pottery sealer?

[boxofrain]

I can't seem to find any at all in my remote li'l town. I want to use some of the terra cotta pots I have collected through the years for some of my CP's.
I have browsed around the internet and the $ range is way variable from place to place. I am worried about the toxicicty of the cheaper ones...but scared by the price of the spendy ones!
Anyone have a fav I can get on-line?
Thanks

 

[seedjar]

I've never really heard of people using pottery sealer with CPs. Not successfully, at least. It's either glazed or unglazed, and each has their own applications. Maybe a silicon aquarium caulk or the like?
On a slight tangent, it's generally unwise to re-use clay pots for CPs if they've had other types of soil mixes in them before. The accumulated salts will leach back out into your media or water trays. Even with a good sealer, it could happen. One thought is to put your plants in plastic pots that can fit within the clay pots, to minimize contact between the media and the clay. You'd need to flush with clean water regularly to avoid buildup through standing water, but I've heard of people making it work. It might also be a good idea to soak and wash the pots with white vinegar beforehand to dissolve as much of the mineral buildup as possible.
~Joe

 

[MH1]

I found a good way to do it if you want a terra cotta pot, but not the worry of minerals seaping. Find a terra cotta pot which will in some way hold the plastic pot your plant is in, then to line the terra-cotta pot with bin-liner ans stick it down with strong tape just where the inside of the pot becomes the rim. This makes the pot watertight, in a sort of.. paddling pool fashion? Then place the Plastic pot inside the terra cotta pot. If you do it properly, the terra cotta pot will keep the plastic pot standing in water but also stop there from being contact between the pottery and the water and soil for the plant.

Example (the plastic pot had a rim, so it 'suspended' the pot nicely in the lined terra-cotta) :

It worked for me anyway!

 

[boxofrain]

I've never really heard of people using pottery sealer with CPs. Not successfully, at least. It's either glazed or unglazed, and each has their own applications. Maybe a silicon aquarium caulk or the like?
On a slight tangent, it's generally unwise to re-use clay pots for CPs if they've had other types of soil mixes in them before. The accumulated salts will leach back out into your media or water trays. Even with a good sealer, it could happen. One thought is to put your plants in plastic pots that can fit within the clay pots, to minimize contact between the media and the clay. You'd need to flush with clean water regularly to avoid buildup through standing water, but I've heard of people making it work. It might also be a good idea to soak and wash the pots with white vinegar beforehand to dissolve as much of the mineral buildup as possible.
~Joe

That slight tangent is the crux of my situation. I want to scrub and soak them well before applying a sealant, in hopes to eliminate any leaching from the old clay pots.
Maybe I am better off just acquiring new pots as I go....same as I ever did.
Thanks for the help here!

---------- Post added at 01:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:27 PM ----------

I found a good way to do it if you want a terra cotta pot, but not the worry of minerals seaping. Find a terra cotta pot which will in some way hold the plastic pot your plant is in, then to line the terra-cotta pot with bin-liner ans stick it down with strong tape just where the inside of the pot becomes the rim. This makes the pot watertight, in a sort of.. paddling pool fashion? Then place the Plastic pot inside the terra cotta pot. If you do it properly, the terra cotta pot will keep the plastic pot standing in water but also stop there from being contact between the pottery and the water and soil for the plant.

Example (the plastic pot had a rim, so it 'suspended' the pot nicely in the lined terra-cotta) :

It worked for me anyway!

this is what we have done for years with the wifes african violets.
Just hoping to re-use some old pots.:-(