Question
Moldy Pots
I made some very absorbent, unglazed ceramic vases in Japan out of Red
Mino clay. If I fill them with just water, they suck it out of the vessel so fast it
runs down the side and onto the table, so I thought they might do as
flowerpots - even without drainage holes. They stand up on tripod feet, in a
plastic dish over plant rocks. Three weeks ago, I planted one hyacinth bulb
in each pot, in Scott's potting soil. They're on a southern facing windowsill in
my kitchen here in wintery Rhode Island. Every morning, the top of the soil
feels pretty dry, so I give each small pot about 5 ounces of water a day. As
you can see from the photo, two of the pots have a considerable amount of
what looks like green and white molds growing on them. Some of the darker
brown markings are also leaching materials, but I am not as concerned with
those as I am the mold. This is the first time I've ever tried to grow anything,
and I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on fancy plants. (the hyacinth
bulbs were only a buck a piece) I'm a ceramist, making making more
flowerpots (with drainage holes) so I'm interested in learning a bit about
growing stuff in them. (I've got some basil, parsley and cornflowers starting
to sprout in other pots, yay)
I'm not giving up on the hyacinths for a couple of weeks yet anyway, since
they're supposed to take awhile to sprout. Am I just wasting my time with
these moldy not-quite-flowerpots? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
AnswerHi Rose, With a material that porous, I think a glaze is the only way to prevent mold from growing on the outside. Fertilizer and organic compounds are going to leach through if it isn't glazed. Is there a less porous type of clay you could use? Jim
