I was looking at some of Manchester Branch's new supply of BEF-mould pots recently and wondering why they had been made in plastic with a terracotta colour - do we really have to mimic the old clay pots? The popular alternative is black, but those of you who did first level physics will know that a black body absorbs most of the radiation that lands on it. As a consequence, on a hot sunny day the soil in the pot can get very hot. Even the terracotta-coloured pots have quite a warming effect. So why are we not all using white pots?
In the wild the roots of our succulents are in the ground at various depths. The surface couple of centimetres of soil will warm up on a really sunny day, but just investigate a few cm deeper and the soil always stays relatively cool. So when we bake the compost around our captive plants on hot sunny day, we are torturing the roots.
I know that some people have edging to their staging which helps to reduce heating via insolation and some even use the alpine growers' technique of burying pots in sand beds. But why not white pots?
White pots Solved
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Please respect all forum members opinions and if you can't make a civil reply, don't reply!
- el48tel
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Re: White pots
Could it be purely for aesthetic reasons? Brown, green and black pots don't look as grubby as white ones which show every grain of sand and smudge of compost.
Endeavouring to grow Aylostera, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Gymnocalycium, Matucana, Rebutia, and Sulcorebutia. Fallen out of love with Lithops and aggravated by Aeoniums.
Currently being wooed by Haworthia, attempting hybridisation, and enticed by Mesembs.
Currently being wooed by Haworthia, attempting hybridisation, and enticed by Mesembs.
Re: White pots
You should see the state of some of my 40-year old BEF pots, hardly aesthetically pleasing. I wonder what show judges would make of white pots?
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Re: White pots
Hi Terry,
From the experience I had with various coloured plastic (not B.E.F.) pots when I worked at the wholesale nursery, white is a very unstable plastic, it decomposes too quickly, the same was true of yellow and blue. Green, black & terracotta coloured pots endured longer. It is not only the sun which has a detrimental effect on the pots but the use of insecticides which were probably more potent in a wholesale set-up.
Suzanne
From the experience I had with various coloured plastic (not B.E.F.) pots when I worked at the wholesale nursery, white is a very unstable plastic, it decomposes too quickly, the same was true of yellow and blue. Green, black & terracotta coloured pots endured longer. It is not only the sun which has a detrimental effect on the pots but the use of insecticides which were probably more potent in a wholesale set-up.
Suzanne
Re: White pots Solved
I second Suzanne's post. I'd just add that algae and such develop better in white pots. There are less cons (more pros?) at black side
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- agavedave
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Re: White pots
For my small pots for first year agave seedlings, I cut up sleeves from thick white paper(old calendars usually have a clean backside), glue the ends with pva and then use them as pot covers to save cooking the roots of young plants.
Just lay a pot on a sheet of paper and roll it across while tracing the curve, then do the same for the bottom and trim to size, glue the ends.
If you wanted to experiment, get some primer for plastic car bumpers and then go over that with white?
regards
Dave
Just lay a pot on a sheet of paper and roll it across while tracing the curve, then do the same for the bottom and trim to size, glue the ends.
If you wanted to experiment, get some primer for plastic car bumpers and then go over that with white?
regards
Dave
- ralphrmartin
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Re: White pots
Yes, I'd agree that too much light gets in to pots lacking sufficient opaque colouring (even some of the cheapo terracotta ones), leading to algae, and light can hardly be natural for roots, either. Perhaps terracotta is a reasonable trade-off between black and white. Bright colours look garish.
Maybe a little soil warming is good for the roots (while accepting you can have too much of a good thing). For example, oft-stated advice is to put cuttings in heated sand to help them develop roots. While some cacti are tap rooted, many have shallow but wide spreading roots to collect as much of the scarce dew / light rain as possible, so are perhaps used to getting hot roots.
I guess the other solution is to grow everything in square pots and put them next to each other, so (apart from the outer row) no pots are exposed to the sun).
Maybe a little soil warming is good for the roots (while accepting you can have too much of a good thing). For example, oft-stated advice is to put cuttings in heated sand to help them develop roots. While some cacti are tap rooted, many have shallow but wide spreading roots to collect as much of the scarce dew / light rain as possible, so are perhaps used to getting hot roots.
I guess the other solution is to grow everything in square pots and put them next to each other, so (apart from the outer row) no pots are exposed to the sun).
Ralph Martin
https://www.rrm.me.uk/Cacti/cacti.html
Members visiting the Llyn Peninsula are welcome to visit my collection.
Swaps and sales at https://www.rrm.me.uk/Cacti/forsale.php
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https://www.rrm.me.uk/Cacti/cacti.html
Members visiting the Llyn Peninsula are welcome to visit my collection.
Swaps and sales at https://www.rrm.me.uk/Cacti/forsale.php
My Field Number Database is at https://www.fieldnos.bcss.org.uk
Re: White pots
I'd say that, no matter what color pots are, on sunny days roots get hotter than they should be. Ground hardly gets as hot as air in the GH. Additionally, pots kept in some kind of metal trays probably get even hotter.
Poor roots
Poor roots
TTcacti - C&S database software - http://www.ttimpact.hr/anttun/
Re: White pots
The new taupe colour that has been brought in to make black pots detectable to recycling machine lasers might be a good compromise.
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Re: White pots
Has anyone looked at the quality of the plastic and the amount of UV stabiliser in the plastic that the pots are made out of? This would add to the price but also add to durability.
I keep poultry so have a range of different coloured plastic feeders and drinkers exposed to sunlight all year round. The body of the containers is often white or semi translucent white. The rest of the container is either red, yellow or red. The white plastic that holds the water does get discoloured with algae even though they are cleaned daily. The food containers which have white tops last for many years. I can tell the difference in quality will affect durability rather than colour. The red plastic is often cheaper but feels like it. The yellow plastic is a bit more expensive but stays in good condition. I know this is slightly off topic but its still plastic exposed to dirt and sunlight for years.
I keep poultry so have a range of different coloured plastic feeders and drinkers exposed to sunlight all year round. The body of the containers is often white or semi translucent white. The rest of the container is either red, yellow or red. The white plastic that holds the water does get discoloured with algae even though they are cleaned daily. The food containers which have white tops last for many years. I can tell the difference in quality will affect durability rather than colour. The red plastic is often cheaper but feels like it. The yellow plastic is a bit more expensive but stays in good condition. I know this is slightly off topic but its still plastic exposed to dirt and sunlight for years.