question on pot depth

Brian Whyer brian.whyer@btinternet.com
Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:54:22 PDT
Here, in the UK, most climbers (vines?) such as clematis, and many roses are
sold in square tall form pots, where the height is 1.5 to 2 x the top
dimension. I can buy from a trade source similar pots in nets of 20 - 30 and
use these for many bulbs, herbaceous plants, and young shrubs or trees when
I need to. I can get 4 1/2" x 8" and 5 1/4" x 9" for ~20 pence or less each
this way. If I have to go larger than this then round tall form, 2 1/2
litres and up, or large normal ratio pots are used.
For small numbers of bulb seeds, such as from the AGS or NARGS seed
exchanges, I usually sow in 3 1/4" x 5" pots, which unfortunately I have to
buy over 1000 at a time to get cheaply, or at all.
The main advantages for me are they stack together very closely and no space
is wasted. A great advantage for pots that may take a year or more to
germinate, and then may not be potted on for another year or two. Their
disadvantages are they can fall over easily, even a blackbird will topple
the small pots and pigeons are a real pain if they are not stacked in a
frame. The sides have a large surface area to soil content ratio, so can be
more susceptible to air temperature changes or sunlight, and similarly the
surface area is relatively small so a more open compost may be needed to get
enough air down to the roots.
Going deeper than the 1 - 2 ratio top to height, would seem to be rarely an
advantage, as even deeply growing bulbs will need repotting frequently
enough to stop them escaping the bottom too often.

Brian Whyer, Buckinghamshire, England, zone ~8, at present?

> I am growing some Brunsvigia though all are just seedlings I was wondering
what
> depth of pot I should put them in. At the website for stuewe and sons they
have a

> TPOT3  7.75 in wide (20cm) and 12.5 in deep (32cm)

> or the

> TPOT4 7.75 in wide (20cm) and 18 in deep (46cm)

> Anyone have a pro or con for the different depth?


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