I have a large beautiful strawberry terra cotta planter that I did not place away from the elements as well as I should have. So it has a small amount of damage. If I repair it now before out gardening season gets underway I may be able to save the planter.
There are several ways to repair terra cotta. Depending on the pot and its sentiment you may wish to fix it. I myself think terra cotta is great and use these pots more than others.
My terra cotta strawberry pot is 3 foot tall. I have some of the terra cotta flaking off the one side. Here is one way to repair a terra coot pot.
Terra Cotta Repair for Glazed or Unglazed Garden Pots
- Clean off all dirt thoroughly. This means scrubbing and washing. If the pot is very dirty I use baking soda and a toothbrush. White vinegar will also clean pots. If the dirt is light regular dishwater will do the trick.
- Once the pot is clean and dry, pry open the crack slightly with a thin shim.
- Apply waterproof silicone caulk into the crack
- Next remove the shim and wrap a length of wire or cord around the pot to hold the crack closed.
- If you used wire twist the ends of the wires together with pliers until the crack is closed and held tight. Cord is a little trickier to get a tight close to the crack and enough pressure. It helps to have help so corner a family member!
- Let the silicone dry thoroughly. Instructions are on the tube for drying times.
- Remove the wire or cord when the pot is dry and set.
- Carefully scrape away any excess silicone.
- This will work on small to medium cracks
I will try this process if my terra cotta paste does not work.
Terra cotta paste
My problem is the terra cotta is flaking in a 3-inch spot on my pot. If its not fixed it will just get worse and the pot will be ruined. So I plan to take old terra cotta pieces I have from broken pots and grind it up into fine sand. Then I will add glue and make a thick paste I can smooth onto the pot.
I will smooth it into place and let dry for several days. If it works I will then sand it and add a sealer to this section to make sure the patch stays in place.
Hopefully it will work and save this wonderful pot. I’ll let you know how the project turns out.