So, where were we? Oh yes, my bucket of mud and pots. Well, the bucket of mud has dried nicely so the next step is to get my mud slightly wet, add some proportion of sand, and try to make something of it. But let’s look at real pots, the kind you can buy out there in the real world.

Last week, we talked about the cheap pots – mostly plastic – but if you have plastic pots, what’s next? Next is putting your pot in a cachepot. Cachepots in our climate need to be “not wood” unless they are indoors. A cachepot is simply a decorative pot that holds an ugly pot, sort of an outside liner. And they can be anything. Some of the best cachepots are simply heavy plastic that is highly decorated. Pick your size and pop in your other pot of flowers. If they die, take out the pot and put in something that is blooming.

Of course, cachepots can be anything. Got an old cook pot or teapot? Just insert your unattractive plastic pot of petunias and you have become “a decorator.” Petunias are faded? Pop in some geraniums. Why do we love it? Because it’s easy, that’s why.

But suppose you want your planters outside and you want them to last. In that case, we are talking about terracotta, stone, and concrete whether you plant in them directly or use them as a cachepot. They are much better here in the tropics as we don’t have the freeze/thaw cycle that causes them to crack in areas that have a winter (you remember “winter” don’t you?).

These pots are a serious upgrade – let’s call them “planters.” Planters usually have an attractive form and some decoration. They can be massive and they are all heavy for their size. I made a concrete planter in the states and then had to have Metric Man move it for me, so be careful where you put them. Concrete planters can also leach lime into the soil, so it’s a good idea to line them with plastic if you plants are sensitive to soil pH. A lot them also have just a single hole in the bottom, so be sure to check for drainage.  These planters can absorb and hold a lot of heat which can damage plant roots and kill the good bacteria in the soil. All things to be aware of when buying a planter of this type.

My homemade clay pot (when and if) will be an “inside” planter because I am not sure that it won’t melt in the first rain. Anyone got a kiln?