Special pots for special plants

[partisangardener]

I do love carnivorous plants.
In my profession as an artist i discovered some special clay mixture which suits my hobby fine. Moss will grow readily on it.
As will do on any low fired ceramic. My mixture will do the same trick fired as high as 1200 C.

I left some pieces outside in my garden to try its frost resistance. But with no conclusion. The last winter was too warm here in south Germany.


My most beloved are the two pots for Cephalotus follicularis. Now, they start to look quite good.

Maybe someone else has self-made pots serving a special purpose?

The last picture shows the construction principles. The potting mixture keeps out of the water. The necessary water supply is sucked up through the pot. The lower surrounding is planted with wet loving mosses and plants. Like Sphagnum and Utricularias.

[partisangardener]

Just to show the construction of this pot another picture from June.

[Brian Ellis]

Well done Axel, amazing pots and a beautiful effect

[Steve Garvie]

Amazing and attractive creations!!! 

[partisangardener]

Thank you both.
My older pot is smaller but the Cephalotus is bigger now. It still has two pitchers, it already had at the beginning of May 2014.
In October 2014 I repotted it into the present one. It did not come out easy so I had to turn it upside down. Some of the digestive juice out of the pitchers wetted my hand without ill effect on both sides.
Now here is my darling. At the back is some fern without connection to the main substrate.

[Maggi Young]

Completely stunning  work and perfect  vehicles to  grow the plants happily and display them to great effect.  Perfect representations of  miniature landscapes.  Well done Axel - quite remarkable to see.

[Graeme]

absolutely fabulous - very difficult to pull off to make it look that natural - well done

[partisangardener]

Thanks again.
The substrate is 2 parts lime free sand, 2 sieved peat (only the rough parts for this purpose), 1 broken, expanded clay. The only drawback i found is: outdoor you have to keep tits and other birds away probably with a net. They pick sometimes moss away including small sundews or with a friend, they hacked the pitchers of the Albany pitcher plant open.
The dwarf sundews and Cephalotus are Australians maybe some of the gardeners there have them outside. This potting material keeps the soil cool if you have enough stored rainwater. Its a bog plant after all.

[partisangardener]

I tried this type of Pot with several Drosera, Dionaea and Darlingtonia-seedlings (no problem in this hot summer)
Here is one with Drosera venusta from my window sill. In the center a piece of sandstone.

[partisangardener]

I just found a picture from my very first pot. Some weeks befor  I repottet the plant.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Could you give us a lesson on how to make these pots?

[ranunculus]

Wonderful, inspirational work … now all I need is a kiln …

[partisangardener]

My invention is the mixture, but if fired at 850 C° any clay should serve the purpose. To test if it is limefree, use vinegar. If bubbles come up its not good for most carnivores. 
With enough holes in the bottom you could try to use epiweb http://www.epiweb.se/products.htm. Only the moss outside will take longer if it is fired higher for a stronger material.
The structure outside I do with a ordinary pastry fork. Maybe I will do soon some Youtube film to show what I mean, if there is demand.
But I am sure, you will discover many new ways to do it.

[Gabriela]

My invention is the mixture, but if fired at 850 C° any clay should serve the purpose. To test if it is limefree, use vinegar. If bubbles come up its not good for most carnivores. 
With enough holes in the bottom you could try to use epiweb http://www.epiweb.se/products.htm. Only the moss outside will take longer if it is fired higher for a stronger material.
The structure outside I do with a ordinary pastry fork. Maybe I will do soon some Youtube film to show what I mean, if there is demand.
But I am sure, you will discover many new ways to do it.

 This is quite amazing! They look great as mini-landscapes, I wonder if something could be done as well for small alpines, instead of a classical trough...A video would be very welcomed I think

[partisangardener]

Why not.
Alpines which do  not like lime and like acidic soil would be perfect. Some even like constant moisture very much.
But if they don't avoid lime, Hypertufa or a piece of real tufa would do. Its soft enough to be formed to serve any planting ideas. It only depends on the creativity of the maker. And of course enough time for growing.