I use terra cotta for all my succulents, as the soil dries more quickly than in plastic or glazed pots. Also prefer the look and the heft over plastic.

Christopher

favorites here #1 hand formed fired clays #2 thick wall all season fired clay #3 complimentry cheaper glazed finish with fired clay inner #4 wind proff not really but any less than top heavy terra cotta #5 is a tie with any free pot to the classic, good old fashioned plastics for plant establishing. #6 hydophonic growers area open mesh or bigger bottom and some side drainage rubber pots.

I only use glazed pots, as I like my plants to be stylin'. I usually find that the best looking pots are cache pots, so I drill them for drainage. I also dislike terra cotta pots because all I can seem to find are standard tapered type around here, which are prone to being blown over by the wind. Note that I grow lots of jades, which tend to be top heavy, so I look for short and wide, or non-tapered cylindrical pots. I can agree too that terra cotta pots dry out fast, sometimes too fast. I've also noticed that fertilizer salts seem to seep through over time, leaving a white residue on the outside. Plastic pots are out of the question because there is no heft.

Joe

Would love to use glazed for all, but too spendy for my whole collection.

I prefer plastic because it is so dry here, but I use a lot of terra cotta as well. For some plants I use plastic set in terra cotta for more root protection if the plastic pots seem to get too hot.

Since adding vinegar to my water, I don't get the salt build up on my pots anymore.

I use terra cotta for all my C & S except for Epis and holiday cacti. I use plastic or glazed for those. I use some glazed and some clay for my Sans. Everything is in gritty mix except the epis and holiday cacti, so they dry quickly. It works for me.

Typically, I go with whatever is cheapest -- and that generally is plastic. Because, by and large, my plants are small growers a lack of "heft" is pretty irrelevant.

I have picked up a bunch of neat pots and pot wannabes over the years. Sometimes they are pots at BBS in which all the plants have died and I am able to get the pot for a buck or two. Other times, I have found pots at thrift stores or attractive glazed ceramic bowls/containers that I then have drilled a drainage hole or holes thus turning the container into a pot. Examples of the latter follow:

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Recently, I was at a craft store looking for candle making supplies. Total waste of time in that regard but I did happen across a cool (IMO) faux rock pot in their clearance section. The pot had a few chips in it which enabled me to get it further discounted. When all was said and done, it cost me a little over $3.

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Thanks for all your replies.

Paul, I love all those pots/containers. I need to be more creative.

Imee, and the whole gang, I liked all your advice & ideas which I use them all too, however I come from the school that anything that holds diet can be used for cacti & succulents.

This is a container that was some type of reservoir pump, it looks thick like clay so I put a hole for drainage and a little brick paint and it too is styling ( I liked that styling part Joe.

Greg

I just go with Terra cotta-it looks so neat to me, and they're hefty enough that I don't have to worry about them being knocked over by the wind.
I find the best style of them is ones meant for Azaleas, which tend to be more stout then the typical pots. Of course, I'm not in a permanent residence, so I have to be picky about what I keep, and what size my pots are.

I am jealous of some of the nicer glazed pots, or, if I had the time, I'd decorate some of my own terra cotta.. I need more color around here!

Picture is from a few days ago, before I started removing pups and playing in the dirt :P

I really dont care. As long as they have drainage holes and its my own made succulent soil. If the soil is good then Im fine with all types of containers. I do like terracotta, it just has higher status bar over plastic. But Im fine with plastic as well. Im looking for and my dream pots are shallow, long cement/marble/rock containers. I dont have any but thats on my future must get list. I think there are diy ways of making it as well.

â¢Posted by emee 7 .
Paul, I love all those pots/containers. I need to be more creative.

Garage sales and thrift stores are your friend, All of the ones except the last (and that, again, was from a craft store) were $1 or less a piece.

Only problem is getting hooked on accumulating nifty pots and either not having plants for them or not being able to make up your mind what to put in them. The last one is just such a case for me. The shape is irregular but is roughly 12" in diameter and about 5-6" deep. (Not bad for $3 + change.) Not sure what I want to put in it. Too many possibilities. I think I may go with putting a number of my carnivorous plants in there .....

The best deal Ive ever found is right by my place. A block away is a super centre and their outdoor garden centre. Behind their fencing are many trolleys with pots and pots placed to throw away. I had the pleasure of picking up over 40 plastic pots of various sizes. These pots were the really good quality, sturdy plastic pots and not those black flimsy ones. I will go back there when ever I can, Ive asked them and they dont mind. Last time I found a huge 24" or so inch bell pot.

I've learned in the past that any pot that tapers at the top, or where the top opening is smaller than the rest of the pot, is a real pain when it's time to repot. I avoid those type at all costs, so I don't have a prized plant get stuck in it.

As for collecting pots, I sometimes have the same problem....which pot to use. I like to walk through the pot section at any store that has one, and if I see any that catch my eye, I get them. This way, I always have pots available in different sizes in the case that I come home with a good plant find. Around here, it seems that nice pots are hit and miss; one week a plant shop has a lot of nice ones, and the next, none. It stinks when you find a new plant, but can't find a good pot for it.

Joe

I like the really old terracotta pots; I even like how their shapes are sometimes a little lopsided - they are so natural.

When one hits another they make a clear bell-like ring - beautiful !

After acquiring a broken bag of River Rock for nay a penny(I love my workplace), I went ahead and re-potted some aloes and aloe hybrids.

I like the more natural look of the river rock, and how it'll be a heck of a lot easier to pick out when re-potting over the smaller, neater river pebbles and stones. Of course, Marble chips look very lovely too...