What are the three types of planters?
The planter you choose will affect how the quickly soil dries out, how well a plant grows, and how healthy the roots are. There are three major categories of pots: ceramic/glazed, terra cotta/clay, and plastic. I’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each category. One such debunked garden habit is adding rocks or gravel to the bottoms of pots and planters in an effort to improve drainage. However, this practice has been shown to be more problematic because of the collection of stagnant water and pushes the saturated water table layer up; increasing the risk of root rot.Ways to prevent excess water from killing plants You may have heard that gravel or broken pieces of pottery are a great way to promote adequate draining. Along similar lines, many garden centers will sell clay pebbles to place at the bottom of a container for proper drainage.Adding rocks can actually trap water, harm your plants’ roots, and even damage your container over time. So, what really belongs in the bottom of your planter? High-quality potting soil—nothing else.Gravel. Gravel is also a good fit for use inside your planter to improve drainage. Much like pebbles, gravel does not break down and consists of smaller pieces making it suitable for all types of planters. Gravel can also cause problems if too much is used by adding extra weight to your soil and planter.