If you know anything about houseplants, you are aware that overwatering is the second-leading cause of houseplant death.
The roots of plants don’t like to be submerged in water. It’s unpleasant to feel. It can drown the plant and decay.
After considering everything, I feel very confident in my ability to respond to the question, “Do houseplants need pots with holes?
Yes. It’s usually advisable to put a plant in a pot with drainage holes in the bottom in order to make it as simple as possible for you to keep it alive.
Do plant containers used indoors require drainage holes?
In order to keep your potted plants healthy, whether they are indoor or outdoor, appropriate drainage is crucial. This procedure prevents water from collecting at the pot’s base, where it may breed bacteria, fungi, and root rot.
We have excellent news if you discover that your favorite pot doesn’t have a drainage hole in the bottom: practically any container can become a plant’s contented home! No matter the vessel, we’ll demonstrate how your favorites can maintain good health.
This glass jar was chosen to hold a little Swedish ivy plant. For our illustration, we wanted to utilize a translucent container so that you could see the layers clearly as they were being applied.
Drainage Is Critical to Plant Health
It is crucial that the container have a hole in the bottom. It enables the soil’s water to drain easily so that the roots have access to enough air. While different plant species have different drainage requirements, few can stand being submerged in still water. Plants with strong roots grow healthier. So make sure the drainage holes are present. If the pot does not drain, you could choose to use shoreline plants because they thrive in moist soil. For more details, go to the section on water gardening.
Which plants may thrive in containers devoid of drainage holes?
The majority of gardeners wouldn’t want to rob their plants of moisture and soil that drains well. However, choosing plants that don’t require drainage holes is one of the best ways to proceed if drainage is a serious issue or you want to try something else. The maintenance requirements are greatly reduced because the majority of these plants are also houseplants.
What precisely are these plants, and how are they potted? In this post, we will go through 13 such plants in detail that never require drainage holes. Continue reading to learn more.
Which kind of plants do not require drainage?
Popular border or container plants include coleus (Coleus scutellarioides). Although there are multiple types with various colors and color combinations for truly show-stopping leaves, it is evergreen. It favors direct, bright sunshine. You don’t want to water too much. Due of the semi-succulent nature of the plant stems, the soil should be kept damp but not saturated. It blooms with tiny purple-blue flowers.
Which pots work best for indoor plants?
Today, ceramic pots are the most often used type of container for indoor plants. They come in a wide variety of designs, hues, and dimensions.
What is placed beneath indoor plants?
Look for a container that will conceal the grow container you are using for your plant. The grow pot should be placed inside the decorative pot on top of a layer of non-porous material, such as gravel, marbles, or pebbles, that is about an inch or two thick.
Do all plants require holes for drainage?
There are planters without drainage holes, and that’s perfectly OK too! There are many alternatives to a pot that lacks a drainage hole. In fact, some of the most fashionable planters lack drainage holes since they rest on sleek wooden platforms (a drainage hole here would cause a major mess!). For instance, our Mid-Century planters are made to sit directly on wooden stands or other surfaces and lack drainage holes.
We employ a technique called “staging” for our pots without a drainage hole, which we’ll go into more depth about below. Here are some additional techniques for providing drainage in a pot without a drainage hole:
Layer rocks at the Bottom of Your Pot
To create some separation between the soil of your plant and any extra water, it is usual practice to place rocks or gravel at the bottom of your pot. As your plant grows, its roots may extend into this bottom area and become exposed to the standing water, therefore this does not actually aid in drainage.
Drill a Drainage Hole
Some individuals like to use their favorite planter as a DIY project and drill a hole in it without any drainage. It is possible to do this, but be aware that you run the danger of completely ruining the pot.
Staging (the BEST way!)
When there is no drainage hole, staging your plant is the simplest and most straightforward approach to set it up with correct drainage. Simply put, staging implies that the plant actually resides in its plastic nursery container rather than the decorative planter (i.e. the one it came in). Plastic nursery pots can easily be inserted inside the ceramic pot and frequently feature several little drainage holes at the bottom (much better!).
We advise slightly elevating your plant inside the pot if you have a habit of overwatering it, either with a wood plank, styrofoam block, or any other object that won’t mind the odd drenching. This guarantees that your plant will never “sit in standing water for long periods of time, regardless of how much water you provide.
Beyond only drainage, staging your plants has a number of advantages:
Your plant may be easily removed from its attractive container so that you can give it a wash in the bathtub or sink (plants adore this method of watering!).
When your plant has to be replanted, you’ll be able to tell because the roots will start to protrude from the plastic nursery pot (just lift the nursery pot to check!).
So go ahead and begin arranging your plants! If you’re still looking for the ideal ceramic, keep in mind that our ceramics are 100% water-sealed and proportioned to fit most nursery pots, so they’ll never harm your floors or surfaces. The classic style was handcrafted with high-fired stoneware to endure the test of time! Choose the ideal size for your plants, or even better, get a set of Lon & George’s fully-potted plants and let us handle the work!
Without any holes for drainage, how can I water my plants?
One of the most crucial abilities a plant parent must know is how to water a houseplant. In contrast to what we typically believe, overwatering is more frequently the cause of plant failure than dry soil. We frequently emphasize the significance of holes at the bottom of pots because holes allow extra water to drain away from the plant’s roots, preventing overwatering. What happens, though, if your preferred container lacks a drain hole? While perhaps not ideal, the absence of drain holes is also not a deal breaker; you will just need to take a few extra safety measures. We’ll discuss how to water your favorite houseplants in their favorite containers, whether or not they have drain holes, in this article.
