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DIY Rope Wrapped Flowerpots

8/26/2016

We love all kinds of craft idea using clay flowerpots and since we sell so many sizes of standard clay pot's you should be able to find all the pots sizes you need. Here they take a flowerpot and turn it into something special by coating it with rope that is painted to match your decor. This project is easy and fun to do and makes a wonderful gift.

Supplies:
Rust-oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint
Sisal Rope 1/4"
Arizona Pottery Clay Flowerpots
Painters Tape
Elmers Glue Spray

Turn the flowerpot over and spray a thick coat of spray glue around 2" of the bottom of the pot. Start with the end of the rope and start wrapping around the pot without any gaps. Then spray glue again about 2" or so up the sides and then wrap the rope some more. When you get to the end spray another coat over the top to just make sure that the rope will stick.

Next take some painters tape and wrap it around the body of the pot at the area where you want the color added. You can make as many patterns that you want. Be sure and leave some of the rope in its natural color to add some beauty and interest to the final look of the planter. Let them dry and then remove the tape. Perfect!

How To Moss Cover Clay Pots

8/23/2016

Nothing is more lovely than aged terracotta flowerpots. But sometimes you just don't have the time to wait for it to happen naturally. Here are a few tips that will help speed along the process.

Start by locating a few handfuls of live moss. Most local nursery or landscape companies will have live moss to sell. Put it in a blender with 1 cup of buttermilk and 1 cup of water. Blend till it looks like a brown milkshake. It will smell kind of bad but just ignore that. Now take a artist brush and paint this mixture onto the clay flowerpot s that you want to have covered with moss.

From small to extra large, this formula will work on all real clay garden planters. Even if the mix is chunky that is fine. Those chunks will turn green in 24 hrs. Lastly, mist the outside once a day to keep the moss growing. Just make sure that you plant something that can handle daily watering.

That's it. Not much to do and the final effect is stunning.

Make Your Own Olla Water Pots

8/20/2016

With water becoming such a crisis around the world, we saw this great tip for making your own Olla water pots for irrigation in your garden or landscape. Many are using irrigation systems but here you can create your own whether you need a lot or a few areas. We love the idea of planting these in the center of a garden pot for a manual watering system.

Take 2 terracotta clay flower pots. Use the size that best fits your needs. These can be as small at 3" or as large as 18". Cover the hole with silicone, or any material that will plug the hole. Apply waterproof glue around the rim of the pot.

Turn another pot the same size upside down, do NOT plug that drain hole but set on the top of the base pot where it is glued. Apply a large rubber band, piece of string or whatever to hold them together. Let them dry completely. Now you should have 2 pots top to top. With the bottom terracotta planter's hole plugged.

Place in the center of a garden pot and place your plant materials around it. Cover with soil so that only the hole in the top is showing. This is make the roots circle the pot where the water will leach out slowly. Fill the pot with water. Check every couple of days to see how much water is being used. You can temporarily plus the top hole with a rock or cork piece. Turning a clay saucer over and use as a top can work also. This will slow the evaporation down.

This will keep the water cool and stable, letting it seep thru the pots into the soil and onto the roots.

Now of course if you want to buy our watering pots, they come in many sizes and shapes to meet all your watering needs. Click here.

By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 12/14/2016 1:12:45 PM

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What is Black Clay Pottery?

8/17/2016

When you are searching the web for new and original garden pottery, or maybe the old standby terracotta clay and you see the term "Black Clay" and wonder what exactly that means, then here is the answer!

Many of the garden containers coming out of Vietnam use the term Black Clay. When you look at the photos of the pots they don't look black at all but a dark brown and this causes some confusion. Well let's start by what it really is. Imagine when you are standing at a riverbank in Vietnam and you are looking into the running water and the water looks dark almost black. It's not the water you are seeing it's the soil on the river bed that is a dark brown. Well, when that clay is harvested off the river beds it looks like a dark brown. That is where the term "Black Clay" comes from.

Then the clay is formed into shapes or placed into molds to form the planters. Each one is then moved into a huge mud hut where it is baked over a number of days till hard. When you see some of these planters and they have darker spots on the side that means they were placed closer to the sides of the kiln where they will heat up more than the pots placed in the middle.

