A
flowerpot,
flower pot, or
plant pot is a container in which
flowers and other
plants are cultivated and displayed. Historically, and still to a significant extent today, they are made from
terracotta. Flowerpots are now often also made from
plastic,
wood,
stone, or sometimes
biodegradable material. An example of biodegradable pots are ones made of heavy
brown paper,
cardboard, or
peat moss in which young plants for
transplanting are grown.
For
seedling starting in commercial
greenhouses or
polytunnels, pots usually take the form of trays with cells, each cell acting as one small pot. These trays are often called
flats.
There are often holes in the bottom of pots, to allow excess
water to flow out,
[1] sometimes to a
saucerthat is placed under the flowerpot. The plant can use this water with its
roots, as needed. Recently, some flowerpots have been made with an automatic watering system, using a reservoir.
FlowerpotsEdit
Flowerpots have a number of uses such as transporting plants to new locations, starting seeds, patio and indoor cultivation of plants, and the growing of tender plants in colder regions indoors.
[2]Through the centuries, the use of flowerpots has influenced the horticultural use of plants, and the
Egyptians were among the first to use pots to move plants from one location to another. The
Romansbrought potted plants inside during cold weather. In the 18th century, pots were used to ship
breadfruitseedlings from
Tahiti to the
West Indies. Also
Orchids,
African violets and
Pelargonium geraniums were shipped in pots from other parts of the world, including
Africa, to
North America and
Europe.
[3]
In the 18th century,
Josiah Wedgwood's flowerpots were as popular as his famous dinner-ware, they were often highly decorative and used as table centrepieces.
[4]
In
Athens,
earthenware flowerpots were thrown into the sea during the festival of the Gardens of
Adonis.
Theophrastus, c. 371 – c. 287 BC, mentions that a plant called southern-wood was raised and propagated in pots because it was difficult to grow.
[5]
The top of the flowerpot underneath the rim is commonly known as the shoulder or collar and can aid handling.
Traditional classificationEdit
Flower pots were traditionally made from
terracotta. They were made and sold by the cast, which is the number of pots produced from a given quantity of clay.
The traditional sizes
[6] were as follows, although others existed:
Name No. to cast Top diameter (inches) Depth (inches)
Ones 1 20 18
Twos 2 18 14
Fours 4 15 13
Sixes 6 13 12
Eights 8 12 11
Twelves 12 11.5 10
Sixteens 16 9.5 9
Twenty-fours 24 8.5 8
Thirty-twos 32 6 6
Forty-eights 48 4.5 5
Sixties 60 3 3.5
Seventy-twos or thimbles 72 2.5
Thumbs 80 2.5 2.5
Nineties or thumbs 90 1
Other sources give different values, and sometimes names, for the smaller pots, for example The Gardener's Everyday Log Book while agreeing on "twos" to "thirty-twos" has two different types of "sixties" and disagrees on "thumbs" and "thimbles":
[7]
Name Top diameter (inches) Depth (inches)
Large sixties 4 3.5
Small sixties 3 3
Thumbs 2.5 2.5
Thimbles 2 2
A taller and thinner shape of pot, suitable for deep-rooting plants, was known as a
long tom, a term still used. The traditional size for a long tom used for
auriculas was 3 in diameter by 3.75 to 4 in depth.
[8]
Nursery potsEdit
In the
nursery business, plants are generally grown in round or square plastic pots.
United StatesEdit
The sizes of plastic pots have been assigned an
ANSI standard by the
American Nursery and Landscape Association.
[9] Pots designated #1–#100 nominally have the volume of that many
gallons, but in fact a #1 pot has a capacity of 0.625 gallons (a "
trade gallon").
[10] There is also a Small Plant series: SP1, 6.5–8.0
in3; SP2, 13.0–15.0 in3; SP3, 20.0–30.0 in3; SP4, 51–63 in3; SP5, 93–136 in3. An SP4 pot is commonly called a "4-inch" or "quart" container.
[11]
EuropeEdit
Plastic pots come in a number of standard sizes, with a code indicating the approximate dimensions of the diameter at the top.
[12]
Code Diameter Height Volume Approx. Imperialequivalent
6F 6 cm 6 cm 2.25"
8F 8 cm 7.5 cm 3"
9F 9 cm 9 cm 3.5"
10F 10 cm 9.5 cm 0.5 l 4"
13F/14A 13 cm 12 cm 0.9 l 5.5"
15F 15 cm 14 cm 6"
Gallery
