Flowerpot

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A flowerpot is a container used to grow and display flowers and other plants. They come in many shapes and are made from different materials. Traditional pots were plain terracotta with no glaze and a round shape that narrows toward the bottom. Today you’ll also find pots made of plastic, metal, wood, stone, or biodegradable materials. Biodegradable options include heavy brown paper, cardboard, or peat moss pots used to grow young plants for transplanting. For seedling production in greenhouses, pots are often part of trays with many small cells, called flats. Most pots have holes in the bottom to drain excess water, sometimes into a saucer underneath.

Common uses include moving plants to new places, starting seeds, growing plants on patios or indoors, and keeping tender plants healthy indoors in cold weather.

Historically, pots helped people move plants around. The Egyptians were early users, and the Romans brought potted plants indoors during winter. In the 18th century, pots shipped breadfruit seedlings from Tahiti to the West Indies, and orchids, African violets, and pelargoniums were sent in pots from various regions to Europe and North America. Decorative pots, known as cachepots, were popular in the 18th century. In ancient Athens, earthenware pots were part of a festival. Some ancient writers noted plants were grown in pots because they were hard to grow in other ways. The top edge just under the rim of a pot is called the shoulder or collar and helps with handling.

Pots were traditionally made from terracotta and were often sold in sets by how many could be made from a quantity of clay. There were many sizes, including a taller, deeper type called a long tom, used for deep-rooting plants.

In modern nurseries, plants are usually grown in plastic pots. Many groups, such as the Royal Horticultural Society, encourage reusing plastic pots and trays. Some shops keep plants in plastic pots and use cardboard sleeves for transportation. Biodegradable alternatives like peat pots or paper pots let you plant the whole pot into the ground without removing the plant from it.

There are standard pot sizes. Plastic pots usually have codes based on the top diameter. A pot’s size partly determines how big the plant will grow: larger pots generally let plants grow bigger because they have more room for roots and more available water and nutrients. On average, doubling the pot volume can boost a plant’s biomass by about 40–45%, but bigger isn’t always better—especially for succulents, which can rot if kept too wet. Bonsai trees are often kept in very small pots on purpose to limit growth.

Water and drainage are important. In tall pots, water drains downward more easily, while in very shallow or very deep pots, roots may get too wet or too dry. Clay pots allow water to evaporate through their walls, while glazed or plastic pots lose less water. Pots with no drainage holes can keep soil too wet and harm the plant.