When it comes to ensuring your plants thrive, it’s important to provide them with the best start. Adding clever drainage to your planters will help keep them healthy and live longer. In this handy guide, we share tips on what to put in the bottom of a planter for drainage.
What type of planters are best?
If you are shopping for new outside planters, always look for those that already have drainage holes. Drainage holes allow excess water to drain away and so prevents the roots of your plants from rotting. But, if your favourite planter designs don’t come with drainage holes, you can always drill their base several times with a masonry drill bit yourself.
There’s thousands of attractive and practical planters available to choose from, whether you have a traditional or a more contemporary outside space. Plus, with so many different planter materials available, from wood to zinc and from stone to Poly-Terrazzo, you really are spoiled for choice.
NB Always remember to consider the size and growing potential of your favourite plants to be potted before you purchase.
What do you line the bottom of a planter with?
One of the best things to put at the bottom of a planter for drainage is broken pieces of pot. You can use any unwanted plant pots or chipped crockery for this – simply smash them up into small to medium-sized pieces. Adding a layer of broken pieces of pot like this will prevent compost loss out of the drainage holes. It will also stop the drainage holes from becoming blocked.
If you have small planters to fill, try lining their bases with old newspaper instead. The newspaper will allow excess water to drain freely away through the drainage holes, but prevent the compost from being flushed out.For outdoor planters that will be kept outside throughout the year, it’s worth lining them with a plastic liner. Pond liners work well for lining the bottom of a planter. Simply push the liner into the base of the planter and cut drainage holes in the bottom using household or gardening scissors.Handheld gardening tools in a pinch. Fill your planter with compost and then trim away any excess liner from the top.
What can I add to potting soil to make it drain better?
There are several things you can do to help improve your potting soil. Soil amendments such as perlite, mulch and sand will all help to prevent your potting compost and fertiliser from becoming too compacted inside your planters.
Coco Coir is a great option for adding extra drainage to your soil mix. Peat free and made from coconut husks, this environmentally friendly compost contains perlite and volcanic glass which will help make your soil much more porous. Perfect for improving their drainage and for keeping your plants happy.
Nicola Clements has been working with brands and publications in the gardening and lifestyle sectors for many years. As well as regularly writing for The English Garden‘s website, Nicola is also a contributing gardening editor to Wildflower magazine. In her spare time, Nicola can be found pottering in her garden, where she hones her skills, ready to pass on her expert advice to amateur and seasoned gardeners.
One of the best things to put at the bottom of a planter for drainage is broken pieces of pot. You can use any unwanted plant pots or chipped crockery for this – simply smash them up into small to medium-sized pieces. Adding a layer of broken pieces of pot like this will prevent compost loss out of the drainage holes.
One of the best things to put at the bottom of a planter for drainage is broken pieces of pot. You can use any unwanted plant pots or chipped crockery for this – simply smash them up into small to medium-sized pieces. Adding a layer of broken pieces of pot like this will prevent compost loss out of the drainage holes.
Rocks in the bottom of containers do not contribute to better draining soils and healthier plants. Instead plant roots encounter saturated soils that don't drain efficiently.
You can also boost a potted plant's airflow and water drainage by adding different materials and aggregates to the potting soil. Materials like perlite, coarse sand, clay aggregates, vermiculite, and compost can all improve the structure of your plants' soil and prevent them from becoming too impacted.
Make sure bottles are tightly capped, so inside them is only air and the weight of the soil won't make them collapse. Empty water bottles make big pots weigh less, save on soil, prevent soggy roots, and are easy to remove when emptying the pot. Simply hose them off before returning them to your recycling bin.
If you're planting in large containers, you can use a layer of plastic bottles at the bottom to help fill them up. The bottles should be empty, but not crushed, and have the caps on them. You can use water bottles or half-gallon jugs.
The answer is yes. You can line the bottom of your raised garden bed with cardboard and newspaper to block out weeds or act as a barrier against rhizomatous, weedy or invasive plants.
“If your planter doesn't have holes, you can keep the plant in its grow or nursery pot and place it inside the planter you would like to use,” he says. You can also place gravel or pebbles in the bottom of the decorative pot and place the functional pot with drainage on top of that layer.
It is used as an aggregate in concrete, a substrate in hydroponics, and a drainage/decoration option for landscaping and gardening. Smart Gravel is sold in bulk to construction, landscaping, and hydroponics farms, and sold by the bag to garden enthusiasts and plant cultivators.
Adding lots of organic matter such as compost, farm manure, or shredded leaves to clayey soil will allow it to drain more easily and hold the right amounts of water and air for better plant growth and increased biological activity.
The only reason to put a rock in the bottom of the planter is to cover the drainage hole and keep soil from coming out when you water your plant. Only use one rock per drainage hole. Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best-growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more!
However, because landfills are overfilled with non-biodegradable products, many Styrofoam packing products are now made to dissolve in time. It is not recommended to use Styrofoam peanuts for potted plants now, because they may break down in water and soil, leaving you with sunken-in containers.
Some even require volcanic rock or porous pebbles at the bottom of the planter to hold additional water. Some have indicators that work based on water displacement and floaters to show you when the reservoirs are full. Rope wicks and volcanic rocks are used in self watering pots to help maintain water reservoirs.
Broken shards of old pots in the bottom will deter most soil loss. A small piece of screen in the bottom covering the hole will allow water to pass through but not the soil.
Introduction: My name is Msgr. Refugio Daniel, I am a fine, precious, encouraging, calm, glamorous, vivacious, friendly person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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