Making clay pots for your plants is one way to make your garden more personalized. It’s also a great way to make pots according to your specifications, and who knows, might make a good business as well. Here’s how to make your own clay pots for plants.
Buy clay. You may feel that clay requires huge baking ovens, but not so. Local arts and crafts store offer clay that can be fired in your kitchen oven or even air-dried.
clay plant pot
Get the clay and warm it in your hands. Knead it but not too much because having too much air bubbles in the clay will make it more brittle. To knead the clay without introducing too much air bubbles is to keep the clay in a round shape, and throwing it between your hands or onto a hard surface for a couple of times.
Once warm, roll the clay into a long rope-like configuration. The diameter is really up to you, because it will determine how thick you want your pot’s walls to be. For a plant, half an inch in diameter would be a good start. The whole rope should be overall 12 to 24 inches long, and uniformly thick.
Create a circle with your clay rope, connecting the two ends. The circumference of the rope will be the pot’s circumference and the base.
At this point, a glass surface would be the best material for your clay pot project.
Start smoothing your pot. by coiling the clay upwards from the sides. Use your thumb and forefinger to smooth the sides as you go. Without the proper smoothness, your clay pot will fall apart.
Keep going until the pot is at the desired height.
Do not make a huge pot out of a small base. Want a big pot? Make a bigger base.
If the pot collapses while coiling, just simply smooth it out again, get rid of the air bubbles, and start again.
When attaching two separate pieces of clay, make sure that they are the same in wetness and consistency, or else they won’t attach well. If not, you can always use the scratch/attach rule. Scratch both separate pieces, dampen with water, and repeat.
When you’ve formed the pot, allow it to dry. Depending on the clay you’ve gotten, you can air-dry it or fire it in your oven. The average temperature would be 250 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. You can also consult the pack