There’s no denying the beauty of stone planters, but these heavy planters are prone to stains and cracks. Our specially made resin planters offer the look of stone while maintaining a lightweight, durable frame proven to outlast stone planters by many years.
What Are Resin Planters?
Resin is a type of polymer, but our planters are far from your ordinary polymer planters. They are made using a Linear Low Density Polyethylene, a composite blend that is rotationally molded into strong, pliable products that can be made to look like anything including stone.
A true resin originates in powder form and is heated at high temperatures to liquefy it, at which point it is poured into the appropriate mold. It is then baked slowly as it rotates inside of the mold.
The end result is a super strong, lightweight product that has the elasticity necessary to greatly reduce the risks of cracking, breaking or shattering.
Disadvantages To Stone Planters
Some of the disadvantages to stone planters include:
- Heavy
- Porous and prone to stains
- Not weather resistant
- Prone to cracks and breaking
- Very dense and inflexible, not able to withstand much (if any) impact
- Extra strain on plant life
Despite the struggle of maintaining stone planters, they are still beautiful. Thankfully, you can enjoy the look of stone without the drawbacks. Our resin planters can be made to look exactly like stone, all while providing the following benefits.
Light Weight
Stone is an incredibly heavy material and when made into a planter it can weigh hundreds of pounds, if not more. The planter is heavy to begin with, but once you add soil, water and plants it is going to be even heavier. This makes transportation of the planter a struggle, and also increases shipping costs at the time of purchase.
Our resin planters may look just like stone but picking them up proves far less of a pain in the back. In fact, stone planters can weigh as much as 9 to 10 times more than a resin planter of the same size. To put that into numbers a stone planter could weigh 300 pounds and a resin planter of the same size could weigh as little as 35 pounds. This benefit allows the planters to be easily moved without lift equipment prior to planting, thus saving from additional costs.
Stain Resistant
One of the largest drawbacks to stone planters is that they easily absorb stains because of their porous makeup. Porous materials soak up stains from bird droppings, graffiti and so forth as stains penetrate deep beneath the top layer. On the other hand, non-porous materials do not absorb stains, making it much easier to wipe them clean.
If a stone planter is tagged with graffiti it is next to impossible to remove the evidence, and not to mention costly to do so. Our planters are no match for graffiti and can be easily wiped free of almost any stain.
Weather Resistant
Another benefit of non-porous materials is that they do not suffer the same wear and tear from the weather as porous materials. Our products are made to live outdoors in the elements, weathering just about any storm.
Over time stone planters develop small fractures that allow moisture to get inside, as a result a freeze and thaw process takes place. This means the water trapped inside expands and contracts, putting pressure against the walls of the stone planter. As a result, the stone eventually cracks and crumbles. Since resin is resistant to cracks, it is far less likely for this sort of damage to originate. Also, instead of cracking, resin is far more flexible and is capable of expanding and contracting with pressure.
Our products are resistant to rust, corrosion and fading from the sun, regardless of the elements. Our planters retain their like-new appearance for much longer than the competition.
Better For Plant Life
Stone planters make it difficult for your plants to get adequate water, as the soil is more prone to drying out. The roots of the plant may also become overheated, as heat has a greater opportunity to penetrate through the planter.
Non-porous materials reduce evaporation of water, maintain a more consistent and comfortable temperature and help provide a moist, healthy environment for plants.
Durable
Stone planters are mighty heavy but they are not necessarily all that durable. If a car runs into a stone planter or if you drop it a few feet, it’s likely to break into a pile of rubble. This is because stone is incredibly dense, and therefore easily shatters on impact. Stone can’t handle impact because it is very dense and has little to no elasticity.
Our resin in particular is 90% less dense than traditional planter materials, meaning it can absorb a good amount of impact without breaking. Post-impact the planter is able to bounce back into its original formation.
Self-Watering Planters? Always An Option!
All of our planters come with the option to add a self-watering chamber.
Benefits to using self-watering planters:
- Easier to care for and maintain plants
- Less likely to flood or starve plants
- Less likely to develop mold or other forms of root rot
- Don’t have to water as frequently
- Helps conserve water
TerraCast Resin Planters
TerraCast Planters are durable, beautiful, long lasting examples of high quality product engineering. Let us help you obtain the look of stone all while enjoying the vast benefits of resin.