Reusing plastic nursery pots can be a sustainable choice, but only when the containers are cleaned properly first, gardening writer Gynelle Leon advises in the Guardian.
Leon writes that most plant owners gradually accumulate an endless stock of plastic nursery pots, which end up crammed into cupboards or bags. Discarding them feels wasteful, she notes, yet putting them straight back into service can pass pests, fungal spores or disease on to new plants.
Her recommendation is to reuse the pots — but to clean them thoroughly before doing so. According to Leon, nursery pots suit houseplants particularly well because their drainage holes help prevent root rot. She suggests watering a plant well, allowing the surplus water to drain away, and then placing the pot inside a decorative container.
For the cleaning process, Leon says old compost and roots should be taken out first, after which the pot is washed in hot, soapy water and scrubbed, with particular attention paid to the rim and drainage holes, where pests tend to shelter.
She draws a distinction between pots from healthy plants and those that held a diseased or infested specimen. In the latter case, Leon says she avoids the risk altogether and recycles the pot. Anyone willing to accept the chance of contamination can instead disinfect it using a bleach-and-water solution mixed at a ratio of one to nine, then leave it to dry fully and inspect it for cracks or brittleness, she adds.
Once the plastic begins to deteriorate, Leon advises retiring the pot instead of forcing one more plant into it.
Describing her own experience, she says she has reused nursery pots for years and has had no problems with the ones she cleaned.
Her conclusion is that nursery pots are designed to withstand heavy use, and that many are already manufactured from recycled plastic. She recommends cleaning them between plants, recycling them once they crack and concealing them inside more attractive outer pots.
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