---
title: "I bought these adorable terra cotta planters recently. The big one is…"
description: "I bought these adorable terra cotta planters recently. The big one is being used as a cache pot. Whatever I plant in the small one is going to have to contain…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/657215150ecebc9a73a2728b"
community: "Anything about plants"
author: "Lisa"
published: "2023-12-07T18:55:17.816Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/IOVKSQVY7OHUPtfeQU_7ZxDXY4Z9OWW-E9P95QFTRPE/f148d0110c8e4ed1941427113e8c13f4.webp?size=large"
---

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# I bought these adorable terra cotta planters recently. The big one is…

_Posted by Lisa on 2023-12-07_

I bought these adorable terra cotta planters recently. The big one is being used as a cache pot. Whatever I plant in the small one is going to have to contain very shallow roots. Any suggestions on what would survive/thrive in the small pot? These are too cute. 💚

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/IOVKSQVY7OHUPtfeQU_7ZxDXY4Z9OWW-E9P95QFTRPE/f148d0110c8e4ed1941427113e8c13f4.webp?size=large)

## 7 comments

### Plant Father commented on 2023-12-07

string of hearts and other “string of things” plants have very shallow roots. i can see a variegated string of hearts looking stunning in the smaller pot

### 9s commented on 2023-12-07

I wouldn’t do strings because they need to be bottom watered. Money tree might work - they’re also shallow rooted

#### Plant Father replied on 2023-12-09

i’m sorry? bottom watering vs top watering has nothing to do with the chlorine content of your water. i was trying to communicate that bottom watering offers little to no benefit for your plants, regardless of the type of water you use. if string of hearts needed to be bottom watered they would die out in the wild— rain does not come from the ground. i water my plants from the top of the pot every time and have several thriving string of hearts plants

#### 9s replied on 2023-12-09

Think you misunderstood me. In the wild, rain doesn’t have chlorine so if plants get watered from the top, it doesn’t affect the leaves. Our faucets are filled with residue that can affect sensitive leaves like soh, which is why you bottom water them. It probably works for you because your water may not be very hard but many people live in the city and their water is usually very hard.

#### 9s replied on 2023-12-09

Also bottom watering has a lot of benefits. Soil compositions made of mostly peat is impossible to wet without bottom soaking - and peat is a common soil used for soh.

#### Plant Father replied on 2023-12-09

even during my time in an urban area, my strings plants survived just fine being top-watered with heavily chlorinated tap water. the worst it’s going to do to your leaves (which really are not that sensitive or fragile) is leave hard water spots. and if your string of hearts is planted in a peat-based mixture it’s likely going to struggle regardless of how you choose to water it, peat is incredibly dense and moisture retentive and a poor choice for planting succulents like string of hearts. also, i water all of my plants from the top, even those with peat based soil, and have never had any issues soaking it. if it seems impossible to saturate without bottom watering you’re likely letting your plants go dry too long. anyway, leaving your plants roots to suffocate underwater while the soil absorbs water does not seem like the best choice for plant health, especially considering string of hearts prefer some level of drought

#### 9s replied on 2023-12-09

To each their own. :)

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