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Container Gardening

First Container Planting....Question about the Pot

15 years ago

Hello....my first post and wanted a little guidance regarding container gardening as I live in a townhome in Northern VA and don't have the yard/soil setup. I got this beautiful wood raised terracotta pot from Crate and Barrel, they have them on the website, and rushed to the local nursery to fill it up. Put in a beautiful array of snapdragons, black ornamental pepper, and an accent white flower. To the question - the pot doesn't have a hole in the bottom to drain. Is this a problem? I hear that terracotta tends to dry out and absorb the water quickly anyways, leading me to think I'm okay with no hole. If I have to make a hole, can I drill it in the bottom or will this crack the pot? If so, can I use my husbands basic drill bit and make a couple holes? Just don't want to drown the flowers I put in. Thank you very much!!

Jen

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Comments (2)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years ago
Planting directly in a container with no drain hole will inevitably lead to the death of the planting. If it's not from over-watering, it will be from an accumulation of salts from fertilizers and irrigation water.

You only need one hole in the bottom. You may be able to use a regular speed drill for the hole because TC is so soft, but it will ruin the bit (unless he has a way to resharpen). A masonry bit is better and a spade point bit is best.

I'll leave a link to a thread about the drilling part. From my experience, I can tell you that the suggestion in the thread by 'Laidbackdood' is more apt to get you in trouble than help, so you may wish to disregard it.

Al

Here is a link that might be useful: Drilling info
bookie203
15 years ago
Hi Jen, if you decide to plant directly in the pot, I recommend putting a PVC liner inside to minimize direct contact with the wood and help the planter last a bit longer. You'll want to drill as few drain holes in the liner as possible and have them overlap the wood planter. I disagree about one giant hole. I would recommend multiple holes that are about 1/4" in diameter. This will act as a dirt filter and keep the dirt from coming out and spilling underneath and by placing multiple holes throughout you will get more even drainage and a longer lasting wood planter.
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