Increasing Soil Aeration: Should You Use an Aeration Planter For Your Houseplants?

Written by Savannah Toal

Whether you are a beginner plant parent or been around the houseplant block, it's important to know you should be aerating your houseplant soil! There are different ways of doing this, but sometimes it's easier to get a pot that does it for you.

First, let's get into what soil aeration is and why it's important.

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What Is Soil Aeration and Why Your Houseplants Need It

Aerating the soil of your houseplants is one of the easiest ways to promote new growth and prevent root rot. Soil aeration makes your plants think they are thriving in their natural habitat.

In the wild, worms and other little critters are constantly moving and breaking apart the soil. In your home, you don't have these worms and critters (hopefully). So without these critters, the soil becomes hard and stale. So by manually aerating the soil, you'll break up the dry pockets. In return, you will have an even moisture distribution (meaning the soil is evenly watered) and get much-needed airflow to the roots. This makes for happy soil and an even happier houseplant.

You can aerate your soil by gently poking holes in the soil with a chopstick or skewer before you water it.

Or...you could use an aeration planter to do the work for you! Let me introduce you to RediRoot's BREATHE Aeration Planter.

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What is an Aeration Planter and Why You Need One!

An aeration planter comes in a variety of designs, from plastic pots with holes to even fabric pots. These pots allow your houseplant's soil and roots to breathe like they were growing in the wild.

Rediroot's BREATHE Planter is a great option for increasing soil aeration. Not only does this planter promote new growth and healthy roots; it also looks beautiful in any home.

Healthier Roots

These planters provide air-pruning which prevents circling roots aka rootbound plants. When roots come in contact with the sides of a regular pot, they keep growing and end up winding in circles around each other. Because there's nowhere else for the roots to go, they get root-bound and eventually can't grow anymore.

In a BREATHE Planter or aeration pot, the roots come in contact with air when the roots reach the sides of the container. This tells the plants that there's nowhere else to go. Instead of circling, the roots stop growing and maintain a healthier, branched root structure.

This planter also allows you to go longer before repotting and reduces transplant shock (which traditionally happens when you move a plant from it's home to a new one).

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An Over-waterers Saving Grace

These planters prevent overwatering, which for my water-loving plant parents this is a great option for you! Because of the holes in the pot and easy access to airflow, roots are allowed to drain and dry out more freely.

This means your houseplants are less likely to get root rot, infection, insect infestation, and other issues brought on by root rot.

If you tend to forget to water your plants, this pot might not be the best option for you because of how well it drains.

Rediroot's BREATHE Aeration Planter Information and Coupon Code

The BREATHE Planter is available in three different colors: pearly white, deep ocean, and misty mint.This planter can be bought here and when you use my code: PLANTSAVVY you get 10% off your order! These planters also always ship free through The Growers Co-Op. A portion of the BREATHE Planter purchases goes to support the work of Plant Savvy! Thank you for buying and supporting :)!

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All in all, just be sure you are creating aeration in your indoor houseplant's soil. Whether you use chopsticks or an aeration planter, do what works best for you! Remember we want to keep things as simple as we can!

As Always Happy Planting,

Sav