Why is There a Hole in the Flower Pot?

The question, "why is there a hole in the flower pot?" is a common inquiry amongst beginning gardeners and curious people. The answer to this is, filtering. The hole featured at the bottom of most pots is called a drainage hole, which allows water to drain out. I have talked about the importance of water in a plant's life before but this time I am going to talk more about pot drainage and how it affects the plant. Urban Gardening For Dummies talks at length about how to properly pot your plant. I'm going to do my best to synthesize the information by doing some potting of my own. Urban Gardening For Dummies suggests using a hammer or drill to create a draining hole at the bottom of the pot if one isn't present  (Association). The pot I'm using is one such pot but rather than drilling or hammering a hole I am going to use rocks at a filter for my water. Why do I want my water to filter into the bottom? You might remember my recent post titled, "Cause of Death: Overwatering" which I explained that when the roots are constantly soaked in water, they rot and the plant dies. Filtering with rocks or a hole at the bottom allow the water to sink, not staying and rotting the roots. If a drainage hole is already at your pot's bottom Urban Gardening For Dummies recommends to, "cover the drainage hole with window screening, cheesecloth, or landscape fabric." (Association).

    As said, I am going to do an example of potting with a pot that doesn't have a hole. I made the featured pot in my ceramics class and mistakenly forgot to add a drainage hole. But, in Bod Ross's words, "there are only happy mistakes" and I am going to use this happy mistake to demonstrate how to create drainage without a drainage hole. First, I gathered some loose rocks from my backyard and added an inch worth to the bottom of my pot. Next, just add your dirt and plant. Remeber to water right after planting to sooth the shocked roots. Simple as that!

I hope this was helpful and answered that a many asked question of why there's a hole at the bottom of a flower pot. Comment below on whether you have ever used any of these methods for pot drainage or new what a drainage hole was!

Association, National Gardening., et al. Urban Gardening For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.