What is a Cachepot and How to Use it?

Table of Contents

A cachepot comes from the French word that literally means to hide a pot. Cachepots cover the plain pots that often come with store-bought plants. This practice of covering unattractive pots has existed since the mid-nineteenth century. You can hide the gardening pot without repotting the plant with a cachepot. Using a cache pot instead of repotting is good as some roots can be sensitive.

What is a Cachepot?

What is a Cachepot

Cachepots, in simple terms, are decorative outer pots that cover the plant pots. They can sometimes help with protection, drainage, or just for looks. Cachepots can come in many different designs and materials, and you can even design your cachepots by painting them different colors. Some cachepots come with a saucer to place inside; these saucers catch excess water and soil that drains from the plant. When clearing the cachepot, remove the saucer from the pot and rinse it off. This practice will save you from having to empty the large cachepot. Cachepots have many benefits, but there are also disadvantages to using decorative pots.

Where Can You Buy a Cachepot?

Where Can You Buy a Cachepot

You can find plain cache pots at your local nursery but find more decorative ones elsewhere. The costs of a cachepot can range from ten dollars to thousands of dollars. The type of materials used affects the prices of cachepots. For example, the more ornamental and decorative ones will cost more money. The larger the cachepot, the more money it is as well. The most expensive cachepot materials are glass and metal.

Cachepots are commonly used to grow outdoor plants in a decorative pot indoors. You have just to take the original store-bought container and place it into the cachepot, plant, and all. Cachepots work just as well as other pots, and they help keep your floors and furniture free from mess. Cachepots also come in a wide variety of materials. You can find plastic cachepots and terra cotta cache plants at your local garden center.

What is a Cachepot’s Drainage Needs?

What is a Cachepot’s Drainage Needs

Most cachepots do not have a drainage hole that stops excess water and soil from running out after watering. If you are talented enough, you can always drill holes into your cachepot, but that is not necessary if you’re using a cachepot the right way. A cachepot will make moving easier if you have a large plant, preventing the plant from being super heavy.

You just need to remove the plant and its garden pot from the cachepot and move them separately. Alongside ease of relocating, they are also handy for rotating your plant, helping evening distribute sunlight. Most plants require bright but indirect sunlight.

What is a Cachepot? – The Advantages

The Advantages

There are many advantages of cachepots. Some of those advantages include:

  • You do not have to replant your plat into a more decorative pot; simply put the original pot into your cachepot unless, of course, the original pot is too small for the plant to continue growing.
  • A cachepot allows items to be moved separately. You will not have to push a heavy pot filled with soil and a plant to the other side of the room to get the sun. All you must do is remove the plant from the cachepot, move what you need to, then place the plant back into the cachepot.
  • You can change out your plant as often as you want as many times as you want when you use a cachepot.
  • If your plant dies and you need to swap it out for another, it is accessible in a cachepot. Pick up the dead plant from the cachepot, dispose of it, and replace it with a new plant in a grow pot. There is no reason to dislodge the plant from a decorative pot; it is easy to clean up and replace it if it is in the original plastic pot.
  • Cachepots come in various styles, made from many different materials such as metal, wood, and terra cotta.
  • There is no mess of repotting a plant since you never even have to remove it from the grow pot when you choose to use a cachepot.
  • You can use pots without a drain hole for your plants if the plastic pot has a drainage hole.
  • Drain pots can also serve as a saucer to hold the excess water that drains from the plant.

Disadvantages of Cachepots

Disadvantages of Cachepots

Although cachepots are great and have their advantages, they can also have disadvantages if you aren’t careful.

  • Many cachepots do not have a draining hole, meaning if you do not drain it often, your plant will be standing in stagnant water. Plants that stand in water for long periods are more prone to root rot. Besides root rot, stagnant water can also cause fungus gnats and a foul, moldy smell to emit from the plant.

Always remove your plant from the cache pot when watering it to avoid root rot. If root rot is left untreated, it will kill your plants. Remove your plant from its cachepot when watering it—water the plant outside, over a tub, or a sink. Once the plant is sufficiently drained, you can place it back into the cachepot.

What is a Cachepot Made of?

Cachepots are created from many different types of materials. Some of those materials include:

Woven Baskets

Woven Baskets

Woven baskets can be used as a cachepot. If you want your woven basket to last as a cachepot, it is best to line the interior with plastic lining. Due to moisture, woven baskets can quickly fall apart; a plastic lining will delay the process.

Metal

Metal

Metal is another material that you can use to make a cachepot. Metal cachepots tend to hold up longer than pots made of other materials. They even smell metal cachepots that look like buckets if you want to create a rustic aesthetic in your yard or home.

Cement

Cement

Cement cachepots are sturdy, but they need to be waterproofed before use. Cement cachepots come in an assortment of different shapes and sizes.

Plastic

Plastic

Some plastic cachepots even have a self-watering system built right into them! Plastic cachepots are an affordable way to spruce up your home. In contrast, plastic cachepots are not a sturdy as cement or metal pots and may not hold up over time, but even plastic can create a more appealing look than basic potting containers.

Terra Cotta

Terra Cotta

Terra cotta is usually a brownish-red color and is used mainly for decoration. Terra cotta cachepots are highly popular. They come in large and small sizes, and some even come with a ribbed or braided design around the edge.

What Type of Plants Can You Put into a Cachepot?

Any plant can go inside a cachepot. No matter what plant is inside your cachepot, you need to make sure you are correctly draining the excess water from the plant. If you do not drain that water, it will emit a moldy smell into your home. You will also notice tiny gnats flying around the plant.

Although any plant can go into a cachepot, a few stand out in the decorative pots. Some of these plants that stand out in a cache pot are roses, hydrangeas, and peonies. These plants look especially good when placed into a terra cotta cachepot.

What is a Cachepot – The Wrap-up

Cachepots are a unique way to add decoration to your home. Place a plant directly into a cachepot and enjoy the view. Remember, though; it is vital to your plant’s health to drain any excess water from your cachepot. If you do not do this, root rot and seed rot can occur, and those diseases can be fatal to plants. If you use a cachepot the right way, you can have a beautiful piece of decoration in your home without the mess of repotting.

FAQ

Published at Mon, 24 Jan 2022 07:52:14 -0800

Leave a Reply