The pots are then cooled. And then moved back in and re-fired. This creates a hard finish like a stoneware pot. It's basically waterproof and will wear like a glazed flowerpot. One word of caution. If the pots gets chipped or cracked, the water you water your plant materials with will find that defect and seep into the pot. Now the pot will start to break down from the inside out. This process is normal.

So, hopefully this helps explain where these beautiful clay containers got their name: Black Clay.

black clay pottery, planters from vietnam, what does black clay mean, black clay pots, black clay planters

By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 12/14/2016 1:16:33 PM

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pH Soil Testing

8/12/2016

We highly recommend testing your potting soil for pH levels. You ask why? Well here are a few tips and the importance of staying on top of it. When you are planning a potted garden, flowerpots around your home or shrubs and trees in large containers it's important to know if your soil is acidic, neutral or alkaline. Most plants are neutral but others can be fussy and require a more accurate acidic or alkaline base.

When you bring plant materials home from the local nursery, it's important to know if your potting mix need some help to assure that the correct mix is used in the planters for the best outcome of growth and health.
Neutral soil will read approximately 6.5 to 7.5
Alkaline above 7
Acidic almost 14

The easiest way to test the soil is by using a probe. They will come with full instruction and can range around $20.00 These will work for indoor and outdoor containers and potted plants and flowers. Some require soil being placed into a test tube and adding a powder with water. Others by inserting a probe directly into the soil and get an instant reading.

There are many suggestions on how to amend the soil to get the correct reading on the meter probe so google it for specifics. Wood Ash, Sulfur, Meal, Vinegar or Baking Soda can all be added to the potting mix for the best results with the garden containers.

Whatever method you decide to follow when planting into pottery, make sure you do a bit of pre-planting to research and adjust the soil to find the perfect blend for you.

Super Shrubs for Containers

8/9/2016

When it comes to potting up plant materials for the home and garden containers you wish to display around your house, you have so many choices. Many homeowners want color so they go with flowers and bulbs. But, another wonderful option is shrubs and if you want color flowering shrubs. They are long lasting, durable and beautiful.

Below are a few choices of shrubs that work wonderful in garden containers & all kinds of planters.

Andromeda - This shrub grows in containers similar to an azalea pot. This means acidic soil and subtropical climate. It take's a bit of care but can be a beautiful potted addition to any patio or porch.

Aster - When potted the aster shrub is great for cool temperature zones and mild summers. Because of the variety of colored bloom's it produces, it's very popular. Easy to grow in both summer and fall.

Bougainvillea - While you mostly see these planted in the grown and growing up the side of homes or commercial building, they were wonderfully in a potted plant. Their bright hot pink blooms make them popular for containers around the house. They require very little care which makes them popular. Full sun, dry soil and good to go!

Boxwood - What we really love is their evergreen look. Perfect for topiary bushes & trees these wonderful shrubs can be cut into many shapes and look awesome. It grows everywhere and is a landscaper's dream for potted shrubs.

Camellia - Mild summers lend themselves to productive camellia growth. Bright blooms and dark green leaves make a wonderful potted display. Requires rich acidic soil and regular maintenance so make sure you can make the commitment.

Daphne - When you want a shrub that smells heavenly, then plant some Daphne. Areas with extreme winters and cool summers are most suitable. Keep the pot in the shade and water it well in the summer. It like moist soil.

Let's Repot a Succulent

8/4/2016

As we all know most plants will eventually get root bound when grown in a garden planter. As a plant grows it's roots want to shoot out and expand. Eventually they will become intertwined, yearning to break free. Here are a few tips to help with succulents.

Turn the succulent over in your hand and gently loosen from the pot that it is root bound in. Carefully try to spread the roots a bit so that they are moveable and not bound together in a tight ball. Take the potting soil for the new larger planter and mix it with 1/3 sand. Succulents are desert dwellers so good draining soil is a must.

Once the succulents have been re-potted do NOT water. Wait a week before the first watering. This will give them time to adjust to the new pot and soil. Then water like once a month. It's tempting to over water but trust us they do not like it. Just make sure that the pot is placed in an area where there is lots of sunshine. If indoors put them on a windowsill. Outside move to a sunny area.

The main goal here is to let them have lots of room to grow, don't over water and place in a sunny window or area. Sounds simple so let us know how you do!