Biodegradable pots: Recycled materials for the garden

When it comes to making an organic garden, you have to choose and take into account numerous aspects and all the elements that are going to integrate it, such as the cultivation containers. There are many types of growing containers and the choice will depend, among other things, on the plants to be grown in the garden and whether seed boxes are required or not.

Biodegradable pots, for example, are a good option for plants that want to be planted in seedbeds, since biodegradable pots will perform this function and then, when planting, they will be buried in the ground, avoiding a more traumatic transplant for the roots of the plant. seedling

What is eco-friendly material

To start cultivating an organic garden, it is important to choose the plants that are going to be part of it and to know what we are going to start from: if we are going to use seed or plant. If we want an organic garden, in both cases we must ensure that organic material is used.

To know if a plant or seed is organic, it must have a special label indicating that it is a product from organic farming. If we choose the option to buy a plant, it will come in a container or pot. If we want our garden to be totally ecological, we will have to take into account what type of pot the plants are sold in.

Characteristics of a good pot for the organic garden

The ideal pot, both for use in nurseries and for use at home, must have a series of characteristics.

The first one is that it has to be easy to use, it has to facilitate both the operations that are going to be carried out at the plant and the transport. In addition, it must favor the good development of the roots (it must have some holes in the bottom, for example), and provide good conditions for the perfect development of the plant (do not get too hot, do not filter the water…).

The external appearance of the pot is also important to be able to sell the plants easily. If we find unattractive pots we will not buy the plants. It is also important that they offer us a safe support for our plants, we will not buy plants whose pots are not good for the development of any plant.

The pots that we can find in nurseries are usually made of plastic materials such as polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, polystyrene resin or thermoplastic. These plastics do not come from natural materials, they are synthetic chemical substances (polymers) and are not likely to be assimilated again in nature. Although they can be reused, their manufacture does not fall within the ecological, so you have to look for another type of material for the pots. It may seem that there is no alternative to plastic pots, however, today there are pots or containers for plants made of biodegradable materials.

The biodegradable pots

Biodegradable pots are made from organically processed raw materials and offer an interesting alternative to conventional containers made from synthetic materials.

Two groups of biodegradable pots are distinguished depending on the material used for their manufacture:

• Pots made from vegetable fibers such as paper, wood fiber, coconut fiber, jute or peat.
• Pots made from processed materials made with renewable plant-based materials.

The fundamental characteristic of this type of biodegradable pots is that, after a short period of time, they degrade in the soil and transform into organic matter that can be used by the plant.

Normally, the degradation of biodegradable pots occurs after a period of time long enough that, while the plants are in the nursery, the pot does not decompose and short enough for the roots of the plants to develop normally and we do not have problems with our garden once we have planted them.

The use of these biodegradable pots is direct. This means that the planting is done with the pot, it is not necessary to remove the container to plant in the final land. In this way we ensure that the roots have not suffered any damage in the plantation and we can trust that most of the plants will develop without problems.

Advantages of biodegradable pots

However, these pots can also be used as ornamental elements, with no distinction in terms of appearance with those made of plastic materials. Therefore, you can have a completely organic garden and a decorative garden at the same time. In the event that the pots are used as an ornamental element, they will not degrade or transform into organic matter during the period in which we keep our plants. Once they have been used they can be disposed of and that is when they degrade without causing damage to the environment.

Any type of biodegradable pot will provide the same characteristics as pots made of plastic materials. They can be used in the same places as plastic pots because they withstand both high and low temperatures without affecting the development of plants. They even provide better insulation characteristics against high temperatures. In addition, the materials from which the biodegradable pots are made are very light and make their handling much easier.

Organic foods have many benefits and can be a great contribution for us, but they are also for the environment. We obtain better quality and healthier products, but we are also contributing to improving the environment through the use of non-harmful products or materials, as is the case with these biodegradable pots instead of conventional plastic pots.