A lot of plant owners use cachepots to display their houseplants. These sleek plant pots are part function and part decorative. Ornamental planters first emerged in the mid-19th century, and the concept is still in use today. Learn how to use a cachepot and why they are an excellent option for houseplants.
What is a Cachepot
A cachepot is an outer pot used to conceal a nursery pot. This word originates from the French word cacher, which means to hide. A cachepot is used to conceal an inner pot. This term is sometimes spelled as two words: cache pot, but both spellings have the same meaning.
A cachepot can be any type of plant pot; it can have drainage holes or a solid bottom. A cachepot doesn’t have to technically be a pot. Get creative and use a basket, a wood box, a metal can, or anything else available. DIY your own cachepot using whatever you have available and create something awesome and custom. You can even use a pot you love with a hairline crack because it doesn’t need to contain water, potting mix, or an actively growing plant.
How It Works
To use a cachepot, you need to plant your houseplant directly in a plastic nursery pot and then just set the nursery pot inside of a larger decorative pot.
Pro tip: Place a plastic saucer inside the cachepot to contain overflow water and potting mix. The saucer will prevent messes, which is especially helpful if your cachepot has holes, is made from something porous, or isn’t water-tight, like a basket or antique wood crate.
What are the Advantages of a Cachepot
The cachepot system offers a lot of advantages. The clear advantage is easily swapping out the cover pot to match your decor. When using a cachepot, you can update the look whenever you want instead of waiting for the perfect time to repot the plant. Change the look seasonally or create a festive vibe with holiday-themed cover pots.
While the ability to update the look is significant, there are more reasons why you should consider switching to cachepots.
Proper Plant Care
Drainage is vital for houseplant care. Even plants with increased water needs do not like soggy conditions. Potting soil is a big part of drainage, but all plants should be directly in a pot with holes so excess water has a place to go. Using a nursery pot ensures proper drainage while using a cachepot ensures you can pick a pot based on appearance, not function.
A plant pot without drainage makes it impossible to view the roots without removing the entire plant, while a pot with a single drainage hole can make it hard to see what’s going on inside the pot. A nursery pot often has multiple drainage holes, allowing more opportunities to monitor the roots. Keeping better tabs on the roots will enable you to repot your plants when necessary.
Easy to Move
Nursery pots are lightweight, making it easy to carry plants to a sink or tub when it’s time to water or give them a rinse. Lift the nursery pot and leave the bulky cachepot. A heavy cachepot can be helpful for a large plant that needs some stability to keep it in place.
Disadvantage of Cachepots
The only possible disadvantage to using a cover pot or cache pot is that you need to stock up on both outer and inner pots. You can get by using a much larger cachepot because the only requirement is that the inner pot fits inside. It isn’t always easy to find single nursery pots, so plan on buying them in bulk or holding on to old ones so you can reuse them as needed.
Plant Styling with a Cachepot
A nursery pot should be small enough to fit inside a cachepot while ensuring the plant is completely visible. Ideally, the nursery pot will not be visible. Trim a nursery pot that is too big to fit inside a cachepot. Add a riser underneath a small nursery pot to better fit in a large cover pot. Use an upside-down saucer or nursery pot, or a block of wood to give the nursery pot enough height.
Group Effort
No rule says you can only have one houseplant per cachepot. Get a large container and fill it with various independently planted houseplants. Create the look of a large mixed planting without the hassle. Use a large decorative box or tray to group together a Philodendron Birkin, a Pothos Snow Queen, and a Peace Lily. The white variegation of the Birkin and Snow Queen will look lovely together, while the white blooms of the Peace Lily will complement the foliage.
Lift each plant out of the oversized cachepot when it’s time to water to ensure each plant gets its due. You can also rotate each plant independently from the others to prevent the stems from reaching towards the sunlight.
Featuring various houseplants directly planted in one container can make plant care challenging, and if the plants have different water needs, it’s impossible. Featuring several plants, each in their own nursery pot in one large cachepot, is an effective way to achieve the look without the headache.
When Not to Use a Cachepot
There is never a time that a cachepot should be avoided, but it isn’t always necessary. Succulents and plants that thrive in dry conditions are completely happy to live in porous planters, like unglazed ceramic or terracotta. Moisture can seep through the container, allowing the potting mix to dry throughout, which is ultimately what the plant needs. Desert-dwelling plants can be just as happy in a cachepot, but you have options, so select what works best for you and your plants.
Cachepot Chic
Whether used for form or function, cachepots make houseplant care easy and add style to your space. Anything can be a cachepot, so get creative and find pots that complement your plants and home.