I now have space on our new “not a deck” to put some of my potted figs that have been living in the driveway. Yesterday I spent a few hours pressure washing all the mud and concrete splatters off the deck and the side of the house from construction, and I wanted to keep things nicer looking once I put the figs in their new home, so I started looking at saucers to put my pots in.
I’m hoping to reduce the amount of future dirt all over the place, so putting a saucer down first seems like the best route.
Does anyone have a really good brand or recommendations for future purchasers? I didn’t like the prices at the big box stores locally so I found some with good reviews online.
I have used at times just plastic plates or serving trays from dollar stores. They may not look the most professional but in a pinch they work fine and are cheap.
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look up hypertufa. Tufa rock is a limestone that people with more money than we do get their landscapers to use on their manicured gardens. For the rest of us we can make hypertufa, a mix of concrete and perlite. It is light, you can mold it into whatever shape you like, it can look really good, and it is cheaper than most kitsch plastic saucers.
Basically take a saucer of the desired size/capacity, put it upside down on a piece of plywood or a table covered with a plastic, and mold your hypertufa mix on it.
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I like to shop for these at our local thrift store. I have bought many platters and trays, even aluminum pizza pans, all to use as saucers under my potted plants. This may not be aesthetically pleasing to you, but for me it works and they are so cheap, all under 50cents each.
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How big, the black oil pans at the dollar store work well and are durable for saucers.
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For my purposes I think 15" is a minimum but that is a good idea.
@KSprairie I didn’t check any thrift stores but I will, you never know what you’ll find!
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Even more durable, but more expensive are livestock pans at the farm store.
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The cheapest I have found for bigger sizes was these, as you change the size and the quantity, the price changes https://www.ebay.com/itm/332841358830?var=543929221631
They are high quality as well
MUDEELA 6 Pack of 15 inch Plant Saucer, Durable Plastic Plant Trays for Indoors, Black Plastic Flower Plant Pot Saucer, Made of Thicker, Stronger Plastic, with Taller Design https://a.co/d/29yHob5
That is what I ended up ordering. The black ones are less expensive than the clear ones for most options.
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In case someone out there like me that bottom waters to encourage rooting… these hot water heater pans come in metal or plastic and have a drain bib. Also good for wicking or a rooting frame.
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That is a great find, especially the price, yet I usually need a bigger size than 15 inch, I have actually been getting 18 inch ones lately.
I actually have just started to bottom water, and to bottom moisten for rooting by filling the saucers with water, I actually needed a bigger saucer than I could find, I am seeing up to 30 inches for hot water heater pans, that would work.
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