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Ceramic Planters - Cone 6 Or Low Fire?


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So I was having a discussion with a friend about planters for outside. Is there any benefit of firing cone 6 clays for planters. Or is it more cost effective to fire lowfire clays for planters outside, the kind people don't have to bring in for the winter. Cause I am thinking about making some planters for myself and some friends for a house warming present, and I was wondering if I should do it in a low fire clay, or if I should do it to cone 6.

 

Anyone have any advice for this. The other big thing is I already have cone 6 glazes for the outside of the planter pots. So thats one bonus for cone 6. But I mean efficiency wise, if I was going to make a lot of these to sell in the future would it be smart to make them cone 6, or would you be better off using earthenware?

 

Thanks as always. Looking forward to the discussion.

 

 

 

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Low fire will not last as long unless they are inside and vitrified.

If you want them to last I suggest at least cone 5.

Even my low fire cat bowl gave up the ghost aftera few years.

I will say we have a low fire platter hanging on the wall over the stove that has lasted about 20 years-its on a wire and does not ever move.

Mark

 

 

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post-8914-0-26578000-1422419844_thumb.jpg

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I just made 5, five pound planters for my teaching partner. terra cotta is good for planters-nice colour, but you have to bring them in up here for the winter. Don't forget to put a hole in the bottom and make a matching dish to catch the water..

Planters are not a great production item because you can buy beautiful huge stoneware planters made in China from Home Depot.

TJR.

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The organizer at the art market that i do often suggested i make some planter cause everyone loves handmade planters...i agree they love them but they don't want to pay the handmade price for them.

 

Personally i love the look of terracotta in the garden and in florida the freeze thing isn't an issue but they evaporate the water so fast so i tend to use stoneware.

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The organizer at the art market that i do often suggested i make some planter cause everyone loves handmade planters...i agree they love them but they don't want to pay the handmade price for them.

 

Personally i love the look of terracotta in the garden and in florida the freeze thing isn't an issue but they evaporate the water so fast so i tend to use stoneware.

PSC;Most of us made planters, or make them. The problem is as you suggested. You cannot get your price for them as you can buy 3 nesting stoneware large planters at Home Depot for $20.00. The other issue is that they take up a lot of space in the kiln, and you could fill that same space with big bowls .

TJR.

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I am not trying to get a good price for them really. I just love succulents and stuff like that, so I am gonna make little ones, almost like cups with holes in the bottom. For the friend I am going to make a bigger planter, probably like 10-15 lb pots. 

 

It is best to leave the inside unglazed right? I have read in places in the past that if a plant hits the inside of an unglazed pot with the root system it turns around and grows back into the middle of the dirt. If it hits a glazed area it wraps around the inside of the pot, which isn't as healthy. Is this just a rumor, or does anyone really know if its more healthy for the inside to be unglazed? 

 

Also thanks for all the neat and interesting replies. 

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If your planting succulents, I would leave the inside unglazed. They like being on the dry side. Glazed would hold moisture. I've never had a problem with root systems on my unglazed pots.  I have a cactus wall on my fence in the summer, lots of cactus and succulents all in pots not glazed in side.

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grype, try sticking 3 small pots together.  there are lots of ways to do that so you have a lot of variety.  3 like a shamrock, 3 in a row, 3 with flat backs with a hole, 3 of different heights, etc.  gets more interesting thinking of ways to make the same things differently.  

 

my friend who is a plant lover says no glaze inside.

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Also, if you want the glaze look for the inside, you can glaze the top part down an inch or so inside.

 

I do this with my bonsai pots.  Makes the inside more grippy for the soil, and why waste glaze where it should never be seen?

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I have a ^6 planter in the kiln rite now, 11'' base 12'' tall and about 12'' round at top, gonna shrink im sure.. I like making them myself, a lot of fun and I get crazy with them.. I try to stay on the organic looking side of things. nothing is perfect in nature, so I do aim for it in planters...

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  • 4 years later...

My terracotta pots survived a wildfire that destroyed everything else.  Since there were so many hazardeous chemicals  left in the ash i am wondering if i can still use the pots or will their condition effect the plants,Not vegetables?The pots themselves seem to be still in good condition but i am not sure if the waste was absorbed by the pots?

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All I make are planters.  I'm pretty entrenched with  the high end cactus and succulent collectors.  If you're going to pay $1000 for a plant (yes they do), you really don't want a plastic pot.  You can think of it like bonsai, without the attitude.   I know real potters don't like planters.    See if you have a local cactus and succulent club.  It's a pretty good market.

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Nothing wrong with well made planters and I consider myself a real potter

Great plants deserve great pots

Great pots are not plastic but well made clay pots.

The only down side I see is the market is best in warm cactus places so it would be best to live in one of those areas. You could not make a living doing that anywhere arouind this area.

That limits one to warmer southern climes. 

Somewhere where snow and rain is king  in winter would be a harder sell.

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For sure, Southern California is my best market.  What's really surprising is that xeric (dry loving) plants are huge in Europe.  They haven't progressed to the point of appreciating the aesthetic of  a well staged plant/pot composition.   They only like industrial plastic.   If you ever want to see the apex of function ceramic market, check out a Japanese bonsai pottery catalog.  I don't know that any westerners have much impact there.  Besides which, it's what I call a closed aesthetic.  My stuff is what ever I want it to be.   What sells best for me are the pots that you have never seen before.

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