Best Drainage for House Plants Rocks or Sand
Only a few months ago I knew Nil nearly houseplants.
Naught.
I affair I did know was that when yous pot up a plant, it'south good practice to put rocks in the lesser of your plant pots.
Anybody does it.
People that know about plants – people on the cyberspace, people on TV, grandparents.
The first thing you put in your found pot is a lovely layer of rocks, or pebbles, or styrofoam, or broken upward terracotta pots.
Isn't it?
Errr…sometimes?
And so should I put rocks in the bottom of my constitute pots? Should you?
In general, it's not necessary to put rocks in the bottom of plant pots. One rock to cover the drainage hole is enough – simply enough so that the soil doesn't leach out of the bottom simply water tin flow freely through the pot. Putting rocks in plant pots doesn't help drainage or better air apportionment.
And then the reply is no, at that place'due south no demand for rocks. Why the 'eeer' then?
Instances when rocks in plant pots tin be useful
- When the pot is too big.
Rocks are cheap (complimentary if you lot have them from the garden/drive), especially in comparison to the potting mix. It makes sense to fill the pot to a certain level with rocks, just to save a scrap of cash.
Practice bear in mind that rocks are far heavier than soil, so prepare to have to get out your plant where you potted it if y'all notice it's besides heavy to carry.
- When your pot doesn't have drainage holes.
One thing yous'll know about me if you've spent much time in these parts is that I'm reeeeally passionate near drainage holes. But read this mail service if yous don't believe me. Yup, I really wrote a 1,500-word commodity presenting my case nearly pots with holes. I promise information technology'southward non as wearisome every bit y'all'd recall.
If you accept no selection other than to constitute a plant in a pot without holes, y'all could put a layer of gravel on the lesser to catch any excess water and cease it from being reabsorbed by the roots of the plant. It probably won't help much though, and you should, you lot know, Get AND GET A POT WITH HOLES.
Doesn't putting rocks in constitute pots aid drainage?
Nope.
As I already mentioned, you simply need 1 rock, to keep the potting medium in the pot.
Putting gravel in the bottom of a plant pot doesn't make the water drain away more quickly, it instead creates a perched water table.
What is a perched water table?
When you lot water a plant, there'southward the saturated zone of the soil, and the unsaturated zone.
The saturated zone is at the lesser and the unsaturated zone is at the acme because gravity causes the h2o to head down through the soil.
Everyone all the same with me?
The myth re. gravel and drainage came about because it was assumed that gravity would pull the h2o through the saturated zone and into the gravel, away from the roots of the establish.
As it turns out, that's non quite how it works.
The forces that concur the water into the soil are stronger than gravity, so the soil holds onto the water – imagine laying a sponge full of h2o on some gravel. The gravel won't soak up the water – the sponge is holding onto it too tightly (source).
Past adding a layer of gravel, all we've done is shifted the saturated zone closer to the roots of the plant.
Just don't the rocks in the pot allow for better air apportionment?
Once again, no. The water in the saturated zone is filling every air pocket with h2o, and then the air can't broadcast from the bottom up. Adept try though.
If yous're worried about air circulation, then stab your soil a few times with something thin and pointy (chopstick, moisture probe). Should the soil be really compacted, your best option might exist to repot the institute entirely.
If there are no rocks in the bottom of my pot, how do I stop the soil from washing away?
I've already said you lot tin have one rock, merely what if you lot have a tiny pot that doesn't have the spare existent estate for a rock?
Instead, you could line the bottom of the pot with some kitchen towel, newspaper, or fifty-fifty a bit of coffee filter paper. That'll be porous plenty to let the water to drain abroad (or soak through, if you're bottom watering).
How exercise I make the h2o drain faster through soil then?
We've already established that putting a layer of gravel in your pot won't aid the h2o drain quicker – it'll hinder information technology in fact.
It'southward all about the potting mix. I have a whole post on potting mix here.
Y'all can absolutely make do with regular house establish potting mix, only always add together perlite and orchid bark for more drainage. Perlite absorbs water, so the mix dries out chop-chop, but so non so quickly that y'all have to water your plants every twenty-four hour period.
Add builders sand if you're making delicious mix.
I tend to practice one:1 sand and potting mix for succulents, or 1:ane:1 potting mix, perlite, and orchid bark for, er, everything else.
If you want to DIY your potting mix, here's what you lot demand:
Pretty much equal parts coco coir, perlite, and orchid bawl
A 3rd of the corporeality of coir of worm castings and activated charcoal. So three:3:three:1:1
If you take a plant that like a moister soil, similar calathea, then reduce the amount of orchid bark.
Equally long as you're allowing your plants to dry out out completely before watering them over again, they'll exist fine. How completely they dry out depends on the plant, which is why I'yard so in love with wet meters.
I really shouldn't be the go-to succulent guru though, because I made a cute arrangement of succulents in a shallow bowl (not the best for drainage tbh) and thought the white fuzz they developed was really cute.
A yr on, when I educated myself, I discovered that the white fuzz was indeed mealy bugs, and had to sacrifice 2 of the plants. They were admittedly infested. I was unbelievably lucky that they hadn't spread to the other plants.
I was a terrible plant mother. TERRIBLE.
Yet, life's about the journey (plainly, I suppose we won't know until the terminate), and I've massively upped my game. I withal go the occasional lone mealybug, but I but choice him up on a cotton fiber bud and put him in the bin.
I've already put rocks in my pots, should I repot?
It really depends on the size of the pot and the institute.
If y'all're a chronic overwaterer, and then I'd definitely advise repotting to do away with that perched water table.
Information technology also shouldn't be a problem if yous have a relatively modest plant in a decent sized pot HOWEVER if you have a plant that'due south well matched to its pot with thick roots and so I'd recommend repotting asap.
I have a full repotting lesson here.
Why?
Because the roots with gyre effectually the rocks and you'll have a hell of a time picking individual rocks out of your institute'southward root brawl.
Trust me, I've done information technology. It ain't fun.
If the establish has thin delicate roots, like a snake plant, so the rocks will just fall out when you come up to repot. Something with hellish roots, like the aforementioned ZZ constitute, will hang onto those suckers like they're protecting immature.
Nevertheless, if you think that in that location's going to exist ample space between the roots and the rocks, y'all'll probably be a-ok until the time comes when you can next repot your plant.
Repotting can be stressful to some plants, then don't do it unless yous're pretty certain it's in the best interests of the plant.
Final thoughts on rocks in pots
I call back I've made my stance here pretty articulate, no?
- Don't put rocks in your pot. Not only does it not assist in drainage, simply it can too advance root rot.
- If y'all have a big pot y'all're allowed a couple of rocks to embrace the drainage pigsty
- Just you can use kitchen ringlet or like if you have a tiny pot (say, for one of those teeny tiny cacti)
And that'due south it. Happy planting!
Source: https://planethouseplant.com/do-you-need-to-put-rocks-in-the-bottom-of-plant-pots/#:~:text=One%20rock%20to%20cover%20the,there's%20no%20need%20for%20rocks.