Depends on the plant. Because some need to dry out faster than others.

I really like gas permeable terra cotta containers and choose them most of the time for anything I'm growing on & don't really need to have in an attractive container; though I do enjoy the look of a nicely patinized clay pot. Terra cotta is especially good in situations where the soil is not drying quickly enough, because it allows water vapor transfer through the container walls & bottom. It can, in some cases, allow you to use a soil that you could never use in a glazed or plastic container and maintain optimum vitality, and even if you are using a soil that allows fundamentally sound irrigation practices, I still feel you'd be pressed hard to so readily find containers made of a material less expensive and/or more conducive to good plant vitality.

Just don't let them freeze.

Al

I use both, depends on what plant I'm putting into the container. Some can be touchy about watering, those are good for clay pots. For cacti/succulents I always use clay. Outdoors I use plastic more so I dont have to water as much in summer.

Jen

Hey Jen, how are you??? Where've you been hiding? I hope everything is well with you and your family..How long has it been? It's great seeing you back..(S)

For cactus and succulents, I prefer clay pots..Tropicals do best in plastic..to be honest, I think tropicals grow better in the ugly, plastic pots they come in when purchased, larger when repotting is needed.
But if one cares about looks of the pot, then ceramic is the number one choice, especially since many ceramic pots are ornate/colorful.
Some of my plants are in ceramic pots, but I usually place the plant in a plastic growing pot first, then set this pot in the ceramic container..but I add something on the bottom so plant doesn't sit in water.
If it's a big pot, 10+", I use pieces of styrofoam sheets. Toni

Hmmm - an argument might be mounted that from a "convenience to the grower" perspective, a plastic pot could be construed as superior, but I would bet that no one will mount a convincing argument that physiologically, a plastic container could be superior to one of terra cotta.

I think that when using plastic containers (and of course, I use them, too), we're all probably sacrificing plant vitality on the alter of grower convenience.

Al

Hi Toni! Good to "see" you too : ) I've been hanging around, just havent posted much. I'm spending lots of time outdoors in my garden. That will be sadly done in about a month. Have you gotten any new plants? my aunt just gave me a large spider plant and a Pilea. I took some cuttings of Coleus for winter, and I'm going to bring in a geranium.

Jen

I never use clay. I'm a klutz, and I drop and break things. I also run my plants very dry, and with the clay I have to water too much. Al would probably say that I'm sacrificing my plants' vitality on the altar of caretaker convenience, and he would be right.

Oh - it's just a fact of life, but why would I want to single you out, WG? We're prolly all in the same boat. I don't always repot when I should, I sometimes use plastic pots for the sake of convenience, don't fertilize as often as I'd like to, can describe a perfect watering technique but never adhere to it ..... ad infinitum. But it's true, you know? There's always so much more that we could do to insure a better home life for our plants, ;o) but we just can't for any one of a bunch of reasons - primarily related to time constraints and/or alternate prioritization.

Al

Al, I didn't expect you to single me out at all. (If truth be told, I have such respect for your knowledge that I hate to offer a dissenting opinion on the forums!)

I've sacrificed one heck of a lot of plants on the altar of "starting my own business" over the past few months!! The expression "The shoemaker's children have no shoes" comes to mind...

Then we got water restrictions, so I had to leave a lot of the outdoor plants to fend for themselves too. Some are toast, some probably will be soon. But life goes on... More drought resistant varieties for outside are definitely in my future, since the water restrictions seem to be becoming more and more frequent as the years go by, not that I want to start a debate about global warming or anything!

Oh gosh - am I that harsh? I hope not. ;o) In my mind, I feel as though I'm always pretty gentle in exchanges with those that usually offer sound advice (you and lots of others), and maybe a little less so with those that tend to serve up information that is often in error, but I never go looking for mistakes to correct. If I get corrected or there is disagreement, I just offer my reasoning & let the forum decide what to accept or reject.

Dissent (I think) is valuable to the forum because it keeps us talking, thinking, and usually interested, so please never fear to disagree with anyone here - we're all vulnerable to making mistakes and probably all of us would be interested in any logical dissent, especially from a supportable position. There are myriad methods of disagreeing and the way I see it is that dissent yielding more heat than light is dissent we prolly all agree we can do without.

I think I was careful not to convict anyone because they use plastic containers (by making myself guilty, too), but it's good to know that containers that allow gas exchange and that force you to water more frequently are a good tool to have in your box, IF you can keep up with the watering commitment. ;o)

Al

I use pretty white plastic containers with matching drip trays---they have little gray specs in them to make them look like granite. Reasons:

1. I am a chronic under-waterer and clay pots dry out too fast.

2. I have nerve damage in my hands, so I drop everything and don't like the resulting chips and cracks that develop in clay and ceramic.

3. Clay and ceramic are too heavy and make said hands hurt.

4. I like my house to look nice---since I have a jungle of plants in here, matching pots helps everything look cohesive. Years ago I used to have of mix of pot types and colors, but with such a large variey of plants it began to look like the circus was staying at my place. Simple white pots allows the *plants* to shine and take center stage, not the pots. :)

I have this weird thing with unglazed terracotta - I can't stand to touch it. I know it's weird, but for me it's like running my nails down a chalkboard. So, needless to say, all of my plants are either in plastic or ceramic pots. Plastic also saves a lot of weight on the windowsills - which is important with 25 pots in the south window. (Now that it's a bit later in the year and I'm getting more light in the house, I can start spreading them back out a little. I'm sure they'll appreciate that :)

Shiver I hear you about the nerve damage in the hands, I am awaiting surgery for my elbow because a nerve is causing my fingers to go numb, and yes it makes gardening painful at times. I have trouble with a spray bottle causing me pain, so I have come to use a pump bottle that can mist for me.

I too use all plastic pots, for a while I bought pretty pots for my larger plants, but getting them around for watering and inside and outside, is just to much for me. I find drainage to be a problem in almost every pot that is not made of plastic, so I stick to the plain jane garden containers. It works out well since most of my plants are in four inch pots. I use terra cotta only for a few succulents and cacti that my 10 year daughter adores, I am more into Hoyas, gessies and AV's so plastic works for me.