Sealing Clay Pots

 Is there anything that can be done to clay pots to seal them up. Either
something to spray on the whole thing or just to coat the inside. I like the
look of clay pots but after time minerals and crud start to leach through
the pot. I do clean them off from time to time. Has anyone every done this
before and what have you used.

 There's a spray sealer made for clay pots.  You can get it from Michael's
craft stores.  I haven't used it so I an't tell you if it works well or not

Shell

 Sammy' wrote:

I would not seal them.  I use clay pots specifically because they
are porous.  

Moisture evaporating through the sides (even when they don't look
damp) keeps the soil in the pot cool even in full sun.  It's that
evaporation process that causes the mineral build-up on the
outside of the pot.  

There is also some air penetration into the pot through the porous
sides, which is very important for confined roots.  

--
David E. Ross
Climate:  California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 19 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a)
Gardening pages at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/>

 
A couple of years ago, I made the mistake of trying to seal a few of
my clay pots with a clear spray acrylic.  They looked pretty good the
first season, but by the second season, the acrylic began to peel off
in yellowish flakes, and it got progressively worse.  Also, this did
not deter the natural tendency for clay pots to leach mineral
deposits.  Finally, I used a wire brush to remove the rest of this
yellow scale, so I was able to salvage the pots.  Like others have
said, due to the porous nature of clay, it is probably not a good idea
to try to seal it.
I do have a strawberry pot from Mexico that I acquired about 10 years
ago.  It has a black (tar?) sealant on the inside, but the outside was
not treated.  It has survived fairly well over the years.  Every fall,
I empty my clay pots, clean them, let them dry, and then store them
upside down on a shelf out of the weather for the winter, so they
won't get wet, freeze, and crack.
Hope this is helpful.
Gary

 

Just set a plastic pot inside the clay pot.  Problem solved.

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