Planting in clear glass pot

Question

I have a quite large clear-glass vase, that i would like to transform into a pot. What are the problems that may occur? Are there any houseplants that i can grow inside the house, which wont have a problem with the clear glass?

Answer 1

You can grow almost anything in a pot or vase but some of the issues are:

• if there are no drainage holes in the bottom and you plant in soil there is a risk of root rot. Even if you have a drainage layer and soil separator it is tricky to maintain just the right amount of soil moisture.
• many plants are quite happy to grow in water. This is easy if there are no drainage holes. However depending on light conditions you may find that algae builds up on the inside or that the aesthetic appearance of all those tangling roots is not what you were looking for.
• glass is a considered to be chemically stable and should be waterproof. Roots don't care what kind of pot they are in if there is sufficient room for them. Many vases tend to be tall and narrow with smooth sides. This will promote the roots circling around the inside of the vase wall as they grow out. For plans with a woodier stem this can cause the root ball to have a mass of roots at the periphery and none in the middle of the soil ball which makes it harder to keep all the soil at a consistent moisture level

Answer 2

In the laboratory, when we work with plants we always cover the soil chambers with aluminum foil to protect the root system from light. You don't only have roots in there. There are bacterial communities, protozoa and fungi as well that are essential to the circulation of nutrients in the rhizosphere. If you ever see a drop of soil water under a microscope, it will blow your mind. This is a system that has evolved in the dark. So, if you find that the mysteries of soil ecology are as cool as the plant itself, give the poor little microbes some cover.

Paint the glass. That will look pretty.

Why don't you put a cactus in there? If it only takes a little bit of water, drainage might not be such an issue.

Or put rocks in and grow bulbs on top. People do that a lot in Germany.

Answer 3

The plant generically called "Lucky Bamboo" grows very well in vases and water. The only thing sometimes required are pretty pebbles to keep the plant upright. To keep the water fresh, add a bit of charcoal at the bottom before placing the pebbles. I nor my friends have had problems with algae growth with this plant grown in a vase and water.