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Nice ... and even affordable! But how long do they last before they "break down"??

I'm also curious how long they're usable for. But my interest has been peaked.

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I have a couple of these, and haven't noticed any breaking down (just 5mos). They are quite sturdy, so I'd be surprised if they did disintegrate. Nice & lightweight too!

Same planter in crate and barrel?

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=4040&f=28315

East Bay people: Super Longs in Oakland has a bunch of these. Lovely colors, and not too expensive.

They're beautiful, but aren't most planters ceramic of some kind? Is the glaze non-eco-friendly?

I got a whole bunch of these at Whole Foods last year and they still look new.

Are these safe to use outdoors -- in the sun, rain, etc.
I too am having questions about how soon they will "break down" in the elements.

Can someone who has used these outdoors share their experience?

(hazel or eowes, were yours outdoors?)

jen-g - in climates with 4 seasons (not the Bay Area, having lived there myself ;->), ceramic pots are a no-no unless you want to replace them frequently. Ceramic pots love to break in winter due to freezing. All my planters are lightweight resin (fiberglass?) for that reason although I do have a few wooden planter boxes that will probably last about 10 years (the resin ones should last a lot longer).

I don't know what they're made of but Lowes has some lightweight containers that look great. Yesterday I picked up two 26" ones and a 20" for under $50 for all three. If they last for several years, as they should, then the environmental impact will have been low in my opinion.

If the rice husks are recycled from white rice production I have no issues with these.

But are they? Or is someone buying unprocessed rice to make these? It's worth asking - especially at a time where there are food riots and some countries have announced life in prison for anyone hoarding rice...

It's a slippery slope, making products out of things related to food. We already have massive food shortages and unaffordably high prices due to the social impact of bio-diesel...

Just my two cents...

As to rice hulls breaking down, that last a very long time. It's very hard to get them to break down as they contain high amounts of silica.

http://hcs.osu.edu/hcs/webgarden/Land/LAND_Jul96.html

I've bought several from Sloat Gardens for both indoor and outdoor plants. They last years before breaking down.

I'm not the green thumb of the family, but my husband would love these. I'm glad that some of the other commenters addressed the question of how quickly they will break down, because that was my first question. Great resource to pass on to my readers at http://www.greenyourdecor.com