If you were to pick up the average container gardening book you would most likely walk away with the idea that every container you plunk a plant in must have at least one drainage hole. That has not been my experience. While I think it is generally better to have good drainage, I can think of one situation where drainage is not really ideal: indoor pots.
Photo by umitomo
Of course, there are always saucers that can be put under a pot, but they are not always ideal (“oops, I over-watered and now the pot and the saucer are overflowing all over my beautiful hardwood floors”). Besides, let’s face it, sometimes there is a beautiful pot without a hole that you just want to use, even if lack of a drainage hole is not ideal.
Here are some solutions I’ve used to deal with a lack of drainage:
- Pot within a Pot: Basically, you plant your plants in a cheap plastic pot (with holes) that is the same size or slightly smaller as your good looking exterior pot. Then plant the cheap pot inside the good looking pot and voila! you have drainage and style without making a watery mess all over your carpet. You might want to put pretty river rocks or sphagnum moss over the top of the dirt to hide the plastic interior pot. Also, be careful not to over-water, because any water that drains out of the interior pot is just going to be sitting in the bottom of the exterior pot, and can be drawn back up in to the soil.
- Gravel: I’ve added a couple of inches of coarse gravel (small rocks, really) to the bottom of pots to allow the water somewhere to go, other than sitting in soil. Water sparingly if you go this route as the water will still be in the pot and will be drawn back up in to the soil. I think this route is best taken with plants that either need very little water (and in that case, water very infrequently) or with plants that like damp roots (in which case, water as needed to keep the soil moist, but always stick your finger in the soil to make sure water is really needed).
- Just do it: I have some ivy that is very forgiving. Over-water it, under-water it, subject it to nuclear radiation…you cannot kill this plant. With that in mind, I just planted it directly in a pot with no drainage holes and no gravel and got on with my life. The plant is doing well, sitting in the windowsill above my kitchen sink. Go figure. If you have a plant that is equally easy going, then try living on the edge and ignoring what the professionals say about the need for good drainage. If things do head south, you may have to transfer the plant, so keep an eye on things.
Remember that even without a drainage hole, condensation can still build up on the outside of the pot and ruin your flooring. With that in mind, it’s probably best to put one of those cork plant coasters underneath your pot. Cut it to fit the exact size of the bottom of the pot and no one will even know it’s there. I usually see these coasters in garden centers near the indoor plants section.
Have you tried any of the above methods? If so, how did it work out? Do you have your own tricks for dealing with pots that don’t have holes?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
“…I over-watered and now the pot and the saucer are overflowing…” this happens to me all the time and it drives me crazy. It just defeats the purpose of having a saucer.
I think the whole point of the saucer is to give you false hope that you can have an indoor pot with a drainage hole. It’s a ceramic industry conspiracy I tell ya!
Well, on your idea of planting a plastic pot with holes into a larger container without holes…one thing I do is to add pebbles or something in the base of the outer pot, and it allows the inner pot to sit up higher so any water that comes through cannot be sucked back up through he soil. I actually love this idea of a pot inside a pot, and it keeps me very happy! I found larger mugs or higher sided soup bowls with pretty designs are perfect for the smaller plastic pots to sit in!
That’s a good tip, using pebbles in the bottom of the outer pot!
thank you! i was hoping someone would assure me in my decision to plant in a pot without drainage. i have a few hyacinth bulbs, and hopefully they will survive the situation at least until after they bloom. i think you can grow them in rocks, but they are in soil now so i will put a gravel layer below the soil and the roots can dangle down and take a drink if they want.
I’m not green fingered AT ALL, but I’ve just planted one double impatiens in a pot within a pot, and one in a pot with gravel at the bottom because i couldn’t find a big enough inner pot. my mum always swore by the pot in a pot. I read that these plants like well drained soil, so I may have to re think the one on gravel…
There are two main reasons why plant pots need drainage holes. I’ll start with the most critical which is the threat of pseudomonas microbes which live in damp, undrained areas. These eat you plant but could, if you were to get them somewhere like your ear and have a low immune system, slowly burrow into you, through your inner ear, across through the skull and into your brain. They are super bugs and do not easily respond to antibiotics.
John–I think you’re overstating the issue just a teeny tiny bit. Millions of people have self watering pots or other hole-less pots and I have never heard of anyone contracting a deadly disease from it.