PLANT CONTAINERS

Sizes and Descriptions

AND, MARCH 2025 NURSERY RELOCATION -

SEE BELOW

by Phil & Jesse Bergman

Description of Article

This article helps explain the different pot (container) sizes that we use at our nursery in Encinitas, California. They are different than what nurseries use on the East Coast or different areas outside of California. Pictures of the various container sizes are given below.

Introduction

Over the years I've found that many customers, especially mail order clients, are confused by the size of containers used by nurseries. Rather than refer to them by inch diameter, out here we use the "gallon" sizes. Unfortunately, it's not quite the same as applying "the gallon of milk" formulae, but it's what's been in place for half a century. I am not going to comment on the history of this container system. Rather, I'll just show examples as it is the standard of the trade in these parts.

PLANT CONTAINER SIZE
For growers here on the West Coast, there are black plastic containers that most of us use on our plants. Surprisingly, there
are differences between the pots used on the West Coast and East Coast of the U.S. Here we refer to most containers by
"gallon size" On the East Coast pots are referred to by "diameter in inches". So, back East you might find a plant in
a "14 inch pot". Here is might be called a "15 gallon pot". If you visit our price and availability catalog, plants are shown
by their pot size. I'm hoping that this Blog post this morning will help clarify what individual pots look like.

CONTAINER SIZE PHOTO EMPTY CONTAINER PHOTO OF PLANTS IN
THIS CONTAINER

BAND SIZE CONTAINER

This pot is 3 x 3 x 9 inches, square in shape. It is used for seedling plants. For most growers, it has replaced the one gallon pot. It is a bit deeper and easier to place in carrying trays. It also conserves space on benches because these can be placed close together. You can get a pretty nice plant in a band container, sometimes up to 30 inches tall.

ONE GALLON POT

This is a very common pot used, especially by flower growers and those producing small shrubs. It's a typical first step after germinating a seedling. We prefer using the band containers above as they conserve table and bench space more efficiently and are deeper. Diameter of this pot is six inches but it's only about seven inches deep.

TWO GALLON POT

This pot is 7 to 8 inches wide and about 8 inches deep. It is a nice size to move a band plant into. But, it is not particularly deep, so you have to make sure the roots fit into the container. This pot will produce an average plant that is about 2 feet tall. We grow a lot of palms in these pots.

FIVE GALLON POT

This pot is 10 inches wide and about 10 inches deep. It produces a plant that is one of the most common sized palms that we sell. It is popular because it's not too heavy to lift and plants are typically three to five feet tall, depending on the species.

SEVEN GALLON POT

We really like this container because it produces a good sized plant but isn't as heavy to carry as a 15g. But, for some manufacturing reason, this pot costs twice as much as a 15g. Therefore, most growers aren't buying this sized pot very much nowadays. It is 12 inches wide, and about 12 inches deep.

FIFTEEN GALLON POT

This is the most popular sized purchased by people who want a landscape or near-landscape ready size of plant. This container typically supports a palm from four to eight feet size. Weight of this size of container with soil and plant is usually sixty to ninety pounds. It's size is 15 to 16 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Note how this size pot usually has a nice carrying lip at the top of the pot.

TWENTY/TWENTY-FIVE GALLON POTS

This is the next size up from a 15g. These pots are typically about 18 to 20 inches wide and 16 to 18 inches deep. They weight anywhere from 125 to 150 pounds with their soil. They can produce a plant larger than the 15g, typically 8 to 10 feet. They usually have a flat lip on the top as shown. The pot shown here is actually a 25g pot. 20 g are a bit smaller.

24 INCH BOX CONTAINER

This box is 24 inches wide, square in shape and about 22 to 24 inches deep. The planted weight of this container depends on the mix, but is anywhere from 175 to 300 pounds (this heavier weight is if one is using a very heavy soil). It takes two men to lift one of these. We prefer plastic boxes as shown here, but they are much more expensive than wooden box. The plastic pots last a very long time.

On occasion we also utilize 30 and 36 inch boxes. I'm not showing these here and are difficult or near impossible for men to lift.

ALL POT SIZES IN A ROW

This pot shows all the sizes lined up in a row. In order, left to right are:

band size
one gallon
two gallon
five gallon
seven gallon
fifteen gallon
25 gallon
24 inch box

There are a few more pots that we use and I haven't discussed here. These include:

Citrus pots: these are 8 x 8 x 14 inches, a tall pot for the diameter and good for cycads
Deep bands: These bands are about twice the size of a normal band
Thirty gallon pots: These are a step up from the 25 gallon size and pretty heavy
Thirty inch boxes: These are very heavy, hard to lift, so we rarely use them

CONCLUSION

On the West Coast of the U.S., the standard nomenclature used for container size is by the "gallon" standard as shown above. We do utilize "inches" on boxes and there are a few random containers, but for the most part size in gallons is utilized. With East Coast nurseries, containers are described typically in inches of diameter. If we were to import a containerized plant from the East Coast, we would typically call it by inches as those containers do not resemble those out west. Interestingly, they are not the same containers with different names but two totally different manufactured lines of pots. I hope this helps clarify container sizes that not only we use on the West Coast, but basically all nurseries use as their container sizes.

