Ah it's all very interesting. Maybe I should pose the question to month and he could do an experiment on GW. Terracotta v plastic and edge v middle in both.
Why don't we do the experiment ourselves? I am up for it. I will do terracotta round the edge, plastic in the middle. I will check tomorrow if I have enough to do some salvia cuttings. I could do box, lavender, fuchsias or clematis but I would be loathe to chuck them if they all root. Salvias I could do with more of. If I have not got enough for salvias I will do hardy fuchsias, 4 cuttings in each pot, same compost and position for both pots. Anyone else up for it?
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
I'm sure I remember hearing someone (possibly Percy Thrower or Arthur Billet) saying a long time ago that you put cuttings around the edge of a pot because clay pots are porous, therefore the compost around the edge of the pot will be a little dryer than the compost in the middle, which will reduce the risk of the compost being saturated with water and increase the amount of oxygen in the compost which will prevent the cutting from rotting.
Of course, it would be different for plastic pots.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Ah it's all very interesting. Maybe I should pose the question to month and he could do an experiment on GW. Terracotta v plastic and edge v middle in both.
Why don't we do the experiment ourselves? I am up for it. I will do terracotta round the edge, plastic in the middle. I will check tomorrow if I have enough to do some salvia cuttings. I could do box, lavender, fuchsias or clematis but I would be loathe to chuck them if they all root. Salvias I could do with more of. If I have not got enough for salvias I will do hardy fuchsias, 4 cuttings in each pot, same compost and position for both pots. Anyone else up for it?
Ok I'll do it too. ????not done much cutting stuff which is how I came to the original thought.
I'd agree with hogweed and Verd. It's about the drainage and warmth in terracotta pots. We haven't always had plastic!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I just assumed it was a "space" thing, give the plants room to grow into the centre of the pot, nothing on the "net" saying why.
I'm sure I remember hearing someone (possibly Percy Thrower or Arthur Billet) saying a long time ago that you put cuttings around the edge of a pot because clay pots are porous, therefore the compost around the edge of the pot will be a little dryer than the compost in the middle, which will reduce the risk of the compost being saturated with water and increase the amount of oxygen in the compost which will prevent the cutting from rotting.
Of course, it would be different for plastic pots.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My belief is that it gives the best spacing and as terracotta pots can 'breathe' there's more oxygen around the edge of the pot which helps rooting.
I try and use terracotta pots for cuttings, and get good results
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.