While growing up, I remember my mom growing a houseplant in a beautiful red pot. When visiting my parents this past week, I found the pot on a shelf in the laundry room where it had been sitting for years. I got so excited and quickly took the pot down only to find out there are no drainage holes :( The pot is a strawberry style planter about 6-7 inches tall and 9-10 inches wide (counting the 4 little pockets).
I know about drilling holes in ceramic pots and also using ceramic pots as cache pots. However, using this strawberry-styled one as a cache pot seems pointless if one wanted to grow plants in the little side pockets. If I chose to drill holes, I assume I'd have to drill one in each little pocket, as well as the bottom of the pot correct?
If I recall correctly, my mom had grown a pothos in it. And knowing my mom, it was rarely ever watered because the vines were so long that she had them growing around the livingroom near the ceiling propped up on tiny nails.
Aside from drilling holes, I was hoping someone here might be able to give me an idea of what I could plant in this pot. On hand, I have charcoal, sand, cactus potting soil, perlite, and I could go out and buy a bag of soilless mix if necessary. I have many pothos and philodendrons and all could use a trimming. I could even go buy a few succulents or cactus for it. I know about watering needs of plants, understand the perched water table, and root rot. So if I planted something in this pot without drainage holes, I'd be extremely cautious about watering it.
I look forward to reading your ideas. Thanks!
Ideas for Ceramic Strawberry planter w/o Drainage Holes
put a good sized layer of those glass marbles or stones in the bottom or a good size piece of crunched up aluminum foil to cover the bottom. If you are talking pothos, they aren't too fussy about drainage but I would avoid planting anything in it that is fussy.
You can drill a hole in the bottom of a ceramic pot, but you will compromise it forever and way reduce its lifespan as water will soak up into the bare ceramic around the hole and may crack it. Also, if it gets knocked when you are working on it, or washing it, it might also shatter. You might also kill it altogether in the drilling process.
I would go with the good drainage layer and careful watering.
Martha
Keep indoors or if outdoors out of the rain. Careful watering is probably all you need to be practicing then.
The other thing is to use small plastic pots with drain holes that will fit each opening in the strawberry pot. If the strawberry pot fills with water, remove the individual pots and tip the strawberry pot over to drain it.
Good luck with your new strawberry pot.