How to repair a terra cotta pot

 

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. 

Small space perennial garden ideas

 

Small spaces work perfectly for mini perennial gardens. I spent today moving some of my perennials and planning out my small space terraced gardens on graft paper, then on the computer.

My front yard is going to be small terraced gardens, seven mini gardens in all. One will only be two foot by 3 foot and the largest, a rose garden; will be 4 foot by 8 foot.

As I spent most of the day moving a perennial garden, my two areas for perennials will be the first areas I work on.

The one small space garden will have rock cress and a moss ground cover in the front. Behind that I will plant a few varieties of herbs and small variety hosta plants. The last section in the back will be red sedum on the sides, bee balm in the center and one other taller perennial flower. I haven’t decided which one yet.

The other perennial garden is located near a tree so I will need to set up a shade garden in this area.

I dug up close to 150 perennials today. I put them in my transplant garden area overnight until I fix their new home or repot them for sale or trading for other new plant varieties.

You don’t want your plants you moved to have the opportunity to get dry roots so you need to make sure the roots are wet and that they are placed in soil as fast as possible.  That’s were a transplant garden can come in handy if you cannot plant them on the same day.

My terraces areas are set up on a hillside with a 30-degree slope. The area is being terraced to help redirect and prevent any runoff flooding from across the road. The road drains are all clogged and they said they would not replace them for 15 years so prevention is the best step to take. I say this after the downstairs of the house was ruined last year.

A chain link fence is recommended for small space perennial garden to keep your plants safe and secured.

I am also place a mini mound garden area with shrubs and very hard perennials up by the road to help redirect any water if I have this problem again.

I am planning hardscape stairs in two places and laying them out in such a way that if I have any rain problems the rain will be carried away from the house and any gardens areas.  I think think the look of stairways curving through gardens will also add interest to the gardens and landscape.

The other small space gardens will be an herb garden, a flower garden and two veggie/flower garden mixes. The vegetable gardens are being planned for near the patio area and near the kitchen area. This will be a perfect location to run outdoors and select a few fresh vegetables to add to a meal.

These garden areas should be easy to maintain. They will make a problem yard less work and they will also help control any future water problems.  And above all they will add color and interest to a rather ordinary yard.

Self watering methods for the yard and garden

 

Here’s a unique and interesting form of self-watering using terra cotta!

Most people think of terra cotta as the popular planters that grace many gardens and businesses.

But with the environment a major concern and using water more efficiently many other methods or watering and self-irrigation methods are appearing. This includes ancient watering methods such as the olla.

This you tube shows the use of an olla (unglazed clay pot) for watering. It’s an interesting method I have not seen before.

Growing up in an area that has abundant water made me a little careless with my water supply. But after a few dry seasons and sever droughts and watching other area suffer I have come to understand that water always needs a to be used wisely.

It is a resource that needs to be appreciated and not misused. So I now practice saving water. I use rain barrels, better watering methods for the yard and gardens and have replaced plants that use too much water.

The following you tube shows how to make an olla if you are a potter or want to try a new craft.

I used to create pottery so this video was enjoyable to watch. Also the idea of burying a pot in the ground for watering is an idea I will have to try.

They are calling for a dry growing season so if I can cut my watering time down and conserve water waste at the same time this would be nice.