Planter Guide 2020

Welcome to our planter guide 2020, where we present our most popular planters. Here you will find detailed background information and also a summary of customer reviews in the web.

This is to make your purchase decision easier and help you to find the best planter for your requirements.

In our guide you can find answers to frequently asked questions. If available, we also offer interesting "Do-It Yourself" videos. You will get useful information which aspects to consider when buying a new planter. For example: "how do I actually plant such a pot" and "how many liters of soil do I need to fill the planter box? Here we go!

The most important facts briefly explained

• Flower pots not only impress with great and sometimes unusual designs, but also with their outstanding material properties. Our plastic, fiberglass and poly rattan planters can be used indoors and outdoors for example.
• You can compare plant pots with each other on the basis of different quality criteria such as longevity, weight, frost and UV resistance. But also the color and design play a major role in the selection of the product. A negative example are planters with extremely thick edges, which on the one hand don?t look very nice, and on the other hand take away a lot of space which your plants need for healthy growth.
• When choosing your fiber glass planters, it is important to avoid fiberglass planters with an addition of rock flour, which is a very cheap material making the planter brittle, fragile and heavy. Sooner or later it will produce unsightly efflorescence and lime stains on the surface of the planter.
  
  

Guide: Questions to consider before you buy a plant pot

Material question: Before you buy a plant pot, you should think carefully about which one is most suitable for you. For which location must it be suitable? Which material is frost-proof, hardy and UV resistant?

Fiberglass, plastic or poly rattan flower pots can be used all year round, both indoors and outdoors because they are frost-proof, hardy and UV resistant. With plant pots made of water hyacinth this is of course a little bit different. Plant pots made of natural materials are impressing above all with its typical warm and harmonic look. Unfortunately, plant pots made of wood or water hyacinth are not completely weatherproof, which means that they can only be used indoors.

By the way, when using your plant pots outdoor, you should not place them on your lawn, because the grass underneath will no longer receive light. The grass will die and unsightly "brown spots" will develop in your garden.

Good to know: Water hyacinth is an organic material. This annual, herbaceous, quickly growing water plant is perfectly suitable for the production of basket- and wickerwork. For the production of water hyacinth plant pots, the stems of the plant are dried and afterwards braided into ropes. The material is 100% natural and organic and comes from Africa, Asia and South America. In the past, the planting of water hyacinth has caused major environmental problems. People wanted to use it as an ornamental plant, but the plant spread far too quickly and started to grow everywhere. So it was decided to use it for the production of wickerwork.

Up to which temperature are plant pots frost-proof?

That depends of course on the material. With poly rattan (down to -95°C) and stainless steel you usually don't need to worry. And even plastic or fiber glass planters are robust if they were produced from high-quality material.

The TÜV Rheinland (Technical Inspection Authority) has given us an excellent test result. Our fiberglass planters and our plastic planters ?made in Germany" have withstood extreme temperatures from -10°C to +65°C. You can see the complete test report here: TÜV-Report.

Which is the perfect size of your new planter?

It is important for a plant to have enough space to grow - easier said than done.

Large plants such as palms or Ficus trees need more space for their roots than indoor ferns or ornamental grasses, for example. Here is a summary of the most important points you should consider when planting your plant troughs:

• The "3 cm rule": The chosen planting pot should be at least three centimeters wider than the pot in which the plant is delivered. More volume supports the growth of the plant and prevents the soil from drying out.
• Larger pots hold more soil, so that water and micronutrients can be better distributed and absorbed. This is especially useful for thujas or oleander.
• The perfect proportion: growth size and pot size should fit - regular repotting is better than putting a small, young plant into an XL plant pot.

Tip: How can I insulate my planter for winter? The best insulation against cold is, to cover the inside walls of your planter with 2-3 cm thick Styropor sheets. You can buy them in every well-sorted DIY store. This method is a perfect protection for the roots preventing your plants from freezing. For bamboo plants, for example, it is also useful to cover it with a thermal fleece or a hood that protects against cold winds. Last but not least, you should not forget to water your plants on frost-free days - many plants don?t die in winter from cold but from drought.

Lightweight or heavyweight - how much does a planter actually weigh?

With large plant pots, besides stability and weather resistance, the weight is an important factor. Especially if you want to move them after planting.

However, for cheap planters made of concrete, stainless steel, Corten steel, wood, stone and clay, you should have chosen a fixed location in advance - because depending on their size, it will not be possible to move them anymore. A clay pot with a diameter of about 45 cm for example, can weigh up to 20 kg - without content.

If you use light, natural or innovative materials such as fiberglass, plastic, poly rattan or water hyacinth, you will not have this problem. Even large planters or flower pots in xxl only weigh two to five kilos - without content.

Do you really need drainage holes for outdoor use?

Plant pots are usually supplied with a closed bottom. If the planter is to be installed at locations having temperatures below zero, you have to drill holes in the bottom. Thus, the excess water can drain away and waterlogging will be avoided. In many plant troughs or plant pots the drain holes are already pre-marked - this makes drilling easier. Depending on the size of the plant pot, one to three drains are recommended. You should use the classic stone or wood drill with a 10 mm drill.

