How to Age your Terracotta planter

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsPlant Health CareUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

Viva Italia !

 

Terracotta is an un-glazed, typically brownish- reddish clay earthenware from Italy. What you buy new is a bland Terracotta planter with no character at all! 

Well here is a trick that will help age your pot beautifully. Its an easy method to make them looked old and wise - like it has seen many Tuscan summers. 

 

Method

 

To subdue the bright orange/ red look of a new planter and give a garden an aged elegance all you need is three things.  Some plain ( full fat ) yogurt (no dieting for these guys !), a dry foam paint brush, and of course your terracotta pot. Make sure you go for the un-glazed pot as it will not work on a glazed planter. It needs the porous un-glazed terracotta to work.

The final effect will be a greenish patina with moss and sometimes crusty edges ! Think Roman Statue, or an aged roof.

 

plain store bought yogurt

 

disposable foam brush

 

unglazed new terra cotta pots

 

How to

 

Soak your new terracotta pot in water for at least 15 minutes, at Plant Specialists, we completely submerge the pot for a few hours to ensure a really good soak.

Take your tub of yogurt and brush the yogurt on liberally all over the planter. Slop it on !! make it thicker in some areas and thin in others, the uneven layers will result in a more natural look in the end. You don't need to do the inside.

Leave it sit for a month or two. Usually leave it somewhere outside in a warm shady spot.  Note to self - don't store them inside the house! it will stink and will attract bugs out for a yogurt fiesta !

Your planter will look better and better over time, fertilizers and water will continue to add to its beauty.

 

aged and quite lovely !

 

 

Good luck - send us some pictures of your creations !

For expert advise on what to plant inside your aged pot

Call Plant Specialists today!!!

 

 

PLANT SPECIALISTS

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 52 YEARS !

 

 

 

Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBA

All photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK 

 

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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