Taking care of my pots

Tips for using your pottery : The use of Madeleine Pottery vases

Taking care of your pottery means allowing it to last over time.
Here are some useful tips that will allow you to preserve your beautiful pottery over the long term.

Protect my pottery from frost

Terracotta pottery does not like frost too much. The residual humidity contained in the terracotta can expand in the event of strong frost and cause irreparable damage to your pottery. To prevent this kind of inconvenience, several solutions exist.

1 - Shelter your vases in winter

In winter, shelter the vase if possible, it is the ultimate solution to avoid the inconvenience of frost. Even if the pottery is heavy, it can be easily moved using a hand truck. Get help for this operation because it is better to be two.
If your vase is glazed, it must imperatively be brought inside a garage or shelter so as not to be damaged by frost.

2 - Use a winter veil and raise your pottery

Another solution, less effective than the previous one, is to protect the pottery with a winter veil and to slide it under a support (feet or simple board) which will keep it away from the frozen earth.
Creating an air zone under the vase allows the air to circulate and the water to evaporate.

This method is valid in regions where freezing occurs only rarely and at temperatures not falling below -5°C.

3 - Use a plastic container

When planting, to avoid contact between the moist soil and the internal walls of the vase, prefer the use of a plastic container when possible.

This method is valid in regions where freezing occurs only rarely and at temperatures not falling below -5°C.

4 - Drain properly

If you don't like using the container, you can drain the water by filling your pottery as follows:

• first 1/3 of the height with drainage stones
• 1 geotextile sheet to separate the soil from the pebbles
• and to finish 2/3 of the height with planting soil

This method is valid in regions where freezing occurs only rarely and at temperatures not falling below -5°C.

5 - Apply a water repellent

You can protect your vase by applying a water repellent (available at all DIY stores) inside the vase. By waterproofing it, you make the vase more resistant to frost. Less porous, it absorbs fewer residues (like limestone) present in the water which could alter it over time.

This method is valid in regions where freezing occurs only rarely and at temperatures not falling below -5°C.