If you’ve ever groaned at the thought of wrestling a houseplant from one pot to another, those days could soon be over.
That’s because a Scottish brand has unveiled the world’s first pot that grows alongside your plant, meaning you may never need to repot it again.
POTR’s new Helix pot takes inspiration from folding structures used by NASA engineers and can increase its soil capacity eightfold, expanding from a compact 0.25-litre vessel into a two-litre pot.
Rather than repeatedly removing a plant and transferring it into larger containers, users can simply twist and expand the pot before adding fresh soil around the existing roots.
Andrew Flynn, co-founder of POTR, told the Daily Mail: ‘Repotting sounds simple, but it actually takes a bit of confidence. You have to know when a plant is ready, ease it out without damaging the roots and hope it settles into its new home.
‘It’s something a lot of people find daunting, especially if they’re new to looking after plants.
‘We wanted to design a pot that grows with the plant instead of asking people to start the process all over again every time it needs more space.
‘As the plant develops, the pot simply expands, making it much easier to keep it healthy without the stress of a full repot.’
In a world first this pot can grow alongside your plant – meaning the days of messy repotting could be over
The design takes inspiration from folding structures used by NASA engineers and can increase its soil capacity eightfold, expanding from a compact 0.25-litre vessel into a two-litre pot
The design means the same pot can support a plant from seed or cutting through to a more established stage of growth.
It also contains a concealed water reservoir and wick which allows your plant to self-regulate its own water intake for up to two weeks.
The contraption was developed over almost two years, progressing from paper models to 1,132 working prototypes.
The brand was inspired by origami and folding structures used in space, where equipment must remain compact before expanding.
‘Most pots are designed for one stage of a plant’s life,’ Mr Flynn said. ‘We wanted to create one system that could adapt from seed or cutting through to a more established plant.
‘We’ve spent years refining the design because we felt there was a better way to solve a problem that hasn’t really changed for generations.’
The pot has already captured the interest of people around the world after launching on Kickstarter.
While pricing is still in the early stage, the standalone pot is expected to retail at around £30 when it goes on general sale in October.
The pot contains a concealed water reservoir and wick which allows your plant to self-regulate its own water intake for up to two weeks
The contraption was developed over almost two years, progressing from paper models to 1,132 working prototypes
Helix includes interchangeable accessories which allow users to grow basil, mint, parsley, coriander, oregano and microgreens.
A propagation plate supports cuttings as roots develop, while an expandable trellis can be added for climbing plants.
Mr Flynn, who runs the company with his wife Eilidh Cunningham, said the immediate interest means that people ‘recognise the problem – that growing plants and herbs at home should be simple, but watering and repotting can make it feel more complicated than it needs to be.’
In 2019, POTR launched its first product — a self-watering, origami-inspired flat-pack plant pot — through Kickstarter, where it achieved similar success.
The original POTR pot was later selected by investor Deborah Meaden as Sustainable Product of the Year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