For Containers with Drain Holes
It can be challenging to strike the correct balance between under- and over-watering, but if your container contains drain holes, the characteristics of the potting mix itself will support your efforts. Professional potting mix is constructed of a unique blend of organic ingredients including peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, and pine bark, unlike the soil we find outside. These components provide a fluffy, light substrate that promotes healthy plant growth by holding exactly the correct amount of moisture close to the roots and allowing extra moisture to swiftly evaporate. In addition to providing the roots with the necessary oxygen and preventing harmful cases of bacterial rot, a good airy potting mix allows the proper quantity of air to circulate around the roots. The enhanced drainage properties of a commercial potting mix work best when drain holes are present to allow the extra water to drain away, regardless of whether the mix is a classic potting mix used with many of our tropical houseplants or it’s a specialty mix created especially for plants like cacti or orchids.
Therefore, the ideal way to water most plants in a container with drain holes is to fill the pot with water until the potting mix is totally moist from top to bottom, then allow the extra water drain out the holes. When should we water our lawn? For many houseplants, such as dracaena, pothos, philodendrons, and rubber plants, to mention a few, we advise delaying additional watering until the top inch or two of the potting mix has dried up. The frequency of those occurrences is influenced by a number of variables, including the temperature, humidity, the plant’s root system, and the amount of light it receives. For instance, indoor plants in bright light frequently require more watering than indoor plants in dim light. But there are other kinds of houseplants as well. Some plants, including cactus and sansevieria, require their potting soil to almost fully dry up before receiving any additional water. Others, like as ferns and prayer plants, prefer a fairly constant moisture level. You’ll develop a watering schedule that satisfies your plants’ needs as you learn more about them and come to know them on an individual basis. Drain holes assist you in figuring it out by preventing an excessive amount of water from remaining close to the roots.
For Containers Without
However, it’s not necessarily a bad thing if your preferred container doesn’t have a drain hole. You won’t discover holes in many of the most exquisite and attractive ceramic containers. They won’t be present in glass used for terrariums either. However, plants can also be effectively raised in these kinds of containers by plant parents.
The simplest approach to use a container without any holes is to simply leave it empty. Instead, use it as a decorative sleeve over a different, more practical container that already has holes in it. Our collection’s indoor plants are all packaged in sturdy plastic “grow pots with great drainage. Drop the plant into the decorative container while still in its current pot. When it’s time to water, lift the plant and grow pot out, fill the sink or bathtub with water, and let it soak up all the water. It can then be placed back into the attractive container. This procedure, known as “staging” or “double-potting,” makes the most of the grow pot’s advantageous drainage system as well as the aesthetics of the outer pot. This strategy works well for plants that are sensitive to overwatering, such as cacti. Regarding appearance, it could be difficult to detect that you haven’t planted directly into the decorative pot if the two pots are comparable in size and fit together well. If necessary, you can also cover your two-pot setup with a layer of sphagnum moss or greenery on top of the potting soil. If you use a decorative layer, make sure to move it aside sometimes to check the moisture level of the soil.
The double-potting technique may be excellent for the plant, but it isn’t always feasible for the plant parent. Perhaps the decorative pot doesn’t fit the grow pot very well. Perhaps the plant is so large that moving and lifting it to water it will be impossible. Then, it is also possible to place your houseplant directly into a container without any holes; you will just need to pay closer attention to your plant’s cues on whether or not it requires additional water. Remember that any water you add to the potting mix in this case will remain there until the plant uses it all. Therefore, plants that don’t mind spending a lot of time resting in a little more damp, such maidenhair ferns and Venus fly traps, work best potted directly into containers without any holes. You’ll need to water sparingly for houseplants that like their potting soil to dry up a bit before their next sip. You need to carefully pour just enough water to adequately saturate the soil surrounding the roots without waterlogging the potting mix and leaving water lingering in the bottom of the container, as opposed to thoroughly soaking the potting mix as you would if there were drain holes. This is simpler to perform with a glass container since you can see the potting mix and determine when to stop adding water. Do these containers require a little more effort to water plants than they would if they had drain holes to assist? Yes, but having access to that wonderful ceramic pot that fits in your home so well? No doubt worth it. For instance, Dana Howerter, our creative director, grows a lot of her plants, both big and little, in glassware just because she likes the way it looks in her house.
What to Watch For
Finding a watering schedule that works for you and your plant collection, whether or not your container includes holes, is a learning process. Plants have unique methods of expressing their requirements, and if you pay close attention to them, you can use them to your advantage. If the container lacks any drainage holes, it is extremely crucial to keep an eye out for these symptoms. It’s time to water again, for example, if you are aware that it has been a while since you last watered and the plant begins to look a little wilty or, in the case of a succulent, shrivels. When a foliage plant begins to wilt but you’ve recently watered it and the soil is still damp, it might be trying to inform you that you overwatered it and it’s not getting enough oxygen to its roots. A foliage plant’s leaves might become yellow or get black patches from overwatering, which is a sign of a bacterial or fungal illness. In this situation, relocate the plant to a more sunny area, skip watering for a few days, and check to see if the plant recovers. If not, you might need to unpot the plant, remove the old potting soil, and replace it with fresh soil. As usual, please speak with a member of our greenhouse staff if you have any questions about how to properly water the different plants in your collection or if something alarming occurs. We’ll be glad to assist.
Even though most of your plants and you will find that using pots with drain holes is the easiest option, don’t let that discourage you from using a container without them. Whatever planter you decide on, with time you’ll learn to detect the signals your plant puts out regarding its water needs and be able to know what to do to keep it happy and healthy for a very long time.