House plant pots - why don't the manufacturers of the ceramic pots collaborate with the manufacturers of the plastic pots?

[NarcissasMumintheDoghouse]

The issue. You have an indoor plant. You pot it into a plastic soil-holding pot. Then you go look for a ceramic pot to match your decore. And you find that the ceramic pots are all way too big or just too small. So you end up with a plastic lip showing.

I have the same problem with outdoor plants, too, but outdoors I can (and do) dispense with the ceramic pretty.

Must be your pots!

I bought some cheapies from lidl recently and the inner, plastic pot I already had (not from lidl) fits in perfectly with no rim visible. Maybe its just the wrong size- or the outer pot wasn't made as a standard size?

Cut down your inner pot? Invent some sort of crochet soil cosy? Buy bushier plants?

I find this too and it drives me nuts!

I agree - this drives me crazy. I have so many lovely pots but so many have the plastic pot showing as the fit isn't right.

If I were an entrepreneur, I would be setting up a company to sell ceramic pots that come with a plastic inner pot that fits perfectly. I bet they would fly off the shelves.

Yes, OP, it drives me batty too. I end up buying the ceramic pot cover the size bigger than my plastic pot in order to cover it. Annoying.

Great post. I thought the same thing the other day when I was given a gorgeous pot plant in a plastic pot. I'll need to buy a massive, too big pot to fit it in.

Why don't you just plant directly into the ceramic pot? Is it for drainage reasons? I hate plastic pots.

I have thought about this too ! So annoying

I had exactly this problem last week. I also found that a lot of the ceramic pots are either hideous or insanely expensive.

It’s one of those things that shouldn’t really matter given everything that’s going on in the world. However it really annoys me every time I water my plants.

I thought that too. That's what I do. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

That's a good dragons den idea OP!

I bought some plants to grow on for Christmas presents. Terribly pot bound so repotted them all yesterday, not one fits in a ceramic pot holder. Left trying to think of pits I can make by Christmas. Ideas on a postcard, please.

If you plant directly into a pot with no drainage holes then if you accidentally overwater, the plant is sitting with its roots in water and most don’t like that.
Another way of doing it is to have nice ceramic pot with its own drainage holes and matching saucer. For some reason I’ve only seen these sold with ‘outdoor’ plant pots.

That's what I do, nice dish underneath a ceramic pot (don't use plastic ones). I don't think the matching dishes are always great for indoors, to be honest. Any nice crokcery dish would be best, because they are less porous and won't stain your surfaces.

Also, dishes for outdoors are madness. It rains a lot in this country, the poor plants would drown after a few days of wet weather. My poor bay died because of that until I twigged!

Because the manufacturer of both is likely to be in China.

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to afford the price you would have to charge to cover costs and make a profit unless you outsourced manufacturing to China. Even then you would struggle at the moment. Shipping fees for a container are up to £16k at the moment and up to a 6 month wait. 3 years ago it was around £3.5k

I always decant directly into the ceramic pot. I just add a layer of stones or broken pottery at the bottom for drainage

If I were an entrepreneur, I would be setting up a company to sell ceramic pots that come with a plastic inner pot that fits perfectly.

With you, OP. It is INFURIATING. The one that really gets me spitting feathers? IKEA. Because their plants are really good value. Their pot containers? either too big or too small or have a stupid shape so that the water drains through, the plant gets too dry and the pot gets full of manky stinky water.

On the occasions I can't find a plastic pot to fit, I've just cut the rim off a plastic pot

I have ceramic pots with saucers. No plastic required.

See also teaspoon and spice jar manufacturers

I have found a solution! Those silicone baby spoons fit perfectly 😁

Yes!