Question

JP磗 plants - Round po  

New pots considered   Dear Jeff,

I hope you had a nice Christmas eve.

I have always grown CP in round pots. Now approx. 5"-6" wide in diameter but also in depth. (attached picture 1)

I am considering repotting my plants in square shaped pots, these are black and usually deeper. 6" in width, 7,5" in depth, the base of the pot is a bit narrower with 4,5". The pots are black. (attached picture 2)

This idea came to my mind since I have seen often people growing their CP in these black squared pots, I think in the US the pots are of dark green color. Also I can save space when arranging the plants on the shelve with squared shaped pots.

Do you think it would be beneficial? Does it make sense that the pots are deeper? Might it be better for the roots?

Thank you for your recommendation and have a nice day!

JP

Answer
Hi JP,

This seems to be one of those great debates that rages on, but I can find little empirical evidence one way or the other.  I actually used to use square pots since they were much more space efficient, but a few years ago switched to round.  I had heard anecdotally that round pots were better for a plant's roots, but but some forums from Marijuana growers were showing better root development in square pots because the roots didn't tend to circle the pot.  I don't see hard evidence either way.  For cp growers the root issue probably only comes into play with Sarracenia and Nepenthes since most other cp don't have very extensive root systems.  Drosophyllum it would affect too.

Our main reason for switching back to round was aesthetics.  People just like the look of round pots better.  If that wasn't an issue I'd still be using square pots since they are so much more space efficient and easy to transport.

The bottom line to answer your question, as long as the plant has adequate space, use what works for you!

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com