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.
Sand. Sand is one of the main properties of any type of soil. The grains do not retain or hold onto water, so they are perfect for use in the bottom of indoor planters to aid in drainage. Sand often used by professional growers and is usually mixed in within greenhouse and nursery growing mixes.
You can use rocks, pieces of concrete or bricks, gravel, and/or pebbles. The benefit of using these types of rubble to fill your planter is that they have some weight to them. Weight can help anchor a tall planter that may be prone to tipping over.
Coconut Fiber is a spongy material that increases moisture and boosts drainage and aeration. Perlite is a lightweight volcanic glass that increases soil drainage and aeration. Pumice is a heavier volcanic rock that improves soil drainage and aeration. Sand helps soil dry faster and improves drainage.
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.
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!
“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.
You can do weed barrier cloth or plain ol' burlap. For small containers and pots, you can even use coffee filters. Make sure to hold this layer in place as you fill your bed with soil. That way, your soil won't wash out the drain holes or the bottom of the bed every time you water or it rains.
The permeable nature of landscape rock also aids in minimizing puddling and standing water, creating a visually appealing and functional drainage system for gardens and outdoor spaces.
Add one gallon of moist, coarse sphagnum peat moss, followed by one gallon of coarse sand, perlite, or vermiculite. Adjust the texture of the medium to create a loose, well-drained mixture. Sand feels gritty and clay feels sticky. If the potting soil feels too sandy, more peat moss should be added.
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.
If you have recycled plastic lying around, such as water or soda bottles, grocery bags, or milk and juice jugs, use them to fill the bottom of your large planter. The plastic is of more use in the base of your tall planter than in a landfill.
Instead of throwing it in the trash, an easy way to repurpose spare cardboard is to line them on the bottom of your raised garden beds. One frequently asked question is whether you can put cardboard in your raised beds. The answer is yes.
I always use a mesh to cover drain holes. A long time ago I got packs of round or square plastic mesh at Daiso stores..then I also have a leftover roll of landacape fabric which I just cut to whatever size I need. I know some uses paper towel or coffee filters.. those works too.
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.
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