Why Your Terracotta Pots May Be Crumbling Over Time

Many gardeners use terracotta pots as their go-to container for planting flowers, vegetables, and herbs, but they can be prone to cracking.

As one Redditor recently found out. They shared their struggle on the r/gardening forum, including photos for reference and posting "my terracotta strawberry planter is crumbling. It kind of puffs up first and then the outer layer would crumble."

They continued, asking the community if this was normal, as they've "never seen other terracotta pots do that. Am I doing something wrong? And is it eventually going to completely disintegrate?"

Fellow Reddit posters offered some advice, with one explaining that "terracotta is very porous, and when it absorbs water in winter, freezes, then thaws, then collects more water, then freezes again—on and on—it begins to break down from the fluctuating conditions. Every freeze is going to chip away at the clay particles. It's a great material for keeping soil moist, but it doesn't do well in climates that experience freezing winters."

Garden and hydrangea expert Lorraine Ballato shared similar insight, telling decorvow that the pots' "biggest flaw is that they can't take freezing temperatures. You must consider them temporary or take other steps if your garden is in a cold zone where temperatures go below 32 degrees Fahrenheit."

On the Reddit thread, a commenter suggested getting bags or covers for terracotta pots to protect them in winter. "Just took them off my pots today and they seemed to do the trick. I think they’re called 'frost protection covers.'"

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Others noted that terracotta pots can still crumble even if your area doesn't get freezing temperatures. As one commenter pointed out, "terracotta is a spongy clay with lots of air bubbles, and the spalling is from moisture absorption, followed by very rapid evaporation. So in a climate without winter freezes, dry heat can do the same damage." They suggested mixing some moisture beads into the potting soil so water doesn’t evaporate as quickly.

One Redditor recommended burying the disintegrating pot in the ground. "You'll get most of the same effects as a buried olla, even as it breaks down into the soil. This is an indigenous technique of reusing and recycling pottery," they added.

So if you have damaged terracotta pots, don't toss them. Consider reusing them in your garden as Martha does. She places pieces of broken pots in the bottom of her planters to keep drainage holes clear of clumps of dirt or vegetation. Blocked drainage holes can impede water flow, potentially causing root rot and other fungal issues.

You can also crush broken terracotta pieces into smaller chunky shards and scatter them around snail and slug-vulnerable plants, including lettuces, hostas, or strawberries, to deter the pests who will find the rough texture uncomfortable to crawl over.