Why is it important to have drainage holes? It is very important for the health of any plants you are growing to use pots with drainage holes. One of the most common reasons plants get sick and die is that they don’t have enough drainage.

Many plant roots don’t like being in water, but there are a few that do. They need to share oxygen and carbon dioxide with the air, but when there is too much water in the soil, the air pockets get blocked. Plants in pots that don’t have drainage holes often get too much water. The soil at the bottom of the pot may be drenched in water, even if the soil on top looks dry. Root rot, a dangerous disease that can easily kill your plants, can happen when the soil is too wet. Root rot can be seen when leaves wilt and don’t get better after being watered, when leaves turn yellow or when leaves fall off. You might see black or brown, slimy or mushy roots when you take the plant out of the pot. One more important reason to make sure pots have enough holes is to keep the dirt from getting too salty. Salts can hurt plants and are found in tap water and fertilisers. Some salts are left behind by plant roots as they take in water. Over time, these salts build up in the soil. Salts are flushed out of the soil when you water it well and let the water drain out through the holes in the bottom of the pot. Since there are no drainage holes, salts never leave the earth. Instead, they keep building up, making it an unhealthy place for your plants to grow. A plant’s leaves may turn brown along the tips and sides if salts build up in the potting soil, or you may see a white crust of salt on top of the soil. A lot of people put their flowers in saucers so that the drips don’t damage the furniture or floor. Okay, but make sure that water doesn’t pool in the pan. The water can soak back into the soil. Make sure you empty each bowl of water often. Or, you could water your plants in the kitchen sink and then move them back to the saucers after the water drains.

If the pot you bought doesn’t have a drainage hole in the bottom, try drilling one in. Do not be able to drill holes in your container. Instead, use it as a decorative pot in a “double potting” method. Put your plant in a smaller pot with holes in it so it can drain, then put that pot inside the bigger, more showy pot. To water, all you have to do is take out the smaller bottle and water it in the sink. Put it back in the pretty pot when it’s done drying.

If you have a drainage hole, adding a lot of activated charcoal to your drainage layer might help. You could even make your drainage layer out of activated charcoal alone. The natural absorbing activated charcoal can get rid of a surprising amount of extra water when there is no other way for it to go. Activated charcoal is naturally antimicrobial, which means it can fight off bacterial and fungus problems that could hurt your plants and keep pests away.