It's the age of creative containers for your beloved houseplants! Designers are making stunning pots out of ceramics, metals, woods… and plant lovers are going wild for them. So wild, that we get many wonderful questions each day about sizing and functionality. Sometimes the cutest pot you've ever seen doesn't have a drainage hole but don't fret, we have some great ideas on how to solve that problem!
The "pot-in-pot" method is a favorite of ours. Use a plastic grower pot for planting and then place it in your hole-free cachepot. When it's time to water, you can simply move the planted growers pot to the sink! Or you can water in place and if you worry you might have over watered, it's easy to pour out any standing water.
If you end up with a container with no hole in the bottom and are prepared to be conscientious about not over watering, then we recommend filling the bottom of the container with several inches of lava rock. This will help keep the soil from remaining soggy. Just remember that it's an aid and not a cure! Mindful watering is the real key to having your plants survive in non-draining pots.
Another question we often hear is, "what size do I re-pot my plant into?" Well, we recommend several things. If you have a new plant that is not root-bound, you can plant it in the same size pot or up a size. Pot sizes typically go 4", 6", 8", 10", 12", etc. So if your current pot is 4" across, then the next size up would be a 6" pot. If your plant is root-bound, you'll want to go right ahead to the next size. Don't forget that some plants (like Hoyas) love to be root-bound so don't be in a rush to re-pot them in larger containers!
Thank you for this information on pots without holes, and also, pot size for repotting. I had the very same questions. Love getting your newsletters. Patti Cochran
You’re welcome!! So glad that you find them informative!!