Hello all.I need some ideas and help.We just aquired an account that is switching from silk to live plants..The account has 30 18" terra coota pots inside a mall.They want to keep the pots..The pots are trra cotta with big holes in the bottom.What I need to know is,what is the best way to plug the hole and completely seal the pots without dropping in another pot.We would like to be able to fill the pots with soil and bare root everything..Any help on products and easy ways to do this would be greatly appreciated..Thanks..

Well, you’ll have moisture problems if you direct plant
into these pots with no way for the water to be removed.

We’ve sealed Italian terra cotta planters, but we leave the plants in their nursery pots, insert saucers, and work it like that. This ensures that even if we miss saucer or overfill, it wont allow water to go straight out of the hole in the bottom..

We put a piece of waterproof duct tape over the bottom side
of the hole, then fill it with a waterproof putty. Then we paint on a waterproof seal all the way around the first
10 or 12 inches of the interior base. This process has effectively sealed many terra cotta pots for us, but I still
don’t recommend direct planting because of the overwatering potential and sour soil syndrome..

Hope this helps!
David

I usually take mine to a roofer and they will seal them for you and it isn’t that expensive. They will put stuff in the hole and then tar the inside of the pot. Of course this and the time I take to take them back and forth to the roofer gets billed to the client.

It’s best if you re-plant the plants into larger nursery pots and do like David said and place them with a saucer into the terra cotta planters. Since you said they’ll be in a mall, customers are going to be dumping all sorts of liquids into them. You’ll need to flush them from time to time. You can still seal the bottom of the pots to prevent any possible spill over. Just my 2cents. Good luck.
Donna

No one has mentioned the obvious best-case scenario that involves no haphazard "customizing" of the containers that might eventually leak anyway, plus gives the plants a better growing environment...namely, controlled watering subirrigation.

Planter Technology manufactures a wonderful system called the Controlled Watering Classic (CWC) subirrigation container, which is a tapered version of its original CWI cylindrical design that is custom-made to fit the shape of tapered containers, especially traditional terracotta standard pots.

No mess, no fuss, happier plants, no leaking or sweating, no anaerobic swamp conditions over time...the best solution all-around for this exact application.

www.plantertechnology.com

Clem

Clem, Clem, Clem,

Anyone who knows me, knows that every account my company has is in a Planter Tech container of one sort or another. I have used the CWC and they work great, even in exterior containers. They have a drain that works great.

As far as malls ......... there is not enough money in the world to have me do those. Too much traffic and it ticks me off when people throw garbage and drinks and stuff in plants, not to mention messing with the leaves and everything ..... and I’m not in this business to have accounts I hate. Plus, we are on 3-4 week maintenance schedules and that doesn’t work at a mall, or a restaurant ...... so I don’t do those either. It’s not worth it to me.

But Planter Tech rocks !!!!! Thank you Allen Seacrest !!!

Debbie

Firstly I’d try to push for new lighter waterproof pots and use the argument that the labour and materials involved will cost almost as much. If that doesn’t fly for what it’s worth, I use the clear silicone calking, but still use large plastic bags to line the pots. After they’re filled with soil, you can then trim off the excess plastic and cover with mulch of choice or more soil. Just make sure the tech knows this so they don’t miss their target and water between the plastic and the pot!

Rolande

My question is why would you direct plant? NEVER on any job we do. To many problems to go into as I get ready to leave town, but consider each plant having its own saucer with foam used to put each plant at the desired height. Not peanuts, sheet foam!
Lynn