Bottom of pots

[Needcoffeecoffeecoffee]

Hi
This is probably a really stupid question but what do you use in the bottom of pots for drainage?
I used to use polystyrene from packaging but now (thank goodness) there is less of that I cant. I didnt use anything last time and ended up with soggy waterlogged flowers
I dont have "broken crocs" and dont want to start smashing dinner plates
Any advice wise green fingered mumsnetters?

Gravel from the gravelly bit in our yard. Big shells?

We have gravel so could use that. Would it be ok and not too small?
No big shells and we are in the Midlands so not easy to get hold of
Thank you

Get pots with holes in bottom.

I use wine bottle corks
Or get cheap terracotta pots and break them

You could break up some old/cheap terracotta pots. You don't need to use a lot - just a piece over the hole to stop it getting clogged up with soil.

Or stones?

Old broken pots, mugs etc - things Month Don calls ‘crocks’

You don't need anything like that! If there are drainage holes in the bottom and you are using good quality compost that should be fine. A gravel layer actually increases waterlogging as the water pools in it.

Sometimes the holes of a pot can get blocked by soil so a piece of broken crock is put over to stop that happening but honestly if your compost is right it will be fine.

Raise your pot up on bricks to allow water to drain through the holes more effectively

Oh duh sorry now just read the OP properly

Adding gravel or crocks doesn't improve drainage & can increase risk of root rot.

Makes sense as it raises the area of most water up the pot. ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=38681

Need to make sure that the drainage hole is clear though.

@AyeRobot so how do you keep the drainage hole clear?

I use broken* clay pots and broken crockery, it’s interesting when you repot things and come across old friends, my first set of crockery was from Habitat, with an orange rim, I still come across odd bits from the last remaining pieces, they are practically antiques.

They need to be very* broken,I still use them if they are slightly chipped or even a bit cracked or broken, as long as there is enough pot to put a bit of soil in I use them for succulents and other crawlers.

I had to break a pot this week to get a plant out of it and I'm set for crocs for sometime now.

I put a layer of empty drinks cans in a big planter that I didn't want to have to fill with soil

No idea, I'm just learning! I guess one piece of crock over the hole as the water can get through the gaps as the sides but soil doesn't block the hole? I think raising the pots up definitely helps.

Some garden centres save broken pots and give them to you if you ask. Or you could post on FB marketplace.

I save broken and chipped crockery for this.

Thanks all. That's really helpful and good to know why to do it. The pots do have holes but sounds like my soil was clogging them. I'll try some of these tips and cross my fingers this year

Also control how much water goes in the pot. You could potentially water less if you are regularly getting waterlogging problems. If you move pots into a rainshadow (near a wall or fence, partially under a tree) it will stop them getting wet when it rains. Byou must be on the west of the country. Here my biggest problem with pots is drying out

I use the scrunched-up net things that supermarket oranges come in. Put some over the holes and it stops the compost falling out of the bottom.

A layer of gravel actually doesn't work - there is some technical reason for it, something to do with the water table and capillary action.

There does seem to be a school of thought now that says putting a load of crocks, pebbles, stones or whatever, in the bottom of a pot, is actually a bad idea.
You need to ensure that the holes don't get blocked with compost but actually raising the pot is better as gravity determines that water will drain if there's too much of it.

I've lined several pots with J-cloths ( or equivalent, and this helps to deter ants , which is something I'm usually plagued with.

Oh - that’s a great idea! I get ants in my pots pretty often . Will give it a go this year