Introduction

Plant pots come in a wide range of materials, from plastic to clay and ceramic. But what’s the difference between these materials? And how does it affect your plants? To find out more about plant pots and their different materials, we caught up with the experts at Gardeners’ World.

Plastic

Plastic is a synthetic polymer that has been around since the 1930s. Plastic pots are cheap, lightweight, and can be molded into many different shapes and sizes. They’re also good insulators, so they’re great for plants that need to be kept warm or cool during certain parts of the year. However, plastic pots aren’t so good at conducting heat or electricity—this means they’ll take longer than other materials to reach your plant’s preferred temperature.

Plastic also conducts sound poorly when compared to other materials—you’ll hear it rattling if you shake your plant pot around!

Clay

Clay pots are the cheapest and most common kind of planter pot. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. You can find them in just about any garden store.

Clay pots are porous so they breathe better than plastic or ceramic pots–but if you’re looking for something that doesn’t have any holes in it (which would let water out), clay is not your material. Clay also can absorb water into its walls more easily than other materials, which makes clay pots good at drainage.

Because clay is heavy (they weigh between 5-15 lbs), they’re not ideal for moving around outside very often–but they’re great if you want to create an arrangement that looks like it’s been there forever because it blends in so well with nature! Clay also retains heat better than other types of materials so people use them when growing warm-climate plants such as succulents and cacti indoors too!

Some plants love moist soil but don’t like the idea of being submerged underwater all the time–this is where having a porous pot comes in handy because even though there may be little cracks along its surface which cause water from raindrops on top or from watering inside by hand coming through those same cracks could mean great things for these guys who enjoy wet feet but not actual immersion into water itself.”

Ceramic

Ceramic pots are made by mixing clay, water, and other materials (called glazes), pouring the mixture into a mold or shape and then firing it in a kiln to harden. They’re typically more expensive than plastic or clay pots but are more durable and attractive.

They’re also better for the environment than plastic pots because they don’t contain any harmful chemicals that can leach into soil or water. The downside? Ceramic is brittle, so if you drop one on your foot it’s going to hurt!

The difference between plants pots in terms of material and how this can affect your plants

Plastic pots are lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to clean. They’re often used for young plants or for plants that require frequent repotting because they’re cheap and come in a variety of sizes.

Clay pots are cheap too (you’ll pay about $1 per pot), but they’re heavy and difficult to clean out because the soil can get stuck on the surface of them; this makes them ideal if you have heavy clay soils that might otherwise accumulate at the bottom of a plastic pot. Clay pots also tend to last longer than plastic ones; you may need to replace yours every couple years instead of every year or two like with plastic ones.

Ceramic pots are expensive ($5-$10 per pot), but much lighter than clay ones—so if your plant weighs more than 5 pounds (2 kg) then it’s probably best suited for ceramic instead! Ceramic is also easier to keep clean than either plastic or clay because there isn’t any porous material like sand mixed into its makeup; all those little holes between pieces make it hard for bacteria like fungi spores from growing inside them over time which means less chance of getting sick from touching dirty surfaces after awhile!

Conclusion

Plants are an essential part of any home, and they need the right environment to grow. The most popular option is plastic pots because they’re light and easy to use. Clay pots are also becoming more popular in recent years due to their eco-friendly nature, but there are some drawbacks such as low heat tolerance so they shouldn’t be used indoors during summer months. Ceramic pots offer the best quality when it comes down hardiness and durability, but they can be expensive if purchased from brick-and-mortar stores due to shipping costs (plus taxes).