We just bought an 8 foot schefflera tree to put on our screened-in
lanai, with white pavement. I looked at pots today and don't know what I
should get. I've been told plastic may be too light and blow over (we're
on a lake), but clay breaks easily (or might stain). Lowes had a clay
pot that is 18 inches across the top, 12 inches across the bottom and 15
inches high. Will this be heavy and big enough for this plant? K-Mart
had a very large plastic pot (at least 25 inches wide and 20 inches
high), but I'm afraid it might blow over--will it even with a 60-lb tree
and dirt in it? Is it the pot itself that keeps it from blowing over
or the weight (more dirt=heavier?) I also didn't want to spend a fortune
for a pot. The 22-inch clay pot is $50, the 18 inch clay is $30, and
the plastic one is $13. Any input appreciated--I'm totally new to this,
so sorry if I sound like a dummy.

Suzanne wrote in message ...
We just bought an 8 foot schefflera tree to put on our screened-in
lanai, with white pavement. I looked at pots today and don't know what I
should get. I've been told plastic may be too light and blow over (we're
on a lake), but clay breaks easily (or might stain). Lowes had a clay
pot that is 18 inches across the top, 12 inches across the bottom and 15
inches high. Will this be heavy and big enough for this plant? K-Mart
had a very large plastic pot (at least 25 inches wide and 20 inches
high), but I'm afraid it might blow over--will it even with a 60-lb tree
and dirt in it? Is it the pot itself that keeps it from blowing over
or the weight (more dirt=heavier?) I also didn't want to spend a fortune
for a pot. The 22-inch clay pot is $50, the 18 inch clay is $30, and
the plastic one is $13. Any input appreciated--I'm totally new to this,
so sorry if I sound like a dummy.


For two pots of the same weight, a wider base is going to fare better in
wind than a narrow one, so I would get one as wide as possible (wide where
it contacts the ground, not just up at the rim). See if you can find a
concrete pot. For that matter, if you're on the ground level, maybe you
could get a wet saw, cut through the pavement, and just stick that dude in
the ground. I suppose you could even get some concrete blocks and
mortar--then you could just build a block planting bed on your pavement.
Hope this is of help.

Suzanne wrote:

We just bought an 8 foot schefflera tree to put on our screened-in
lanai, with white pavement. I looked at pots today and don't know what I
should get. I've been told plastic may be too light and blow over (we're
on a lake),

The weight of the plant and dirt counts too.


Lowes had a clay
pot that is 18 inches across the top, 12 inches across the bottom and 15
inches high.
Pots that are wider at the top than the base are less stable
than those that are cy,inders.

Will this be heavy and big enough for this plant?

What size pot is the plant in now?

K-Mart
had a very large plastic pot (at least 25 inches wide and 20 inches
high), but I'm afraid it might blow over--will it even with a 60-lb tree
and dirt in it?

If it does, you have more problems than just that pot.

Is it the pot itself that keeps it from blowing over
or the weight (more dirt=heavier?)

Weight of pot+plant, AND consider the leaf surface of the plant.
Dense plants are easier to tip over than ones with few leaves.

Buy the plastic one.

Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

"Suzanne" wrote in message ...
We just bought an 8 foot schefflera tree to put on our screened-in
lanai, with white pavement. I looked at pots today and don't know what I
should get. I've been told plastic may be too light and blow over (we're
on a lake), but clay breaks easily (or might stain). Lowes had a clay
pot that is 18 inches across the top, 12 inches across the bottom and 15
inches high. Will this be heavy and big enough for this plant? K-Mart
had a very large plastic pot (at least 25 inches wide and 20 inches
high), but I'm afraid it might blow over--will it even with a 60-lb tree
and dirt in it? Is it the pot itself that keeps it from blowing over
or the weight (more dirt=heavier?) I also didn't want to spend a fortune
for a pot. The 22-inch clay pot is $50, the 18 inch clay is $30, and
the plastic one is $13. Any input appreciated--I'm totally new to this,
so sorry if I sound like a dummy.

Another consideration is that clay pots allow the soil to dry out much
faster than do plastic ones. It's an important consideration if you are in
an area that has dry air or is drought prone and may have watering
restrictions. As large a pot as you are talking about when full of soil and
a plant should not tip over. However, since the plant is 8' high, you may
also want to support it with a stake of some kind if the wind is especially
fierce in your area. Also, the more leaf surface available to catch the
wind, the less wind needed to tip over the pot, so if you have especially
fierce winds, then perhaps you ought to limit the height of your potted
plants to avoid worrying about the problem all together.

