Indoor plants and plants on the balcony or terrace are usually cultivated in flower pots or planters. So that there is no waterlogging in the pots, which most plants do not get, planters have a drainage hole. In addition, a special drainage can be installed before planting.
Expanded clay is ideal as a drainage material in flower pots
Why a drainage against waterlogging is useful
Waterlogging in the flower pot causes the plants to die. The water cannot drain away when watering or after a downpour, it fills all cavities in the pot and floods the entire potting soil. The roots of the flower can no longer breathe, they die and rot. Since the plant is hanging its head, this can be taken as a sign of not enough water, so watering will make the condition worse rather than fix it.
A good remedy against waterlogging is the drainage in the flower pot.
The drainage against waterlogging
In order to avoid waterlogging in the planter, you must first ensure that there are one or more drainage holes in the container. So that the holes do not become clogged with soil, drainage is laid before the potting soil is introduced.
material for drainage
Several options bring good results with drainage:
- expanded clay
- a potsherd
- pebbles
- pumice
Sand is not a good material for drainage because there are no cavities for water to drain through.
Insert drainage into the flower pot
Drainage is only effective if there are one or more drainage holes in the planter. This allows the excess irrigation or rainwater to run off unhindered. Drainage is helpful to ensure that no soil is washed out when draining and the hole is blocked.
- First, put a shard of pottery or a thick pebble on the drain hole. Here you can recycle old or broken pots.
- Then fill in an approximately 2 to 3 cm thick layer of expanded clay, (19.73€) gravel or shards. Note that the weight of the pot increases significantly with gravel and shards.
- Place a suitably sized piece of fleece on top of the drainage layer to cover it. The fleece serves as protection against soil and filters the running water. In this way, the cavities in the drainage cannot become clogged. Repotting is also made easier because the potting soil does not mix with the drainage.