What Are the Best Pots for Geraniums?

Geranium Pots: Sizes, Types, and More

Finding the perfect pot for geraniums can sometimes be challenging. Garden centers today offer a wide variety of pots in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes to suit all personal tastes, but if you really care about your geraniums, you should find a pot that you like as a geranium rather than one that charms you.

After all, if you think about it, eventually your plant has to grow in it, and of course, no one wants to end up with a sick and miserable geranium growing in a pretty vase!

So let's take a look at the best pots for geraniums, keeping in mind the unique needs of geraniums. With this in mind, you can then shop around for a basically good pot for your geraniums, and who knows, you might even find a variety you like!

1. Find the drain holes.

If there's one thing geraniums hate, it's wet feet. In other words, they don't like wet soil. To ensure healthy growth, the roots of geraniums need oxygen, so excess water must be actively drained from the soil after watering.

The best geranium pots should have drainage holes to allow excess moisture to escape, especially if your pots have been outside and it's been raining all day. If you have a pot with a small tray at the bottom to collect moisture, be sure to drain the excess water that collects in the tray right after watering. In general, plastic pots have more drainage holes than earthenware or ceramic pots. However, they have other drawbacks.

Self-watering pots with water reservoirs at the bottom may be convenient for certain types of plants that like "wet feet," like ferns, but geraniums aren't one of them.

2. Find pottery.

Clay pots are a favorite among geranium growers. They are often referred to as the best pots for geraniums.

What distinguishes pottery? The fact that they have porosity allows air to circulate, especially for those who water their plants a lot. Geraniums do best with dry, well-drained soil, so terracotta pots are suitable for them. Their gills allow plants to breathe when air reaches their roots.

On the other hand, plastic pots hold water longer than clay pots. However, terracotta pots often have limited drainage holes, so you may need to dig a few extra holes without breaking the soil.

In the summer, however, you must be careful not to water it too much, as this can damage the roots. Another drawback is that large crock pots can be heavy if you plan to move the pots often.

Since earthenware absorbs mineral salts, it acquires a white color on the outside, as shown in the photo. This is common, and many people find the look of aged pottery very attractive.

3. Choose the right size pots.

When it comes to size, avoid pots that are too tiny and risk crowding out the roots, as well as pots that are too large and can cause all of the additional soil to stay moist for an extended period of time. Root pressure (a major cause of root rot).

Above size, consider the depth. You want a pot with an appropriate aspect ratio. If you choose a very tall container, it will dry faster at the top while staying wet at the bottom. If it is too shallow, it will inhibit the growth of deep roots, which can cause drought-prone plants to lack a proper root anchorage.

As a general guideline, if you just acquired a geranium from a nursery, plant it in a pot about 2 inches deep by 2 inches wide to allow enough room for at least one year of growth.

4. Opt for ivy geranium hanging baskets.

The best pots for geraniums can vary based on the type of geranium you're growing. If you plan to have ivy geraniums, your best bet is a hanging basket or tall container.

Ivy geraniums are trailers, and they like to hang over the edge of containers.

Another option is to grow ivy geraniums in window boxes, similar to those found in alpine huts. Mixing them together can give homes a very colorful touch as they add a lot of personality.

For a classic touch, you can try a tall vase made of stone. Ivy geraniums can hang happily from the edges and provide an explosion of flowers that are sure to impress!

5. Avoid this big mistake.

You may have heard of the practice of placing pebbles or rocks in the bottom of the pot to improve drainage, but this turns out to be a huge mistake, especially with geraniums, which have "wet feet" which is highly disliked. "

What happens in this case is exactly the opposite. Instead of flowing immediately into the gravel, the excess water collects in the soil just above the gravel until there is no air space left.

Therefore, the lower gravel does little to protect the soil above it from waterlogging, the University of Illinois Extension explains.