Sunflower
MS 7b

On Sat, 08 Feb 2003 22:12:59 GMT, Suzanne wrote:

We just bought an 8 foot schefflera tree to put on our screened-in
lanai, with white pavement. I looked at pots today and don't know what I
should get. I've been told plastic may be too light and blow over (we're
on a lake), but clay breaks easily (or might stain). Lowes had a clay
pot that is 18 inches across the top, 12 inches across the bottom and 15
inches high. Will this be heavy and big enough for this plant? K-Mart
had a very large plastic pot (at least 25 inches wide and 20 inches
high), but I'm afraid it might blow over--will it even with a 60-lb tree
and dirt in it? Is it the pot itself that keeps it from blowing over
or the weight (more dirt=heavier?) I also didn't want to spend a fortune
for a pot. The 22-inch clay pot is $50, the 18 inch clay is $30, and
the plastic one is $13. Any input appreciated--I'm totally new to this,
so sorry if I sound like a dummy.


An 8' schefflera should be easily maintained in a 14 grow pot, (the
black plastic one that the plant is in when you buy them) If your
plant is in something smaller, I think it would be a good idea if you
bumped it up to 14". Measure the diameter across the top. Leave your
plant in it and buy whatever decorative container that suits your
fancy that the grow pot will fit into. If you're concerned about
winds get a decorative pot that is deep enough to put a concrete block
or a couple of bricks under the grow pot inside the deco container.

zhan

zhanataya wrote:

On Sat, 08 Feb 2003 22:12:59 GMT, Suzanne wrote:



We just bought an 8 foot schefflera tree to put on our screened-in
lanai, with white pavement. I looked at pots today and don't know what I
should get. I've been told plastic may be too light and blow over (we're
on a lake), but clay breaks easily (or might stain). Lowes had a clay
pot that is 18 inches across the top, 12 inches across the bottom and 15
inches high. Will this be heavy and big enough for this plant? K-Mart
had a very large plastic pot (at least 25 inches wide and 20 inches
high), but I'm afraid it might blow over--will it even with a 60-lb tree
and dirt in it? Is it the pot itself that keeps it from blowing over
or the weight (more dirt=heavier?) I also didn't want to spend a fortune
for a pot. The 22-inch clay pot is $50, the 18 inch clay is $30, and
the plastic one is $13. Any input appreciated--I'm totally new to this,
so sorry if I sound like a dummy.




An 8' schefflera should be easily maintained in a 14 grow pot, (the
black plastic one that the plant is in when you buy them) If your
plant is in something smaller, I think it would be a good idea if you
bumped it up to 14". Measure the diameter across the top. Leave your
plant in it and buy whatever decorative container that suits your
fancy that the grow pot will fit into. If you're concerned about
winds get a decorative pot that is deep enough to put a concrete block
or a couple of bricks under the grow pot inside the deco container.

zhan


I thought it needed a bigger pot for the roots to grow. It's in an 18",
but won't that be cramping the roots?

Sunflower wrote:

"Suzanne" wrote in message ...


We just bought an 8 foot schefflera tree to put on our screened-in
lanai, with white pavement. I looked at pots today and don't know what I
should get. I've been told plastic may be too light and blow over (we're
on a lake), but clay breaks easily (or might stain). Lowes had a clay
pot that is 18 inches across the top, 12 inches across the bottom and 15
inches high. Will this be heavy and big enough for this plant? K-Mart
had a very large plastic pot (at least 25 inches wide and 20 inches
high), but I'm afraid it might blow over--will it even with a 60-lb tree
and dirt in it? Is it the pot itself that keeps it from blowing over
or the weight (more dirt=heavier?) I also didn't want to spend a fortune
for a pot. The 22-inch clay pot is $50, the 18 inch clay is $30, and
the plastic one is $13. Any input appreciated--I'm totally new to this,
so sorry if I sound like a dummy.



Another consideration is that clay pots allow the soil to dry out much
faster than do plastic ones. It's an important consideration if you are in
an area that has dry air or is drought prone and may have watering
restrictions. As large a pot as you are talking about when full of soil and
a plant should not tip over. However, since the plant is 8' high, you may
also want to support it with a stake of some kind if the wind is especially
fierce in your area. Also, the more leaf surface available to catch the
wind, the less wind needed to tip over the pot, so if you have especially
fierce winds, then perhaps you ought to limit the height of your potted
plants to avoid worrying about the problem all together.

Sunflower
MS 7b





I need tall plants because we're using them as a privacy screen on the
lanai around the pool area. We're on a lake, so there are occaisonal
winds and breezes. We're in southern Florida, so obviously it's humid
and very rainy in the summer. We don't have very many long dry spells.
Do you know if the red clay pots stain the pavement?

On Sun, 09 Feb 2003 20:01:06 GMT, Sara wrote:

I thought it needed a bigger pot for the roots to grow. It's in an 18",
but won't that be cramping the roots?

Not a bit. That's plenty big enough. You might have a tough time
finding a deco container to hold it that won't cost BIG bucks. If you
want a bigger schefflera than an 18" container can support you should
plant it in the garden and forget the pot. An 18" pot will be good
until it is about 12 foot and I don't think they get much bigger.
Then you can decide whether you want to root prune and keep in a pot
or plant it outside.

zhan