FAQ
Questions about this site
How the picks are chosen, how the site makes money, where the numbers come from, and what we have not done. Plant questions are answered on the pages that cover them.
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About Pot & Prop
Have you tested the products you recommend?
No, and we say so on every roundup. There is no test bench here. What we do instead is collect every published figure, compute what a watered pot of each size actually weighs from public density data, and check each product's rating against that at a stated margin. The full method is here.
How does Pot & Prop make money?
Affiliate commission from Amazon. When you buy through a link on this site we earn a percentage, at no additional cost to you. We have not been given any products, we do not take sponsored placements, and nobody pays to appear on a list. The disclosure page has the detail.
Does the commission affect which products you recommend?
It affects which retailer we link to, because we can only earn from retailers we have an affiliate relationship with — currently just Amazon. It does not affect the ranking. Several pages here recommend the cheaper option, and every roundup names the buyer each pick is wrong for.
Where do the weight figures come from?
They are computed, not quoted. A pot is modeled as a truncated cone, potting mix density comes from published horticultural references, and water is a physical constant at 62.4 lb per cubic foot. Every figure on the site comes out of one function, and the arithmetic is published so you can reproduce it.
Why do the buy buttons say 'Check price' instead of showing a price?
Because a price is only shown when the live price layer has a figure that was verified recently. A remembered or stale price is a fabricated price, so when there is nothing fresh the button sends you to check rather than showing a number we cannot stand behind.
Why are there no star ratings or reviews on this site?
Because we have not handled these products, so any rating we published would be invented. That also applies to structured data: there is no Review or AggregateRating markup anywhere on this site, which is why our pages do not show star ratings in search results.
Why are there no customer testimonials?
Because we do not have any. Pot & Prop is a new publication. Inventing testimonials would be straightforwardly dishonest, so there is no testimonials section rather than a fabricated one.
Is this site written for renters specifically?
Yes. The default assumption on every page is that you cannot drill, the apartment is small, and there is one window worth having. Where a product needs a wall fixing we say so plainly, and where a renter-safe alternative exists we rank it.
Why do you use pot diameter instead of gallons?
Because a trade gallon is a trade convention rather than a unit — it does not equal a US gallon and it varies between growers. Rim diameter is a measurement anyone can take with a ruler and it means the same thing everywhere. More on that here.
What is the 1.5x margin and why that number?
It is how much headroom a published weight rating must have over the computed weight of the watered mix before we call a pairing safe. It covers the pot itself, the plant, and the shock load of setting a pot down rather than lowering it. It is a stated judgment rather than a measurement, and it is applied identically to every product so comparisons stay fair.
Do you only link to Amazon?
At the moment, yes. Pot & Prop is a new publication and Amazon is the only retailer we currently have an affiliate relationship with. Amazon also happens to carry this category well — stands, planters, propagation glassware, adhesive hardware and grow lights are all core catalog. If a better option for a buyer becomes available we will link to it.
Can I suggest a product?
Please do. Send it through the contact form with a link, and it goes into the research list for the next update of the relevant page. We cannot promise to include it — some products do not publish enough for us to check anything.
How do I report a mistake?
Through the contact form, or by email. A correction is more valuable to us than a compliment: if a number here is wrong, every page that relies on it is wrong too. We check, fix and note the change. The editorial policy explains the process.
How often are the pages updated?
Prices refresh on their own schedule and are date-stamped. Content is revised when a product changes, when a reader finds an error, or when we have something genuinely new to add — not on a calendar, because updating a page's date without changing its content is a signal we would rather keep honest.
Do you have a newsletter or social accounts?
Not yet. Rather than list placeholder links, there are none — you can subscribe to the feed if you want new pages as they publish.
Who is behind Pot & Prop?
The site is written by Scooter M. and published by Slate Mill Group. The about page has more, including an honest account of what qualifications are and are not involved.
Do you sell anything directly?
No. Pot & Prop does not sell products, hold stock or process orders. Every buy link sends you to a retailer, and your purchase, delivery, returns and warranty are entirely between you and them.