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Stoneware Hanging Planters


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Good day, the other day I saw a periscope on making hanging planters. Love periscope even though I end up watching late. So I thought what a nice idea but I'm not sure how well stoneware would do for planters. I fire to cone 6 and I tend to kill plants so I know very little on what is required to keep them alive. So I wondered if any of you wonderful clay people had thoughts on trying this. My mother actually keeps plants so thought would be nice mothers day gift.

Thanks

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Just made a few hanging planters this past week (still in greenware stage).  Also recently made a number of traditional planters but with integral saucers after watching a you-tube how-to-video.  I can’t imagine why SW would differ from any other type of clay body for this purpose other than it might less effected by freeze thaw cycles than earthenware due to water absorption.  I think what would matter in any type of planter would be absence or presence of drainage holes depending on what you’re planting.  But I am not a green-thumb-kind of guy, so I will let others speak to that.

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As a gardener, you can put a plant in just about anything. If you're using a container that doesn't have drainage built in, you just put a few rocks, or some pieces of broken pottery in the bottom before adding the soil. So the type of clay only really matters in terms of the care instructions. If the clay is vitrified, it's good to be outdoors year round. If it isn't, it needs to be protected from freezing.

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I made hundreds and hundreds of Stoneware planters in the 70's still have a few working today-some where with trays for inside use on carpets or wood floors some for hanging outside -some had separate trays some attached-all had some form of drainage to let the water out.All where cone 10 stoneware clay bodies. Back then if you wanted a great planter you made it as the ones from China and Mexico did not yet exist in the US.

Just get a stoneware cone 6 body and fire to cone 6.happy plantering.

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I used to stack them up larger to smaller about 4 to a pile and would glaze all but the bottoms so they would not stick. As time went by(the 70's) I glazed all parts except the bottom where the foot is. I think they held up better outside as the glaze would keep water out and no freeze thaw issues-the body was a tight one.

A pot is stronger with glaze on inners and outers as well.

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Glazing inside vs. leaving unglazed: have seen both ways. I've also been told that some plant roots prefer an unglazed surface and do not do as well in glazed pots. Anyone know if that is factual or not?

 

I have read this in multiple places. I can't confirm it. My brother who is an avid planter and can grow practically anything. He says that he doesn't think it matters because plants grow just fine in plastic containers and that surface resembles a glaze surface. I think from a profit perspective I wouldn't glaze the inside as it's going to be covered with dirt. Save time, glaze and effort. 

 

As far as stoneware, it should be fine as others have stated. I have a pot I left out in the winter for 2 years and it has no cracks or anything in it and it froze multiple times with snow and ice in it. This pot was glaze on inside and outside though that could have been a factor.

 

As long as your stoneware has a low absorption rate when fired to maturity I wouldn't worry to much about it. Most people bring plants in for the winter too, so it is even less of a concern. I am just lazy when it comes to growing things, and my plant died. 

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Glazing inside vs. leaving unglazed: have seen both ways. I've also been told that some plant roots prefer an unglazed surface and do not do as well in glazed pots. Anyone know if that is factual or not?

Yes it can be true-like with some bonsai trees for example. They like to suck water from the tray  and retain it in the body or so I'm told by those in the know and an absorbent  clay medium is helpful. It also will kill the pot in a hard winter freeze. Like the way say terra-cotta comes apart when wet at say 2 degrees -like your winter this year?

I'm more into tough strong pots the rest is up to others as to use. I turned down a terra-cotta job years ago as I know the the final longevity was limited

Its an are I leave to others-I want to make the strongest pots not the weakest -no matter what the use.

I have some large planters outside that date back to 1974.None are terra-cotta.All stoneware.

I think as stated above most plants do fine in a glazed well drained container.

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Anywhere with a hot + dry climate will do better with low-fire planters. The semi-porous planter will help keep the soil cool with evaporate cooling.

 

Northern climates will have planters that protect from freezing do better. Vitrified clays do this.

 

In hot+wet climates, either will do.

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A lady was asking me to make African Violet pots, seemingly a small unglazed pot which nestles in to a glazed pot into which you put the water... for a slow absorption rate into the unglazed pot from the glazed one......

Anyone seen one of those.

Not sure if I want to step aside to design  and make these. Haven't seen one yet.

Bit like French butter dishes..... Are they a popular item?

Haven't seen one inOZ

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Babs

I knew a woman who only sold these at shows-They were slip cast.

They had holes in them as well. Never had one in my hand seemed a very narrow specialized cute market.

My advice is just say NO unless you like to design and make a bunch of them-how popular are violets on that Island?

