Square pot 11 liter 24x24x27.8cm

A square growing pot of 11 litres, 24 by 24 by 27.8 centimetres. Tapered, with a perforated base. For many growers the standard final pot in plastic.

How a plastic pot actually dies

Not through wear on the wall, and rarely because you drop it. A growing pot of this kind turns brittle, and it happens slowly enough to go unnoticed until it splits with a full root ball inside.

The cause is usually sunlight. Ultraviolet breaks down the polymer chains, and the material loses its flex. A pot that has stood outdoors through two summers, or for months directly under a strong lamp, feels hard afterwards and cracks when you press the rim. A new pot springs back.

That is the test: squeeze the top edge before you fill it. If it flexes, it has another round in it. If it creaks, or you can see fine white lines in the material, this is the last crop you want to use it for.

Cleaning between crops

Root debris and salt deposits stay behind in the corners and on the base. Salts draw back into your fresh substrate at the next filling, and root debris is exactly what fungi wait for.

Rinse the pot out with water and a brush, paying attention to the corners and the holes in the base, because that is where it clings. To go further, use something suitable for plastics and rinse thoroughly. Let it dry completely before storing, and stack it inside its neighbours. Eleven litre pots nest well because they taper.

What eleven litres carries

Eleven litres is enough root room for a plant given a normal growth phase and then flowered. At 24 by 24 centimetres, sixteen fit on a square metre touching, and nine with room to work.

There is also a version with holes in the wall, at the same volume and nearly the same dimensions.

Technical Specifications:

• Volume: 11 litres
• Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 27.8 cm
• Shape: square, tapered
• Material: plastic, black
• Base: perforated for drainage
• Storage: nests for stacking

Frequently asked questions

How many crops will a pot last? Indoors, out of the direct light of a lamp, years. Outdoors in the sun, noticeably fewer. The squeeze test tells you more than a number of years.

Can it go in the dishwasher? Better not. The temperature is high enough to distort a thin-walled pot.

Which saucer fits under it? The 25 centimetre square plant tray is meant for this size.

How much water per watering? A good two litres, until something runs out of the bottom.