I have this doubt in mind for quite long now. I read a few articles on this and none of them actually give a concrete answer to my query. As you know nowadays we started realizing the bad effects of plastic on us and trying to minimize its use. In many places there are strict laws in place to cut down / stop its usage. But is it healthy to grow vegetables and other plants on plastic containers? What I came to know from my reading is that it doesn’t have any effect on the plants we grow, except plastics with numbers more than 5. There is a number printed on plastic containers (usually at the bottom part) that denotes of the quality of plastic material used. So containers with numbers from 1 to 5 are usually safe to use as a planting medium. I am curious to know more about this.
It is safe to use as a planting medium. If you are worrying about it because of the internet viral creepy pasta about a girl dying from reusing a disposable plastic water bottle as her personal jug, Well she died because she painted her plastic bottle with paint.
Well, eating from plastic containers is quite different from using plastic to grow plants in them. By all means, it is safe to use them as planters. I have used them myself and they are quite durable and light in weight as opposed to either earthen or concrete planters. But be sure that you use good quality containers as they will wear out well. Flimsy containers tend to crack very soon. And don't keep them in places which tend to become too hot due to sunlight. That is because plastic tends to get hot quickly and dry out the soil and even may cause the plants to dry out.So use them only for plants that grow well in shaded or semi-shaded conditions.
Pardon me for this comment but I am wondering why this hype against plastic. Over here, there is an ordinace in most cities forbidding the use of plastic grocery bags. The reason is that they clog the sewage – that’s due to littering and improper disposal. Now you ask about the plastic containers? I use plastic pots for my ginger and I don’t see anything wrong as long as the soil is clean. What’s worrisome is a dirty soil which has bacteria that can kill the plant.
I have used plastic containers for plants for many years, with no problem. It seems to me that the thing about drinking water from plastic bottles was when it had been in the sun and heated up at some point, and that affected the plastic. Since plastic is made from petroleum, I can see that it would not be good to injest it, and I also avoid using it in the microwave except for containers that are specifically made to be used in a microwave. But lots of people use plastic containers, and even the expensive Aerogardens are made from a solid plastic.
Plastic containers are great pot alternatives. You can use them to save space in an urban farming situation. Spices, herbs and leafy vegetables can thrive in small containers. You should not be worrying about it at all,
I don't think use of plastic containers in growing plants have effects on the plants. I have grown different varieties of flowers using plastic containers and never experience any issue with the growth of the plants, they all did well. I do think that if plastic container was harmful to plants this would have been manifested or stunt their growth.
I think depending on the conditions where they are stored, yes... They are a great option to be used. But unfortunately the majority grid of people ignores the "weather" fator.
There is another interesting thing that is also being used for container planting, and that is those reusable grocery bags. they are made from recycled plastic of some kind (maybe the regular grocery bags that most stores use), and these plastic bag planters seem to be even better than using hard plastic containers. I have seen these for sale on Amazon. They are expensive when they are made to use as a planter; but I remembered that there is always a pile of used ones at the thrift store , and they are only 25-50 cents each. Even at the grocery store brand new, these reusable grocery bags are only $1-$2; so they are a pretty inexpensive container for planting. I bought some at the thrift store and I am going to put some of my tomato plants in them and see how well they work. One nice thing...... they come in all sorts of colors, too !
Sacks are also great container gardens. You can use them to grow greens, tomatoes and even egg plants. I usually use the sacks from the rice and lentils I buy. Yup I buy rice and lentils in sacks. I save more money than buying small bags of it and I can use sacks as containers for plants.
While plants in plastic pots will survive nothing like earthenware pots. Pots that breathe are ideal of planting. They even absorb excess moisture whereas plastic pots do not do that. The one advantage with plastic pots is that one does not have to water as much as one does for earthenware ots.
You would think that it would be safe to use plastic pots to plant in. Thinking about it though it would depend on the chemicals used in the making of the plastic and if they would be toxic to the plants. I have seen many plastic plant pots for sale. Maybe the best place to get them would be a garden centre where you could be sure you were buying something safe.
There is no problem as such with plastic but you can't grow certain plants in plastic containers especially the ones that require lesser water. Either you have to make holes under the container. But generally speaking these containers are cheap and last longer than wooden and earthen ones. I generally plant in plastic containers only the smaller variety of flowers or which I have to transplant in bigger pots or garden at a later stage.
@Beast_Titan That is a very good idea although, it is a bit space consuming. You have quite healthy plants growing there, I bet you could even grow a lot of potatoes in the sacks. I can see you are growing all your salad greens in there, aren't you?
I don't think the plastic harms in any way. Here in my country, all the peasants use plastic to put their seedlings. y family used plastic all their life, and the seedlings or plants grew very well. They have sold this kind of plants all their life.
In fact my wife is taking full advantage of all kind of pots including plastic, aluminium, earthen, sacks and whatever whatever she can lay her hands on. She picks a useless pot/sack, fills it with earth and plants something which either she gifts to someone or transplants in our garden later.
I cannot really say that I have personal experience here, but I do know plenty of people who do things like this. My guess is that a little research and some good information will have them up and running.
I grow plants on all sorts of things when ground is not available, from unused glass bottles to plastic containers, tin cans, mud vase to sacks. I think it is safe to grow plants on plastic cointainer. I grwo vegetables on plastic cointainer and I have been eathing these vegetables since a long time and nothin g has ever happened to me or my family.
I believe it's safe to grow plants in plastic containers and I don't see any reason as to why its dangerous or not good for plants. In fact in our place, using plastic bottles as plant pots are common and they look cool as well. It's also a practical way to conserve and save money since you can recycle plastic bottles and containers by doing things like this.
I think some type of the plastic gets hard due to the sun and the water. So you have to understand that it may not be good for growing those plants. And in such case you can see that plants may end up making it harder to keep into container such as that. I prefer good quality plastic containers in such case. You can also use the fiber containers as they are good enough in those scenarios.
