I have noticed that many stores do not sell the bases (can't think of the official name) that go with plant pots anymore.
Therefore, I won't be drilling holes in the bottom of this pot for drainage. I will be putting small rocks on the bottom for drainage and planting a dwarf alberta spruce in it.
Has anyone done this and did the tree survive?
Thanks.
Kate
If pot were sold for use with a base it would already have holes in it. I assume pot sold without holes is not made for a base. Some I have like this outside, I drill holes in side about half way down to prevent flooding if there is a lot of rain. Rock bottom is not going to help if pot is full of water.
Thank you so much for this reply.
I think I will return the pot. If I drill holes in the sides, it will ruin the look of the pot, plus it is sitting in front of my garage and the driveway could be stained badly, eventually, with the affects of Miracle Gro., etc., added to the watering can.
Probably best. Judicious watering if in the house would be OK but outside rain will flood it and water log it.
They're called "saucers". And, I've never seen a store, that sold planters (of any material), that didn't also stock the appropriately sized saucer.
You're not going to be achieving any sort of "drainage" by putting a bunch of rocks at the bottom of the planter. All you will do is:
A. Make the container much heavier than it needs to be. (Might as well have bought one that was actually carved from stone, instead of an imposter.) =)
B. Create an environment that keeps the roots of the plant in a saturated state. The rocks and the potting mix aren't going to stay in nice, neat, separated layers. The potting mix is going to seep down through the rocks, displacing...
You guessed it! The water that has no place to go. So, now, the water table is rising, simply by the potting mix pushing it up. This process gets sped it up by the dry potting mix above, absorbing the water rising from below (wicking). Pretty soon (after many fewer waterings than you think), the entire pot has become saturated, and with no way for the water to be removed, the plants, in essence, drown.
You MUST provide drainage that will adequately remove the excess water from the container. If you don't want to use it properly to contain live plants, then buy a quality "fake" plant to put in it.
Sorry for this late reply, but you are right on.
I decided against this pot. Walmart and Lowe's did not have the right sized saucer.
Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.
True, and I will end up with roots that are rotting.
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