Drainage for tomato plant?

TeeAy

Hello peeps

I bought a planter to put a tomato plant in but not sure if it needs drainage and whether it has any?  

There are 3 round raised bits on the bottom pot inside - not sure if they're for the drainage or what they're for...can anyone enlighten me?  

fatbelly

Yes, punch them through from the outside with a screwdriver or similar.

Then fill with decent compost* and water well.

*i'm struggling to find decent compost in the new world of peat-free - starting to go back to John Innes, though will pick up a Moorland bag from Poundland if in stock.

kimwp

Good idea to feed the plant (with tomato feed) as well. 

twopenny

Yes, always punch holes in the bottom unless you are growing bog plants 😄
And put a stone over each hole to stop compost draining out with the water.

Fatbelly we all are 😵‍💫
Terrible stuff at the moment but they seem to be getting away with it.
As soon as one company makes a decent one the others will have to step up too.
Currently mixing used compost with garden made and some bfb and crossing fingers 

TeeAy

thank you everyone!   @fatbelly @kimwp @twopenny

Do I make holes in the 3 raised up bits for drainage, or on the flat bottom of the pot and why are they raised off the bottom of the pot?
(I'd have thought the pot could still be water logged... or would water only drain out if it reached the 'height' of those 3 bits?

twopenny

Good point. 
It might make a good reservoir. Can't remember what I did when faced with this. Whatever was easiest I guess.
Are you good at watering or is it hit and miss?

I'd be inclined to knock a hole in the raised bits and 3 more in the base just because that's what you usually get but there is no knowledge or science to this.
Someone with more experience will be along in half an hour or so. They'll know.

Farway

TeeAy said:

thank you everyone!   @fatbelly @kimwp @twopenny

Do I make holes in the 3 raised up bits for drainage, or on the flat bottom of the pot and why are they raised off the bottom of the pot?
(I'd have thought the pot could still be water logged... or would water only drain out if it reached the 'height' of those 3 bits?

Make holes in the raised bits, best to use a drill if you have one, punching may split the plastic if poor quality

Raised to make obvious, and sometimes, depending on the make, it is a weaker point.

It is best to sit the pot, once holes made etc, onto Pot Feet to raise the base clear of ground and let water drain out.

You can buy fancy Pot Feet, or just use some bricks or broken paving

https://www.diy.com/outdoor-garden/lawn-plant-care/planting/plant-pot-feet.cat

Water will drain once it reaches the height of the raise bits, good to have some reservoir of water, the compost will not get waterlogged if holes are there

In fact, with the useless peat free stuff more likely to dry out quickly

-taff

I'm going against the grain, drill out either the holes in the three bits, or drill about an inch a few times around the circumference of the pot to make a reservoir in the bottom. I normally use flower bucket pots from the suermarkets [ I've had them years], they're all drilled in the bottom but they sit on gravel in flat containers that I fill with water, so for the most past they are usually wet up to half/an inch on the bottom for days at a time. The tomatoes will send out roots into the gravel to use the water as they see fit.

Also another vote for awful compost, I'm now using the compost sold by the allotment society I'm a member of and that does have some peat in it. If you're using peat free and it's rubbish, feed really well. I was seeing really good root growth and no top groth until I realised they were sending out roots looking for somehting to eat and finding nothing. 

Emmia

kimwp said:

Good idea to feed the plant (with tomato feed) as well. 

I'd fill the pot with the contents of a tomato growbag, to give them a good start.

https://amzn.eu/d/8xReksX

Farway

Emmia said:

kimwp said:

Good idea to feed the plant (with tomato feed) as well. 

I'd fill the pot with the contents of a tomato growbag, to give them a good start.

https://amzn.eu/d/8xReksX

Gulp, at that price I'd just buy toms from M & S 

Emmia

Farway said:

Emmia said:

kimwp said:

Good idea to feed the plant (with tomato feed) as well. 

I'd fill the pot with the contents of a tomato growbag, to give them a good start.

https://amzn.eu/d/8xReksX

Gulp, at that price I'd just buy toms from M & S 

Getting good toms needs feeding though and that costs - I'm sure that compost is also cheaper at your garden centre.