Pot has no drainage holes- what best to plant?

hollydays

I have a tall , about a foot high, hand made pot that hasn't got drainage holes and isn't round so I can't rat a pot in it easily. Are there any types of plants that would grow directly in this?

DaftyDuck

Goldfish? Frog spawn?

I've always made holes in the bottom of any pot, even porcelain ones. You could try planting something in a bed of soil sitting on gravel, but you'd have to monitor water levels extremely carefully to ensure it doesn't rot down there.

Are you keeping it indoors, where you can control water levels, or is it going outside... where one downpour will flood it out?

hollydays

Yes outside.

lostinrates

hollydays wrote: »

I have a tall , about a foot high, hand made pot that hasn't got drainage holes and isn't round so I can't rat a pot in it easily. Are there any types of plants that would grow directly in this?

I have a couple similar sounding quandaries I use as indoor pots. One is oval and I have used both for direct plantings and to house more smaller round pots. ( sometimes on large stones underneath)

I find direct planting and monitoring great for bulbs over winter, and the other option better in summer for things like pot roses.

lobbyludd

you may not want to risk on a hand-made pot, but I've always drilled holes in the bottom of pots - for any ceramic/earthenware etc I put a cross over where I want the hole with masking tape and use a tile bit on the drill (fairly slow speed and not on hammer setting!).

I've never lost a pot yet (but I have not done it on any I'd be desperately sad to lose).

DaftyDuck

OK, for outside I'd drill a hole. I really don't think a plant will survive any length of time in there without any drainage, especially if it isn't planted in a pot inside the pot.

However, if you really daren't drill into your Ming vase (and I sympathise), then my option 1 would be regular replanting of the plant. three inches of gravel at the base, compost on top, then plant on top of that. Plant type? Anything that doesn't mind getting its toes a bit wet. Fatsia japonica, Gaultheria, Leucothoe, Hydrangea, most Paeonies, a fern (Polystichum setiferum is good) , and hellibores might make a start.

Bulbs, especially since you could plant early-flowering bulbs, then repot with one of the above for summer, decant that into a pot for a drier winter, repot bulbs for the spring flowering.

Or a Japanese Maple, again on gravel, but with a polythene liner to aid occasional removal.

Final suggestion is very MSE. Make a liner from papier mache, use that to keep the plant suspended and then drainage would be less of a problem. If you vasalene the pot sides to make the inner pot, let it dry, remove it and varnish it, it'll last a couple of years before you'd need to redo it.

But.... I return to drill a hole. It's the only way I know of keeping a pot drained, and I love my plants more than I love any of my pots.

ed110220

Wouldn't risk any non-aquatic plant in a non-draining pot outside. If you can use it inside you have more options using hydroponic or similar systems.

I've had very good results with clay granules called Seramis. You take the plant out of its original pot and pot it in a larger watertight pot with the clay granules as the potting medium. They come with an indicator that changes colour when the plant needs watering, and then you give it a fixed amount of special liquid food (quarter of pot volume, from memory).

Most houseplants I've found grow better that way than in ordinary compost, and of course there are no drainage leaks to spoil furnishings etc.

Ed

wellused

What about water Iris they like wet ground so a soggy pot should be ok?

REEN

I plugged up a hole in one of my pots so I could plant a corkscrew rush. It's been happy in there for a few years.

sobie

Personally I would either drill holes in it, or use it indoors as a cover pot, and drop a houseplant in a plastic pot in it.

If you don't drill holes, the pot is likely to become waterlogged in winter, if your pot is porous it will absorb water and when that water freezes your pot will crack and fall to bits.

hollydays

Thanks in the end I've decided to put it outside with realistic artificial flowers in for a few months till I get the courage to drill the hole