A wooden tray of biodegradable plant pots from The Hairy Pot Plant Company, containing lupin plants
The large number of plastic plant pots produced each year are a significant contribution to the problem of waste plastic disposal with the majority eventually going to landfill or for incineration. An increasingly popular solution is the use of biodegradable pots which are planted into the ground with the plant. The pot will then degrade over a few months. The Hairy Pot Plant Company produce their pots in Sri Lanka useing coir fibre (a waste product of the coconut farms) bound together with a small amount of organic latex. Because water, air and roots pass easily through the pots, they have no drainage holes but lose water over the entire pot surface. This means that it is difficult to give plants thorough irrigation and it is more effective to water them regularly with smaller amounts or to use a continuous trickle system. Also roots, rather than curling when they reach the edge of the pot, grow through to the outside air. The root tip will then stop growing and a further tip develop further back - this is claimed to produce a much more viable root system once the pot is planted in the soil.
Size: 4191px × 2783px
Location: England
Photo credit: © UrbanImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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