Terra Cota Pot Problems?!?!

[Jeeleon]

Hey all!

Just wanted to know if any of you have had problems w/ terra cota pots. Between the misting sessions and my dripper, my ficus's pot stays wet a lot. I noticed today that on my terra pot, the clay was kind of coming of I dunno if this is an issue. Its not that bad actually but when I wipe the pot w/ a paper towel, you can see that clay is kind of coming off. In addition, could terra pots grow mold and fungus on them?

If this is a problem, what would be my best solution? Does mold and fungus pose a "GREAT" threat to my chams?

Thanks guys!

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

Hey all!

Just wanted to know if any of you have had problems w/ terra cota pots. Between the misting sessions and my dripper, my ficus's pot stays wet a lot. I noticed today that on my terra pot, the clay was kind of coming of I dunno if this is an issue. Its not that bad actually but when I wipe the pot w/ a paper towel, you can see that clay is kind of coming off. In addition, could terra pots grow mold and fungus on them?

If this is a problem, what would be my best solution? Does mold and fungus pose a "GREAT" threat to my chams?

Thanks guys!

I have been using terra cota pots in my cages for over a decade and never had an issues other than algae and mildew build up and having the presence of mind that these pots can break, even then I think they look and work the best compared to everything else out there. If there is mold/algae etc. build up it is quite easy to clean by taking some disinfectant and a towel and give the pots a good clean or to water blast them with water from a garden hose. I'm a fan of using them in my enclosures.

 

[Jeeleon]

Hey Motherlode!

Thanks for the reply. So can the algae/mold cause major health issues to my cham? Do you know?

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

If you have got bacteria or a fungus that could cause health problem you are probably going to want to clean and disinfect everything in your chameleons enclosure. Other than that I have never had any problems with terra cota pots.

 

[Jimturner]

I like clay pots as well. Staying too wet will not be good for your plants though. Be sure to put a good couple of inches of some sort of drainage layer in the bottom before replanting into them. You could use washed gravel or even better, hydrotron pellets. Hydrotron pellets are just fired clay balls, blown full of air before they are fired. Making them really light weight unlike gravel. You can get them at any indoor garden/hydroponic shop, I think zoo-med even sells them for terrariums. Also a quick draining/drying organic soil blend helps keep your plants happy. Use something that doesn't just turn to mud when wet. To keep my dirt from staying too wet I will mix in some pete moss and quite a lot of bark chips in place of perilite, to keep it airy and fast draining. Raising the pots up on stands, even just an inch or two will also help things dry out. Cheers!

 

[MINItron]

It is possible that your pot was improperly fired when it was made. That would explain why it is flaking without being exposed to freezing and thawing. It would also explain why it is is more prone to growing mold. It does happen sometimes. The quality control on terrcotta pots isn't exactly the best.