Terra cotta

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:07:32 PDT
I grew almost all my bulbs in terracotta pots when I had them in the 
bulb frames, except for some that made extensive annual feeder roots 
(such as irises), which I grew in plastic mesh baskets such as are 
used for aquatic plants. Now all the pots are looking for homes, 
because the bulbs have been set free in raised beds under a polycarb 
roof. However, I think terracotta worked very well when plunged to 
the rim in coarse sand. The bottoms of the pots were cool even when I 
lifted them in midsummer.

One warning about growing large geophytes in clay pots (or plastic 
ones, I suppose): they can plug the drain holes with their heavy 
roots or tubers, and they will then rot. I lost a lovely Paeonia 
cambessedesii and also Ostrowskya magnifica this way. Even if they 
don't rot, you have to break the pot to get them out safely.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA


More information about the pbs mailing list