Drainage for Potted Plants: Is One Hole Enough?

I've seen drainage mentioned many times in reference to container gardening. What exactly is proper drainage? This is a question asked by a close friend who's trying to grow herbs indoors this winter. Having just lost a spearmint plant to fungus, I feel her pain. It's really not easy to know how much drainage a plant needs. That's why I recommend using several different methods. More drainage can't really hurt a plant. Less drainage can kill it.

I should have known better. You hear this a lot from seasoned gardeners, because it's true. In my case, I should have known that spearmint needed more drainage. I was in a hurry to bring it indoors. Not wanting to have water seep onto our wood floors, I placed a plastic liner under the pot. What did I forget? Why did my spearmint get fungus all over it?

I forgot to raise the pot. Some plants require more drainage, especially ones that need transplanting soon. Ideally, I should have transplanted my spearmint to a new pot. It was outgrowing the one it was in. Since I didn't have time to do that, I should have known to raise the pot off the plastic liner so it could drain better. This can be done using several mini-pots under the plant to hold it up out of the drained water.

What can indoor gardeners do to increase drainage? Of course there is the tried and true method of filling 1/3 of the pot with drainage material, such as small rocks. These would go under your soil. They keep roots from sitting in drenched soil all day. Of course most people know about that particular drainage tip.

So what else can be done?

*Don't rely on one hole, make multiple holes. Having only one hole means water drains (and collects) in one place.

*Make holes in the side of the pot. Doing so forces water to drain in multiple directions.

*Use soil mixed with sand. The sand dries out faster so plants aren't siting in a completely saturated environment.

*Water only when soil is nearly dry. Give your pots a chance to drain between waterings. Water left on roots becomes stagnant and breeds fungus.

*Transplant promptly when needed. When roots are too tightly packed, they don't allow for drainage.

One hole is seldom enough drainage for container plants. It's better to be safe. Use several methods to keep roots from rotting.

More from Jaipi:

Cheap or Free Seed Starting Containers

Container Gardening with the Three Sisters

Recipes for Organic Pesticides and Fertilizer