Do you leave glazed ceramic planters outside during the winter? (concrete, nursery)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just bought a bunch of large glazed- only -on -the- outside planter pots for my deck. Do I have to bring them inside here in N.C. zone 8a during the winter or will they crack and split outside?
Anything I can do inside the pots to give them non porous finish and therefore keep them outside?
I'm in zone 6a/b and I have several large glazed pots....some make it through many winters and some start disintegrating and flaking.
I'm not sure what the determining factor is to be honest.
I can tell you that the cheesy Made-In-China resin faux-glazed pots and garden artifacts I have appear to be indestructible and are not in the least altered by the elements after years outside. Yes, it does pain me to say that but it's true.
Just bought a bunch of large glazed- only -on -the- outside planter pots for my deck. Do I have to bring them inside here in N.C. zone 8a during the winter or will they crack and split outside? Anything I can do inside the pots to give them non porous finish and therefore keep them outside?
I have had those beautiful glazed pots as well and I have not been able to predict what causes them to not crack or to crack in any given winter. I only have these links to help you in your decision.
Good luck!
Best regards, sincerely
HomeIsWhere...
Second, soil in pots freezes sooner and warms up sooner than the ground and is, therefore, subject to several freezes and thaws during the winter. Therefore, a frost-proof pot with a drainage hole is essential. Some glazed pots may survive, but I would err on the side of caution.
I've been gardening in terracotta, plastic, concrete, heavy plastic and hypertufa for decades but I found a good deal on glazed ceramic pots at Ollies and couldn't
resist them. A few times even in Atlanta the terra cotta pots would flake and crack but it had been especially bitter winter so I was not surprised. I'll have these new pots lined in heavy plastic trash bags except for great drainage on the bottoms and see if that will keep them going for a few winters. I've been saving my nursery pots and milk jugs and packing peanuts to put in the bottoms so I won't be wasting money on good potting soil for the really large pots. then I use coconut liners to put on top of that so my soil doesn't seep down but the water can. This has always worked well for me.
ETA: somebody suggested Valspar Spray Glaze. I'll see if that works.
I would think it would be depending on the weather. If the pot soil is wet and it freezes the pots should expand and crack. We have friends in zone 6 in MN and they bring in their pots every winter. The only pots that make it through the winter there are concrete ones 2" thick.
They will maintain some structural integrity if they are not full of water or damp soil that will freeze and thaw, expanding and contracting each time the temperature changes until the pot starts to come apart. The ones that are glazed inside and out last longer, but they too will finally succumb.
So here it is 3 years later and I'm happy to say I've left my glazed pots outside over 3 winters and they are doing fine. We cover them with tarps when it is going to be below freezing (still some plants inside) and we haven't lost a pot or a plant yet. We uncover them during sunny days. The other night it got down to 27 and last night it was 29- nothing damaged. My husband is happy about that as he certainly hates transporting those large pots to and from the garage.
Just have to be careful not to water on days it is predicted it will get below freezing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