REMEMBER: JUNGLE MUSIC GIVES A NURSERY CREDIT FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC POTS

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PALMS, MORE PICTURES & TO FIND PLANTS AVAILABLE FOR SALE,
CLICK ON THE VARIOUS LINKS BELOW:

ASSORTED ARTICLES ON PALMS, CLICK HERE

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Phil Bergman
Owner Jungle Music Nursery and Website Authors

NEW NURSERY ADDRESS SHOWN BELOW

PHONE: 619 291 4605
OR, VISIT THE NURSERY FOR LOCAL PICK UP

Email: phil@junglemusic.net

Email:
phil@junglemusic.net

Website:
www.junglemusic.net

Nursery Location:

1111 Urania Ave., Encinitas, CA 92024

Nursery Phone: 619 291 4605

Nursery Hours:
Monday - Saturday, 9AM - 4PM
Sunday typically closed

Directions to Nursery: Freeway Close. Take Freeway 5 to Encinitas
(10 minutes south of Oceanside, 30 minutes north of San Diego).

Travel East on Leucadia Ave. off Freeway 5
In about 1/4 mile turn left on Urania Ave.
We're about 1/4 of a mile down on your right -
or, about 100 feet past the first red stop sign.
We are on your right down the driveway.

Mailing Address:
3233 Brant Street, San Diego, CA 92103

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CONTAINER SIZE	PHOTO EMPTY CONTAINER	PHOTO OF PLANTS IN THIS CONTAINER
BAND SIZE CONTAINER This pot is 3 x 3 x 9 inches, square in shape. It is used for seedling plants. For most growers, it has replaced the one gallon pot. It is a bit deeper and easier to place in carrying trays. It also conserves space on benches because these can be placed close together. You can get a pretty nice plant in a band container, sometimes up to 30 inches tall.
ONE GALLON POT This is a very common pot used, especially by flower growers and those producing small shrubs. It's a typical first step after germinating a seedling. We prefer using the band containers above as they conserve table and bench space more efficiently and are deeper. Diameter of this pot is six inches but it's only about seven inches deep.

TWO GALLON POT This pot is 7 to 8 inches wide and about 8 inches deep. It is a nice size to move a band plant into. But, it is not particularly deep, so you have to make sure the roots fit into the container. This pot will produce an average plant that is about 2 feet tall. We grow a lot of palms in these pots.
FIVE GALLON POT This pot is 10 inches wide and about 10 inches deep. It produces a plant that is one of the most common sized palms that we sell. It is popular because it's not too heavy to lift and plants are typically three to five feet tall, depending on the species.
SEVEN GALLON POT We really like this container because it produces a good sized plant but isn't as heavy to carry as a 15g. But, for some manufacturing reason, this pot costs twice as much as a 15g. Therefore, most growers aren't buying this sized pot very much nowadays. It is 12 inches wide, and about 12 inches deep.
FIFTEEN GALLON POT This is the most popular sized purchased by people who want a landscape or near-landscape ready size of plant. This container typically supports a palm from four to eight feet size. Weight of this size of container with soil and plant is usually sixty to ninety pounds. It's size is 15 to 16 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Note how this size pot usually has a nice carrying lip at the top of the pot.
TWENTY/TWENTY-FIVE GALLON POTS This is the next size up from a 15g. These pots are typically about 18 to 20 inches wide and 16 to 18 inches deep. They weight anywhere from 125 to 150 pounds with their soil. They can produce a plant larger than the 15g, typically 8 to 10 feet. They usually have a flat lip on the top as shown. The pot shown here is actually a 25g pot. 20 g are a bit smaller.
24 INCH BOX CONTAINER This box is 24 inches wide, square in shape and about 22 to 24 inches deep. The planted weight of this container depends on the mix, but is anywhere from 175 to 300 pounds (this heavier weight is if one is using a very heavy soil). It takes two men to lift one of these. We prefer plastic boxes as shown here, but they are much more expensive than wooden box. The plastic pots last a very long time. On occasion we also utilize 30 and 36 inch boxes. I'm not showing these here and are difficult or near impossible for men to lift.