
Rarely do you ever place a potted plant in one location and never need to move it. Weather, traffic flow, preference, just about anything can cause you to move a planter to a different location.
If a planter is incredibly heavy it’s going to be difficult to move. While any planter—packed with soil, water and a plant—is going to be heavy, this weight will be compounded if the planter itself is also heavy.
Of course, you don’t want to sacrifice quality material for a lightweight planter. Some planters are light because they are made from cheap and flimsy materials—and you don’t want to mess with that. Finding the best planter that is lightweight but also durable is not the easiest task, but it’s well worth the search.
3. Eco-Friendly Planter
The earth can thrive just fine without you or I, but we can’t survive without the earth. Seeking more sustainable resources is not only good, but it’s a necessity. When shopping for any new products you should always seek out the products that use at least a percentage of recycled materials. Finding planters that utilize some recycled parts can help reduce your carbon footprint on our beautiful planet.
4. Personalized Planters
No two landscaping projects call for the same potted containers, sometimes you need big pots, and other times you need small pots. Style, design, and size are important options you want access to when finding the best planters. Not all planters have to be the same boring shade of brick red either! If you take the time to find just the right selection, planters can add style to your container garden.
At Terra Cast Planters we take personalized planters to the next level. We can apply your graphics to our high quality planters. Graphics add a truly unique touch, especially when landscaping corporate locations.
5. Planter Provides Adequate Drainage
Most planters don’t come with built-in drainage. There are tricks you can use to give your plants the drainage they need, such as installing holes in the side of the planter or lining the bottom of the pot with rocks. You can also opt for self-watering planters, which do include built-in drainage. Self-watering planters can provide successful container gardening with half of the stress.
The important thing is to always investigate if a planter has built-in drainage, and if not plan accordingly. Otherwise, water is at risk for building up at the base of the pot and causing root rot.
Types Of Planter Materials
There are numerous types of materials used to make planters; in fact you can even make your own DIY planters with materials around the house. Planters bought at local stores or nurseries often use one of the following planter materials.
Wood Planters
Wooden planters can be nice if you live in very warm conditions because wood doesn’t let as much heat in as other planter materials. Still, wood absorbs water and so plants in wooden planters are often dehydrated. Wood absorbs water but the two don’t mix well. So as you can imagine, it doesn’t take long for wood planters to break down (Read More).
Wood planters also need added maintenance; if they are regularly left unwashed they will develop mildew, which will eventually harm your plants. Wood planters work best when confined to a small space with direct sunlight, such as a window planter box.
Plastic Planters
Many of the plastic planters out on the market are problematic. Though they the least expensive option, they are least likely to make it through a full year. They also warm up fast and cause your plant to retain a good deal of heat. The heat rapidly absorbs water, causing the potting mix to dry out and shrink away from the sides of the container.
Ceramic Planters
Ceramic planters offer a high-end finish and when properly made they can offer an incredibly durable option. There are many synthetic ceramic planters created using plastic and other cheap materials, these imitation pots might look good, but they won’t hold up for very long.
There are a number of other materials used to make planters, such as concrete, metal, and clay. All of which have benefits and drawbacks. With so much variety out there, it’s always important to inquire about the materials used before purchasing a planter.
Best Option: Chose LLDP Resin
At TerraCast Planters we use a specially formulated process to craft all of our planters. To keep our planters lasting year after year we use top-quality Linear Low Density Polyethylene resins that contain UV inhibitors. In other words, our planters stand up to weather, everyday wear and tear, public crowds, and anything else! We are so confident about the quality of our product that we offer a 10-year warranty on all of our planters.