Dear Craig

I would love to have pottery and large plant containers in my landscape. The pots I have chosen in the past seem to disintegrate in a matter of a year or two Can you tell me what I can do to make them last longer.

Donna in Tucson

Dear Donna :

It sounds to me like you have been purchasing Mexican clay pottery. Mexican clay pottery contains a high salt content in the clay and is fired at low temperatures of about three hundred degrees. This in itself is a problem for long term use. Many of these pots are beautiful when first purchased and age rapidly once they are filled with soil and watered. The water dilutes the salt content and causes the clay to break down.

Mexican clay pots are colored with paints and lacquers to give them a rich, old world look. These same lacquers and paints are on the exterior surface and separate as the clay breaks down and crumbles.

To strengthen these pots, I would recommend using a waterproof sealant on the interior and exterior. In addition, I would line the interior of the pottery with plastic roof cement. This cement is used to seal roofs and overhangs, is definitely water resistant, and can be purchased at most hardware stores. The product can be applied with a small trowel or heavy brush.

Be sure to wear gloves when applying, since this product is gooey and will stick to anything.

It is petroleum based product and should not be applied to containers that you plan to use for vegetables or edible plants.

When planting Mexican clay pottery, try to use gravel at the bottom for faster drainage. This allows the excess moisture to flow freely from the container and not sit in the bottom where the fastest erosion occurs.

There are many other solutions for pottery choices that do not require any sealants.

Concrete pots are the best choice for longevity. These pots can be enhanced with acid stains or purchased with color pigment integrated throughout the entire product. Concrete pots have a life span of about ten to fifteen years.

Additional choices include, glazed ceramic pots, including the talavera pottery that is fired at above twelve hundred degrees.

Ceramic pots come in many designs and styles. I’m sure you could easily find one to fit the style of your landscape and decor.

Other, more durable types include canterra stone, iron and imported Italian clay.

With the new technology of resins and plastics, there are several styles of lightweight, sun and rot proof polymer types to choose from. Not only do they look like real stone or ceramic pots, they are much easier to transport.