Good to know: The drainage holes must be open. Please cover them with a piece of clay or a drainage grating so that superfluous water can drain off and no unpleasant waterlogging causes root rot, which is almost always an irreversible condition for the plant. Furthermore, water should be drained off, as it could freeze, expand and burst the planter with temperatures below zero.

How many liters of potting soil do you need to fill your plant pot?

You will often find the information about the volume in the article description of the planter, next to the dimensions. You only have to subtract the volume of the root ball of your plant and you will get the desired result.

As you already know, you should choose for your plants a pot that offers 2 to 3 cm more space around the root ball than the old one. And for older plants, which are not supposed to grow very much, the root ball should be slightly reduced in size when repotting.

Tip: With our potting soil calculator you can easily calculate the amount of soil required for the respective plant pot. When choosing your potting soil, make sure that it is free of inferior components. It is better to add high-quality fertilizers or substrates after planting.

Planting correctly: How do I design an optimal drainage layer and thus prevent waterlogging?

It's actually quite simple: First place a clay pot sherd or a sieve over the drainage holes. Then distribute a thin layer of foamed clay or gravel (approx. 5 to 12 centimeters) over it and finally fill it up with potting soil.

Is it necessary to use an insert pot?

Plant pots are available in different versions and designs with various functions. You have the choice between pots for direct planting, pots with an integrated insert or pots with extra inserts including irrigation system.

Please note, that when you plant directly in the plant trough, you save a lot of space, and contemporaneously you save weight. Before buying you should consider, which requirements your plant pot has to fulfill.

Planters with irrigation system provide additional convenience and comfort. However, not every plant is suitable for hydroponic cultivation. For example, bamboo "drowns quickly" or develops rot at the roots. Responsible for this is the so-called "waterlogging". Learn more about waterlogging.

briefly summarized:

• We recommend that you plant directly into the plant pot or into an integrated inner container (without irrigation system), unless the plant is not hydroponic. Your plant simply gets more space and, if you wish, you can also put a drainage layer to ensure perfect growth.
• With an integrated insert, you save space, weight and finally costs because you don?t need so much soil.
• Inserts are very useful for large, tall planters in which only a small ornamental plant is to be placed.

Tip: Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture, which is a method of growing plants without soil, by instead using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent.

Off on holiday - who will care for my plants?

When should I use an insert with an irrigation system? As you could see in the previous section, planters with watering systems are not always a good idea.

But what do you do when you go on holiday with your friends or family? After all, do your plants in your room or on your balcony need water regularly?

Various manufacturers are offering help in this regard. The good news is, that during a test by NDR, all plants have survived the two-week holiday in good conditions. And the final result was that the products of Emsa, Bauhaus and Gardena are highly recommendable.

Tip: With this „Do-It Yourself“- video you can easily rebuild your irrigation system at home.

Can our planters be used for other purposes?

When this question first came up, we were a bit surprised. As our planters do not have pre-drilled drainage holes (because they are designed for outdoor and indoor use), an alternative use for example as a mini pond for aquatic plants or as a well, is possible.

For indoor use, we recommend to line the fiberglass planter with a waterproof foil, for example pond foil. This prevents unintentional water leakage onto the parquet or laminate flooring.

The TÜV Rheinland, is regularly testing the quality and frost resistance of plant pots. You can find more information in the TÜV report.

Which materials are available and which is the right one for your requirements?

We can offer 4 different materials:

• Fiberglass
• Plastic
• Poly rattan
• Water hyacinth
  
  

These materials differ mainly in price, weight, durability and weather resistance. In the following chapter we would try to make your decision easier.

Which are the characteristics of a fiberglass planter and which are its advantages and disadvantages?

The great popularity of fiber glass planters in grey or anthracite is due to their elegant design, the wide variety of models, their light weight and their good value for money.

As we´ve already explained above, take care, that you avoid fiber glass products manufactured with a mixture of fiberglass and stone. These items look very natural and appealing but additives such as cheap rock flour, make the planters heavy and brittle. This is the reason for less durability and quality.

In extreme tests of the TÜV Rheinland, our fiberglass planters could withstand strong temperature fluctuations of up to 75°C. Apart from a few small paint bubbles, they remained without any damage.

Tip: For all of our fiberglass planters we completely avoid unnecessary additions of rock flour. We use a mixture of pure synthetic resin and fiberglass. This leads to a slightly higher price, but guarantees better quality.

You can read the complete test report here.

Which are the characteristics of a plastic planter?

A plastic planter perfectly suits, if you are looking for a light weight, uncomplicated planter, which is easy to move and which can withstand a shock without being damaged.

Plastic tubs made of PE or PP plastic, are extremely robust. PP plastic (polypropylene) is even stronger and harder. Since PP does not develop any harmful vapors, plant pots made of this material are perfect for indoor use. As high quality plastic granulate is a very expensive raw material, we recommend, to choose your plastic planter in a higher price category because otherwise you run the risk that color is fading. Please note, that all our plastic planters are made of high quality granulate.