But I would like to know if water-sealer for the terracotta is available in CH?
Something like this:
http://www.yates.com.au/products/sav...es-pot-a-seal/
Any hints on what I should ask for?? (at OBI)
thanks,
(Mr)Wibble
I want to buy some terracotta pots, and grow some stuff in Spring.
No idea about the sealer, but I have had a lot of bad luck with my terracotta pots. If they are outside during winter, they have a habit of cracking or disintigrating. I lost 500 chf of pots last year.
Think I will go for the metal ones this year - like my Swiss neighbour
Ok, I just read that if you heat the pot up in the oven, you can rub the inside with (pure) beeswax. That might do, at least I know where to get that in Basel. Or maybe I should just get the fake-terracotta fibreglass pots.
Now I just need to find some "Chocolate Capsicum" seeds...
I've been to a few "Gardening Centres" OBI, Landi, etc. They all seem to have the same run-of-the-mill seed selection.
cheers,
(mr)Wibble
Maybe try Zulauf Gardening centre in Schinznach Dorf - they seem to be able to get anything - at a price. Also they have a really nice Bonsai section and steam railway.
I'm just guessing here right ... but did they split because water soaked into the clay of the pot, then froze - expanding and cracking the pot ?
In Australia you always seal terracotta pots (e.g. painting the inside with house paint) because they wick away the water helping it evaporate on the side of the pot. The soil can go bone dry over a few days. I used to have a rose in a pot on the front veranda (in the sun), the outside of the pot went white with mineral salts.
I've never seen a terracotta pot crack though. Is that the sort of thing that would be covered under a warranty?
cheers,
(Mr)Wibble
Probably that and the water in the soil expanded and maybe a combination of the two put too much pressure on the pots. They were quite big pots.
The ones which suffered from disintegration seemed to happen after two or three years - maybe just bad quality from Jumbo
I would suggest using a PVA glue such as Unibond.
http://www.makingdiyeasier.co.uk/unibond/pva.html
Dilute it with water and paint on to the surfaces. This should do the job fine. It will leave a slight shine to the pots, so it may be best to apply to the inside of the pots.
You should be able to get this in DIY shops in the decorating supplies section.
I have seen frost proof teracotta post from Coop Bau & Hobby.
I read somewhere that filling 1/3 of the pot with small stones will give the pot enough drainage to stop it from cracking.
Just got back from Zulauf http://www.baumschule.ch/ they have some really serious selection of terracotta pots. Spoke with the woman there and she told me they treat thiers to make them frostprotected. There were some black/grey ones also which looked very sexy.
Worth checking out - but it would be a bit of a drive. You could maybe round it off with a trip to the thermal baths in Schinznach Bad
Painting the inside of the pot is fine for flowers and decorative plants. But be cautious when you grow edible plants such as the peppers you intend to plant. Toxins from the paint will seep into the soil, the plant, and eventually into your body.
Agree, I have used watered down wood glue in the past to seal surfaces - works a treat.
Exactly.
I'm looking for something absolutely non-toxic!
(that's why the Bee's wax sounded like a good idea).
The nice man at the local gardening centre said Migros "Garten" would have a spray-on solution. Although if it's anything more than spray-on clay, I'll go with the wax.
cheers,
(Mr)Wibble
You should have no problems with PVA
Hello,
Are you still looking for the seeds?
I was also searching for them here myself, but could not find any either
Now I am having them sent to me from Sweden.
I am happy to share, just let me know.