Guide2 min read
Planter Without Drainage? Use an Inner Pot
Short answer: Use a planter without a drainage hole as a cache pot. Keep the plant in its plastic nursery pot, sit that inside the planter, and lift it out to water at the sink. Let it drain, then put it back. The RHS calls drainage holes essential for containers, because roots sitting in water rot.
Looking for the pieces themselves? See our unusual plant pots and sculptural planters.
How do you plant in a pot with no drainage hole?
- Leave the plant in its nursery pot, which has holes.
- Choose a nursery pot that fits the planter's opening, with a little room to lift it out.
- Water at the sink, let it drain fully, then put it back.
- Check the bottom of the planter after watering and tip out any water that has collected.
Is a layer of gravel enough?
No. Gravel at the bottom of a sealed pot does not let water out; it only lifts the wet layer higher. A nursery pot you can lift out is the reliable way.
Which of our planters have no hole?
Each product page says. For example, the Disco Ball Plant Pot comes either with a drainage hole or as a cache pot with none, and Golden Grace has no hole. Our mirror-tiled planters stay indoors, and a nursery pot with a saucer keeps water off the tiles.
Questions
Can you put a plant in a pot without drainage?
Yes, if the plant stays in a nursery pot inside it and you empty any water that collects.
Do rocks at the bottom help drainage?
Not in a pot with no hole. The water still has nowhere to go.
What is a cache pot?
A decorative outer pot with no hole that holds a plant in its own nursery pot.
Browse unusual plant pots and sculptural planters