i dont understand what difference a hidden pot could make ... especially when you are watering and draining at the sink.. and then putting it back into the pretty pot ...

imo.. the one that fits the best.. disappears.. would be the best ...

and the cheapest is the best .. i dont see where paying a premium would make any difference to the plant .... though it might impress your pot friends who happen to visit ... pun intended ... lol

ken

I have a pile of pots of various styles in my basement ... more tapered, less tapered, holes only on bottom, slits on side, thinner plastic, thicker plastic ... I'm wondering if it matters which I use ...

So I guess: assuming anything is free (already owned), what style would you choose?

I would start with the one appropriately sized for the root ball of the plant in question. As the plant gets bigger, I would use the biggest pot that would fit in the cache pot. If the plant needs particularly good drainage, a pot with side slits would help.

I'm wondering if it matters which I use ...

==>>>

i really dont think it does... as long as it plus the media allows proper drainage.. before you put it .. hide it.. in the pretty pot ...

one problem here.. is looking for the overall general answer .... im sure we could find certain rare needs plant that might need something special .. like maybe an orchid or some such ... and perhaps extra drainage would be useful ... but generally.. i dont think it matters ...

ken

ps: if i send you money.. will you send me a blueberry bundt cake?

From the plant's perspective, it would almost always be best to make sure the plant is potted in a pot made from a gas permeable material. The list of materials isn't long. Terra cotta (low-fired clay), wood, or plastic with lots of holes or perforations. The view grower's perspective is not nearly as easy to pin down. Grower A might prefer a pretty color, grower B a lighter material, while grower C might want a pot with walls that that are not gas permeable because it extends intervals between waterings so (s)he needn't water as often ..... none of which are a benefit to the plant.

Pond baskets like the one above are a superb choice for plants whether in a cache pot or not.

The exchange of soil gasses with air from the pot's surroundings offered by any pot constructed from gas permeable materials is very beneficial for 3 reasons. 1) It gets rid of noxious soil gasses like methane, CO2 and H2S (hydrogen sulfide) in media that remain partially saturated for extended intervals. 2) It allows fresh oxygen into the rootzone to replace that used to burn fuel (sugar) which drives root metabolic processes. 3) It requires the grower to water more frequently. This is beneficial for 2 reasons. 1) The shorter the appropriate interval between waterings, the greater the length of time, overall, the soil will be free of all excess water inhabiting pores between soil particles. 2) The act of watering itself provides a fresh influx of air as the water passes through the medium, pulling fresh air into the medium as water moves downward and out of the medium.

While it's true that a cache pot made of material which is NOT gas permeable (plastic, glass, high-fired ceramic/clay) will partially undo the benefits of gas permeable wall construction of the primary pot, it doesn't entirely trump the upside, so the benefit remains.

Al