Plant pot drainage: give water a way out

A nursery pot can have plenty of holes and still sit in water. Put it inside a sealed decorative pot and the water has nowhere else to go. For an ordinary container, check the whole drainage route, from the potting mix to the place where excess water leaves.

Holes need somewhere to drain

A hole pressed against a flat surface may not provide the exit you expect. Check the underside before filling the pot. University of Maryland Extension recommends adequate drainage openings and notes that raising a pot can help water escape. Its container gardening guide also advises emptying collected water from saucers.

For a decorative outer pot, a removable inner pot makes inspection easier. Check that you can lift it out without pulling on the plant. Decide where to let it drain before returning it to the display.

Gravel does not replace an opening

A layer of stones takes up space that could hold potting mix. It also fails to fix a sealed container. The same extension guide explains that gravel beneath the mix can raise the wet zone rather than improve drainage. Fill an ordinary planting pot with a suitable growing mix instead of building a stone layer. A container with a designed reservoir is a different system; follow its filling and overflow instructions.

Check the empty pot first

A price label can cover an opening on the underside. Turn the empty pot over and look for labels, plugs or blocked holes. Check its instructions before removing anything from a reservoir planter.

Set the pot in its intended place and trace where draining water will go. Keep it off a neighbor’s balcony and away from surfaces it could damage. Then choose the potting mix that will fill the space above those openings.