As to french butterdishes they are popular in hot dry climates as they work off evaporation .

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Prob not worth the time exploring a design, not complex, two pot jobbie, one pot has to sit into other pot and touch the bottom of that I guess, certainly not going to be a main income trend...but other moisture loving plants may like the same type of pot.

I'm not going  there, prob available cheaper and pos. nastier somewhere in garden centres.

What's wrong with fridges for butter?

Sorry, in that kinda mood today, too logical for own good.

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A lady was asking me to make African Violet pots, seemingly a small unglazed pot which nestles in to a glazed pot into which you put the water... for a slow absorption rate into the unglazed pot from the glazed one......

Anyone seen one of those.

Not sure if I want to step aside to design  and make these. Haven't seen one yet.

Bit like French butter dishes..... Are they a popular item?

Haven't seen one inOZ

 

I've used these, they're awesome and I plan to start making these. I think you'd need to do these low-fire however for a good water absorption. 

 

Re: glazing the inside of pots: A lot of times I glaze two inches down and then do a quick clear coat for the rest of the inside. That way it's sealed but I'm not wasting my good glazes for something that will be covered in dirt. 

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Last post, I promise: When I make planters (sometimes hanging, sometimes not), I sometimes make ones with a drainage hole, for outside; sometimes with an attached or separate saucer and drainage holes, to be used inside or outside; and sometimes I make them without drainage holes so they can be used inside with just a layer of pebbles in the bottom.

 

So far the pot I made (no hole, no saucer) for my bedroom rubber plant has been fantastic, has not leaked or seeped water in any way through the bottom of the pot onto the top of my dresser as has happened before with the cheapo low fired pots you can buy at Home Depot or WalMart. I'm very happy with it.  

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I have made the violet pots for myself, but not for sale.  I tried to puzzle out a way for the inner pot to be non-vitrified and the outer pot to be vitrified, and still get a good fit.  I ended up just putting some holes in the bottom of the inner pot.  Works fine.  I've seen them with watering ports in the outer pot so you don't have to lift out the inner pot to water.  I might try that next.

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A lady was asking me to make African Violet pots, seemingly a small unglazed pot which nestles in to a glazed pot into which you put the water... for a slow absorption rate into the unglazed pot from the glazed one......

Anyone seen one of those.

Not sure if I want to step aside to design  and make these. Haven't seen one yet.

Bit like French butter dishes..... Are they a popular item?

Haven't seen one inOZ

 

I've used these, they're awesome and I plan to start making these. I think you'd need to do these low-fire however for a good water absorption. 

 

 

Ummm, I wouldn't use low fire unless you are 100% certain the pieces would be fully impervious to both the butter and water, glazed all over with a non crazing glaze. Hard to do with lowfire. They work by having the water form a seal between the butter and the air, don't need water absorption. There was a recent CAD piece on them here http://ceramicartsdaily.org/pottery-making-techniques/wheel-throwing-techniques/how-to-make-a-french-butter-dish/

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Re: glazing the inside of pots: A lot of times I glaze two inches down and then do a quick clear coat for the rest of the inside. That way it's sealed but I'm not wasting my good glazes for something that will be covered in dirt. 

 

 

+1

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Like Mark, I used to make a lot of planters, including some big salt-glazed ones, and smaller stoneware ones.  I put lugs for hanging on them all, whether or not they were hangers, since I liked the way the lugs looked.  All of mine had attached saucers-- I threw the main part, and when leatherhard turned it over, trimmed it, and put a little ball of clay on the bottom.  This I threw into a drip-catching saucer.

 

The trouble with only glazing the outside is that it would have taken me more time, and the time was more valuable than any money saved on glaze.  The reason is that if you put holes in your planter, as you should, it makes it a lot harder to only glaze the outside, if you dip your glazes.  You'd have to somehow plug the holes before dipping, or else the glaze would come up inside the piece.

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As to french butterdishes they are popular in hot dry climates as they work off evaporation .

 

Sorry Giselle, I should have quoted the original bit. Apologies for my confusion over what you meant. Earthenware used for centuries for food pots, I just don't think it's a good idea for f.butter dishes.

 

This quote is what I have problems accepting.

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As to french butterdishes they are popular in hot dry climates as they work off evaporation .

 

Sorry Giselle, I should have quoted the original bit. Apologies for my confusion over what you meant. Earthenware used for centuries for food pots, I just don't think it's a good idea for f.butter dishes.

 

This quote is what I have problems accepting.

 

Perhaps what Mark meant is that they keep the butter cool by evaporation? I thought it was sort of a layer of insulation from the outside air. I never noticed evaporation because you change the water every day. 

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