I would not drill holes in it if you plan on using it as a cache pot. You should be able to remove the original pot with drainage holes out easily so you have access to the "reservoir". The wick itself can be used or not. I often bottom water some of my pots in trays and that works. I try not to add too much water for this method though. A riser of any sort would help elevate the potted plant to the rim or slightly below it so the pool noodle is a good idea as long as you have a wick that is in the pot and in the reservoir of water and actually works.

If you used this pot as the primary pot, I would definitely drill holes in the bottom.

I have bought a few plants at the big box stores (Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's) that are more than likely from Costa Farm (Exotic Angels) that do have wicks in the bottom of the small pots. I have kept some that way by putting them in garden trays and water the tray instead of the pot. That works.

I know a guy in Singapore or Taiwan who uses string mops for propagation, seed germination, and growing begonias in this as his media. The long strands sit in water and the plants are on the top using wicking for their water (and fertilizer that I am aware of). Not the prettiest way to grow but it sure is effective.

This is not the guy I know but another chap who has experimented the same way with mops.

https://jamesmissier.blogspot.com/2019/09/begonias-in-wick-medium-leaf-propagation.html

Thanks! All of the pots in question already have drainage holes.

I have a few plants that are on a wick but I would not rely on a small amount of water wicked from a saucer to be enough for plants in small pots like that while they are outside for summer. Heat can dry pots surprisingly quickly. A wick system usually has a very large reservoir of water that is consistently available to keep the soil evenly moist at all times. The ones I have have very little space between the surface of the water and the bottom of the pot. There are a lot of ways to do wicks. I'm sure you can find something that works, other than a drip tray/saucer. Maybe changing that aspect to a bowl, or something else.

I agree with Tiffany. Wicking for extended periods is problematic in that it ensures ALL dissolved solids/ soluble salts from fertilizer solutions and tapwater remain in the soil where they can build-up to harmful levels due to their limiting effect on the root system's ability to efficiently take up water and nutrients, even when awash in a sea of plenty. Wick watering also tends to quickly skew individual nutrient ratios in the soil solution to the degree that an excess (toxicity) of nutrient A can cause a deficiency (antagonistic deficiency) of nutrient B or even several nutrients. Example: using a bloom booster, which supplies P(hosphorous) at several times what an appropriate rate would be, can very quickly (within 1-2 applications) cause deficiencies of calcium, potassium, iron, copper, and zinc. The deficiencies are almost always accompanied by chlorosis (yellowing of foliage) so a grower's first instinct is very often more fertilizer, which only compounds the issue.

Wick watering is often chosen as the lesser of 2 evils. It's not the best course for the plant, but when growing plants particularly vulnerable to crown rot or any other of the fungal pathogens gathered under the umbrella of 'damping off diseases' it reserves a place for itself in our growing toolbox if only for the fact it helps to avoid these infections.

Al

Look at this mop growing wicking system. Kind of an ugly way to do it but seems very effective.

https://jamesmissier.blogspot.com/2019/09/begonias-in-wick-medium.html

James gives credit to Bmb Albert (Singapore - Malaysia) for coming up with this most genius idea.

If you are on FB and can get to Planet Begonia, look for Bmb Albert under this group and see all his mop growing methods. Not pretty but oh so, so effective. He had an article in The Begonian a couple of years ago and I wished I could post it to this thread without copyright protection.