Gardening newbie - my pots have no holes in them, should they??

[Newhouse76]

Just bought some pots and plants from B and Q for our new balcony today. Have realised that the pots don’t contain holes.

DH says that’s good as he doesn’t want the balcony getting wet 😬. Do I need to drill the bases of the pots for drainage?

Also would it be ok for me to fill the pots with just compost as I don’t have gravel?

Realise that I need some help with this

You do need holes in the bottom, otherwise the plant roots can get waterlogged and rot. I put broken pits of flower pot in the bottom of the pot (that stops the soil blocking up the drainage holes), but some stones or broken china or gravel also do the job.

Yes, you do need drainage holes. If they're made of plastic it's easy to drill through (and there may actually be little circles on the bottom to
suggest where to drill).

I never have gravel either, but I break up the polystyrene trays the plants come in to put underneath the compost.

You're good being on top of the job - it'll spur me on to get some plants tomorrow!

Ok thanks everyone - so annoying that pots are made without holes!

Some of my pots are actually very lightweight ‘fake’ terracotta troughs so longer than actual pots. Annoyingly we don’t have a drill right now, do you think I could use a kitchen knife? Worried about stabbing myself 😳

I think a kitchen knife would be a bad idea; you might end up with a gashed thumb and a ruined knife! Find someone with a drill...

A corkscrew works

You could always put a pot (with the plants in and holes) inside a decorative outer planter. No spillage on balcony and you can empty the outer pot if it gets too much rain or overwatered.

Knitting needle ? Skewer ? Tent peg ? Screwdriver ?