Photo: Avi Loren Fox (Shutterstock)
Terracotta pots are a popular choice for indoor and outdoor plants because of their classic, natural look and durability. If you have some yourself, you may have seen advice that you need to soak the pots before planting anything in them.
“The argument goes like this: if you don’t pre-water them, your terracotta pots will take up the water and there won’t be enough for your plants in the important repotting phase.” Anna Cottrell wrote in an article in GardeningEtc.
But after interviews with gardening experts, Cottrell found that this terracotta tip is actually a terracotta myth. Here’s what you should know.
Why you don’t have to soak terracotta pots
In short, soaking terracotta pots does so little that it’s not worth your time or the extra water. This is how Clive Harris, the creator of DIY garden, described it to Cottrell:
“Over the years I’ve potted, repotted, and watered hundreds of plants and never soaked a terracotta pot. Soaking terracotta pots is a waste of time as the moisture they could absorb evaporates in a day, less time than it takes for the plant to use up its leafy water resources. “
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What to do instead
So, if pre-soaking a terracotta pot doesn’t work, what can you do to make sure your plant is getting the moisture it needs? Well … pour it if it needs water. “Just water your plants well once you’ve potted them up to drain from the drain hole and they’ll be fine,” said Tina Huffman, gardener and landscape designer at greenhousestudio.co said Cottrell.
If you’re really careful about making sure your plants are getting enough water – and growing plants you don’t want to eat – botanist Mindy McIntosh-Shetter said Cottrell that you can paint the inside of the pot to fill the pores of the terracotta and prevent evaporation.
