It is important to have proper drainage in your potted plants. How can you improve drainage? The simplest way is by adding a layer of gravel or broken pottery pieces on the bottom of the container, below the soil. This will help stop dirt from flowing through larger holes and prevent fungal diseases in your plants.
How to Improve Drainage in Potted Plants? Placing a layer of gravel or broken pottery pieces on the bottom of the container, below the soil, can help stop dirt from flowing through larger holes
How can you improve drainage? The simplest way is by adding a layer of gravel or broken pottery pieces on the bottom of your container, below the soil. Install an overflow hole so that any excess water does not come out onto the flooring or furniture.
Fill at least half way up with topsoil so that it has room to breathe without being compressed by heavy objects like stones which can cause root rot. Gently wash all pots while they are still wet because this helps remove any dust particles and prevents rusting later on, if you need to clean again use disinfectant until surfaces are clean and dry
How to avoid a build up of soil around the drainage hole? Use pebbles or pieces of broken pottery to cover the top surface before adding your soil layer.
– Add a layer of gravel or broken pottery pieces on the bottom of your container, below the soil. This will help stop dirt from flowing through larger holes and prevent fungal diseases in your plants.
– Install an overflow hole to make sure that any excess water does not come out onto flooring or furniture.
– Fill at least half way up with topsoil before adding potting mix so it has room to breathe without being compressed by heavy objects like stones which can cause root rot.
– Gently wash all pots while they are still wet because this helps remove any dust particles that may be present after cleaning them and prevents rusting later on. If you need to clean again use disinfectant until surfaces are clean and dry.
– To avoid a build up of soil around the drainage hole, use pebbles or pieces of broken pottery to cover the top surface before adding your soil layer. This will allow for better water uptake while ensuring that excess water can run off from under the container when removing it from its location.”
- Drains well, which means an air-filled porosity of at least 15%
- Easy to re-wet – some peat and bark media are difficult to re-wet if they dry out
- Stable – meaning that it does not shrink away from the side of the pot as it dries
- Reasonable weight – not too heavy to lift, not so light as to blow over easily
- Optimum pH, between 5.0 and 6.5 is satisfactory for most plants (all pH values quoted are measured in water)
- Pest and disease-free, for example weed seeds, fungal pathogens, or can be sterilized without producing harmful by-products
- Easy to store – can be stored for short periods without significant changes in physical or chemical properties
- Cheap and readily available.
For general plants, you can use the following mix ratios:
| Pinebark: peat: sand | 2:1:1 |
| Pinebark: peat: sand | 4:1:4 |
| Pinebark: sawdust: peat | 1:1:1 |
| Pinebark: sand: soil | 1:1:1 |
| Sawdust: sand | 1:1 to 3:1 |
| Sawdust: pinebark: sand | 5:3:2 |
| Sawdust: pinebark: peat: sand | 3:3:2:2 |
| Sawdust: sand: peat | 2:2:1 |
A standard recipe for a homemade soilless mix consists of half sphagnum peat moss and half perlite or vermiculite.
To mix ½ bushel basket or four gallons of media:
1. Start by pouring two gallons of peat moss into the bushel basket.
2. Add two gallons of either perlite or vermiculite and mix thoroughly.
3. Moisten the mix before using in pots or flats.
4. Add limestone to condition the mix
5. Add a fertilizer as required
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