Salts in Light Weight Pots

We have taken all possible corrective measures to ensure this doesn’t happen however occasionally newly installed pots will develop a white cracky film on the outside. These are simply salts leaching from the concrete component of the pot. This happens due to the moisture content within the potting mix and associated watering. In our experience different batches of pots may have more or less salt than others – due to differences in mix and the fact they are all handmade.

What can be done?

Over time (2-3 months) the leaching will stop as the salts run out. However we understand this is not the desired appearance particularly for our darker coloured pots.

If your pots do start to leach salt simply wipe them down with a wet cloth. We recommend doing this every couple of days to prevent the salt building as it dries out.

All ours pots are water-proofed on the inside and have drainage holes already installed, so salt leaching is very unlikely. However the following tips will also ensure this does not occur:

• Use fly screen and blue metal in the base of the pots. See our ‘Tips on how to plant in pots’. This will assist with drainage.
• Using a good quality potting mix
• Elevate the pots using pot-feet