How to choose the right nursery pot size

The correct nursery pot size will support plant health by preventing root binding and waterlogging.

To choose the right size for commercial growing in New Zealand, our customers generally prioritise UV-stabilised plastic pots for their durability and effective drainage. PrimeHort is New Zealand’s leading supplier of nursery pots, and we have pulled together this quick guide to help you match the right pot size and style to your crop.

Before we begin, here’s an explanation of the plastic pot styles we have at PrimeHort:

1. THERMOFORMED NURSERY POTS
   Thermoformed Nursery Pots are made by heating thin plastic sheets and forming them into shape. They’re lightweight, uniform, and cost-effective, making them ideal for high-volume production nurseries. Because they’re thinner, they’re best for short to medium-term crops that turn over quickly, such as annuals, bedding plants, veggie starts, and young forestry seedlings. They stack tightly, freight well, and work well with potting machines because they have a nice strong lip so de-nest easily in destakers on the potting machine.

   Chosen for: Fast-turnover crops and growers needing volume and cost efficiency.

   Our thermoformed pots are grey – did you know why? Because it’s a sustainable alternative to black pots. Made from recycled materials, it still retains a lower light transparency so meets the functional requirements of growers.

2. INJECTION-MOULDED NURSERY POTS
   Injection-moulded Nursery Pots are made by injecting molten plastic into a rigid mould, creating a thicker, stronger pot. They’re built to last and can be reused season after season. This makes them perfect for long-term crops, larger grade trees, shrubs, citrus, berries, ornamentals, and situations where plants may be handled repeatedly. They also work well for landscapers and garden centres who value toughness, especially where pots need to survive transport, weather, and customer handling. The trade-off is a higher up-front cost and a slightly heavier pot.

   Chosen for: Durability, reuse, and long-term or high-value crops.

   Some of our injection-moulded pots have unique features, including:
   Berry Pot specially designed for maximum oxygenation for berries.
   Big Tubs larger pots designed for trees and bigger plants.
   Square Pot shaped for maximising space in the nursery or garden centre.
   Square-Round Pot space saver in nursery, modern shape for retail impact in garden centres.
   Deep Square Pot designed for deep rooted plants eg. avocados, olives, citrus, palms.
   Blueberry Pot custom-design for organic blueberry cultivation.

3. PRESSUREFORMED NURSERY POTS
   Pressureformed Nursery Pots sit between thermoforming and injection moulding. Thin sheets are formed under pressure, creating a pot that’s lighter than injection-moulded styles but stronger than standard thermoformed options. They strike a balance of strength, flexibility, and cost, and are well suited to mid-term crops, grower-grade ornamentals, perennials, and situations where the plant needs a bit more support than a standard thermo pot provides. They hold their shape better than lighter pots and work well with automated systems.

   Chosen for: Growers wanting a step-up in strength without the full cost or weight of injection-moulded.

Finally, check out the table below to help you find the best pot style and size to maximise your crop yields.

POT STYLE AND CROP GUIDE

Pot Style	Common Sizes	Best Suited NZ Crops
Thermoformed Grey Pots	0.35, 0.5L, 0.77L, 1L	Lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, pak choi, herbs, basil, coriander, parsley, bedding annuals
	1.3L and 1.5L	Pansies, violas, petunias, lobelia, small natives, manuka, kanuka, hebe, coprosma, small grasses, carex, forestry seedlings
	2L, 3L and 3.5L	Perennials, mid-size bedding lines, quick-cycle shrubs, larger native starters
Pressureformed	7.7L, 8.5L, 11.36L and 13L	Larger shrubs, lavender, hydrangea, camellia, fuchsia, retail-ready natives, coprosma, hebe, pittosporum, fruiting shrubs, blueberry, currants, gooseberry, small landscape trees and specimen plants
	1L, 2L and 4L with tag slot for plant labels	Native shrubs and small native trees for revegetation or restoration projects, young garden shrubs, hedging plants, ornamentals sold in garden centres for landscaping
Injection Moulded Square	0.25L and 0.5L	Seedlings, small herbs, annual starters, fast turnover crops
	3L and 5L	Medium shrubs, larger perennials, retail-ready natives
Injection Moulded Round	5L with tag slot and 5.5L	Landscape natives, medium shrubs, larger ornamental perennials
	7.5L	Larger shrubs, small fruiting trees, retail specimen natives
	10L	Citrus, roses, larger landscape natives, ornamental trees
	15L	High-value ornamentals, shelter trees, larger fruit trees
	20L	Specimen trees, fruit trees, high-value landscape plants
	25L	Large fruit or ornamental trees, specimen trees for long-term growth
Injection Moulded Square Round	1L with tag slit	Young perennials, small natives, compact shrubs
	2L with tag slit	Medium perennials, retail-ready natives, small shrubs
	4L with tag slit	Larger shrubs, mid-size ornamental perennials, retail landscape natives

The humble nursery pot can be a gamechanger to your success, so please reach out if you would like to discuss the options further.

We look forward to helping you choose wisely!