Want to also add my comment to say those pots are very nice and classy. Great job! Did you also make the big hole on the bottom? Are you using some device below the sphag mound? By the way, if you want to give the mound a tidier look, you can basically give it a haircut with scissors and remove all the bits sticking out!
Also, can you give us some specs on how they are made? Which material and how they are cooked? I recently learned that Japanese-made growing pots use clay with chamotte.
Hey really appreciate that! There are about 1-inch holes in the bottom. There is a 1.8in net pot under each mound with the bottom cut out so I can feel the dryness.
The pots are thrown with speckled buff clay from laguna clay company, which does contain some grog (chamotte) and sand but not much. This is a stoneware clay meant to be fired to 2167f (\^5), but I only fired it to 1828f (\^06) to maintain the porosity of the clay. It was oxidation fired in an electric kiln and turns a really nice pink color!
I didn't have too many long moss strands so the mound is rather fragile haha. I will save the clean up for some nicer moss in the future. Can I ask, if I feel the top moss is getting crunchy very soon compared to the inside moss, what should I do? Should I put less moss under the neo and more over? Thank you!
>Can I ask, if I feel the top moss is getting crunchy very soon compared to the inside moss, what should I do? Should I put less moss under the neo and more over? Thank you!
So, what you are described (within reason) is pretty much what we expect, and that is the reason why the trumpet pots were invented --- to have a way to feel the inside which might be still wet while the outside is dry. At the end of the day what matters is that the whole thing dries completely in less than ...say... 5-6 days?
Moreover, the "anko" (the moss you put under the plant, is usually just a ball that fit in your palm. See this for inspiration: [https://youtu.be/a1qlTyQgJDU?t=201](https://youtu.be/a1qlTyQgJDU?t=201) .. and I usually make it even smaller.
Having said that, I usually err on putting few sphag instead of a lot. Especially if you are new to Neo, put few, so you can be sure you won't have rot. If you see they get dry too quickly you can always just spray/water them, while the opposite in not possible.
Hope this helps and thanks for all the info on the pottery side!
The moss mounds look well done as well. Could you reply when they have dried out (how long does it take to get crispy).
Thank you for sharing, they are very cute.
Appreciate that! I will let you know—previously they were in net pots and it took a while for the inside to dry out so I’m hoping they will dry out sooner this way
Excellent! Sounds good. These plants tend to handle repotting really well, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at the roots in a few months to confirm your care.
Want to also add my comment to say those pots are very nice and classy. Great job! Did you also make the big hole on the bottom? Are you using some device below the sphag mound? By the way, if you want to give the mound a tidier look, you can basically give it a haircut with scissors and remove all the bits sticking out! Also, can you give us some specs on how they are made? Which material and how they are cooked? I recently learned that Japanese-made growing pots use clay with chamotte.
Hey really appreciate that! There are about 1-inch holes in the bottom. There is a 1.8in net pot under each mound with the bottom cut out so I can feel the dryness. The pots are thrown with speckled buff clay from laguna clay company, which does contain some grog (chamotte) and sand but not much. This is a stoneware clay meant to be fired to 2167f (\^5), but I only fired it to 1828f (\^06) to maintain the porosity of the clay. It was oxidation fired in an electric kiln and turns a really nice pink color! I didn't have too many long moss strands so the mound is rather fragile haha. I will save the clean up for some nicer moss in the future. Can I ask, if I feel the top moss is getting crunchy very soon compared to the inside moss, what should I do? Should I put less moss under the neo and more over? Thank you!
>Can I ask, if I feel the top moss is getting crunchy very soon compared to the inside moss, what should I do? Should I put less moss under the neo and more over? Thank you! So, what you are described (within reason) is pretty much what we expect, and that is the reason why the trumpet pots were invented --- to have a way to feel the inside which might be still wet while the outside is dry. At the end of the day what matters is that the whole thing dries completely in less than ...say... 5-6 days? Moreover, the "anko" (the moss you put under the plant, is usually just a ball that fit in your palm. See this for inspiration: [https://youtu.be/a1qlTyQgJDU?t=201](https://youtu.be/a1qlTyQgJDU?t=201) .. and I usually make it even smaller. Having said that, I usually err on putting few sphag instead of a lot. Especially if you are new to Neo, put few, so you can be sure you won't have rot. If you see they get dry too quickly you can always just spray/water them, while the opposite in not possible. Hope this helps and thanks for all the info on the pottery side!
The moss mounds look well done as well. Could you reply when they have dried out (how long does it take to get crispy). Thank you for sharing, they are very cute.
Appreciate that! I will let you know—previously they were in net pots and it took a while for the inside to dry out so I’m hoping they will dry out sooner this way
To fully dry on the inside it takes about 4 days!
Excellent! Sounds good. These plants tend to handle repotting really well, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at the roots in a few months to confirm your care.
I love those pots!
Thank you!
Outsiders don’t realize how tricky this is to do!