The Best Pot for Crispy Wave

The beginning of the growing season is the ideal time to change out your Crispy Wave Fern’s container. Selecting a pot, however, may feel like taking steps into the unknown. How can you choose the best pot for your Crispy Wave?

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Choosing the Best Pot for Your Crispy Wave

When selecting the proper container for any plant, you must consider the plant’s care requirements. The pot plays a crucial role in moisture retention and temperature. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Drainage

Crispy Waves must stay consistently moist without ever becoming soggy. Additionally, their leaves will suffer from brown spotting (leaf spot) when water sets on them for extended periods. What does this mean for your pot selection?

These requirements make bottom-watering or light, frequent, soil-watering two of the best ways to care for your plant. That means the best pot for your Crispy Wave will have one sufficiently-sized drainage hole per gallon of soil. For bottom-watering, the hole will ensure that moisture will soak into the dirt. For soil-watering (a form of overhead watering), the drainage will allow excess water to escape.

Do not plant your Crispy Wave Fern in a pot without drainage holes. Doing so will increase your plant’s risk of sitting in water and developing root rot. You can use a non-draining pot as a decorative cachepot or cover pot for a nursery pot that has drainage.

Size

While it is true, Crispy Waves can grow to astronomical sizes; the best pot for your fern will not be an oversized container. To maintain a healthy plant, you must successively upgrade your plant’s container. Why?

In human terms: Plants need achievable goals. A pot that gives your Crispy Wave just enough room to expand (1-2” larger diameter and depth) is the best container for your plant. What’s the problem with an oversized container?

Large pots mean large amounts of moist soil. If your Crispy Wave Fern does not have a sufficient root system to absorb the water in the dirt, it will develop overwatering symptoms and, eventually, root rot.

It is also important to remember that your Crispy Wave is a slow grower. While it is good to do a “Spring Check-up” and soil refresh on all your plants, that does not necessarily mean that they need a larger pot every year. If your Crispy Wave has not yet filled its container, the best pot for it will be the same planter or one that is the same size.

Shape

When contemplating what shape of pot to invest in, you must consider your plant’s rootball’s size and shape. This advice is more applicable to some plants than others; for instance, the Tradescantia has shallow roots, so it is better suited for a short pot. What does it mean for your Crispy Wave?

Crispy Wave ferns develop a well-formed rootball and (if it is time for a pot “upgrade”) will fill whatever container you placed it in. When repotting, you do not want to abuse your plant’s root system too severely, so you should select a container that is a similar shape to your previous one.

For example, placing your Crispy Wave in a taller but skinner, or broader but shorter container, is ill-advised. The best pot for your Crispy Wave will provide it with enough overall space to grow without having to “squeeze” your plant’s roots inside.

Material

Since Crispy Wave Ferns need to stay moist, they are not well-suited to Terra Cotta pots. Clay is a moisture-wicking material; meaning, it draws moisture out of the soil. If you love the earthy, clay look, invest in glazed Terra Cotta.

What are a few moisture-retaining pot materials? Plastic, concrete, and ceramic are just a few pot materials better suited for your Crispy Wave. These materials maintain the moisture within the pot, leaving it for your plant to soak in. However, there is one more thing to consider.

Wall-Thickness

Selecting a thick-walled pot made of a moisture-retaining material will keep your Crispy Wave too moist. Pot walls serve as insulation. Providing too much insulation will prevent regular (healthy) moisture evaporation from the soil.

The best pot for your Crispy Wave is a normal-wall-thickness, moisture-retaining container.

Finding Your Best Pot for Your Crispy Wave

Now, after covering the logistics of what makes the best pot for your Crispy Wave, it’s time to discuss the “fun part:” design!

Make a Statement or Keep it Simple.

The Crispy Wave’s fronds reach vertically, exposing the container you choose in its entirety. This gives you a blank canvas to tell your story. Do you want to decide to make a statement? Or do you want to go for a minimalist look? You get to choose.

Create a Pot Gallery

You can mix-and-match pot colors, textures, and patterns on your plant shelf. The solid, tart-apple-green, crinkled fronds of your Crispy Wave are sure to compliment whatever pot you select.

Cachepots or cover pots are a great way to have an adaptable, interchangeable look. Plant your Crispy Wave in a grower’s pot, and place it inside a more attractive, slightly larger container. The good news? Cover pots do not require drainage and are limited only by your imagination: Use an old boot, an antique flour container, a boho basket, or even unused souvenir coffee mugs (for smaller plants, of course).

DIY Drainage Hole Cover

If your perfect pot did not come with a saucer, don’t fear! If you are not a fan of dirt polka-dots on your shelves, you can quickly solve this problem with a common household item: coffee filters!

Simply cut a piece of coffee filter that is larger than your pot’s drainage hole. Place dirt on top of it, and plant your Crispy Wave as usual. The coffee filter cover will keep the soil in and let all of the water out, keeping you and your Crispy Wave happy!

We are sure you have seen that there is a large variety of pots that are suitable for your Crispy Wave. So, which one should you pick? The best pot is the one that keeps your Crispy Wave healthy and brings a smile to your face!

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