How Do You Water Succulents Without Drainage

When it comes to watering succulents without drainage, there's a common trap that owners fall into.

Any delicious or cactus enthusiast (well, any found enthusiast, really) will tell you lot that picking out that perfect pot is nearly as enjoyable as finding THE succulent that you but must add to your windowsill!

I usually spend only as long worrying about what pot looks best with my new succulent every bit I do narrowing downward the number of succulents I should buy during a plant spree. There is and then much upon which to make up one's mind: color, shape, size, texture, textile, hanging, run into-through, shiny, matte…yous get the jist!

A handful of succulents and cacti in pots without drainage.

But then things tin go a bit tricky.

After finding your succulent and the almost exquisite pot you can imagine, you realize in that location's no drainage hole. Ideally, finding a pot with a drainage hole will give you the best result with the least corporeality of work. You could also drill a drainage hole into the bottom of your new pot, but and so you risk creating a fissure.

So are you stuck?

Nope! Keep reading this guide to find out how to water succulents in containers without drainage! It might take a bit more work, simply information technology's totally worth information technology.

Do succulents need drainage?

The most straightforward reply is yes, succulents demand drainage. Remember, succulents are plants that live in dry, arid climates. They accept evolved to accept the ability to thrive in places where most other plants cannot. A succulent's thick, plump leaves retain water, assuasive it to grow in parts of the world that receive little rain and take minimal water in the soil.

Knowing where succulents are found in nature is important to understanding that good drainage is necessary to go on your delicious happy. Because succulent leaves collect and retain water so well, overwatering volition crusade the plant's cells to burst and die. Another reason that overwatering is bad for succulents is that excess water takes up all the extra space in the soil that usually holds oxygen molecules (used past roots!).

Steps on how to plant succulents without drainage.

Adequate drainage, therefore, allows us to artificially create conditions that mimic a succulent'southward natural habitat. The easiest style to facilitate drainage is via a drainage hole. This allows excess water to flow out of the pot instead of pooling at the lesser which creates a boggy, inhospitable surround for the succulent.

So can succulents be grown in pots without drainage holes?

Yup, yous bet. Information technology takes some careful planning, a few actress steps, bones cognition about succulent care, a mindful manus and self control but succulents can absolutely exist grown in pots without drainage holes.

Almost ⅓ of my pots lack drainage holes. When I first began buying succulents and cacti, I did not heed any of the "rules of thumb". Through trial and error (and finally doing my enquiry) I have figured out how to keep my succulents looking beautiful and healthy even when they are planted in containers without drainage holes.

And then let'southward get on to what you actually came hither for…the "how to"!

How to constitute succulents in pots without drainage holes.

One of the most crucial factors when planting a delicious in a container without a drainage hole is the soil composition. This is of import when planting all succulents and cacti merely even more then in this situation every bit we want the soil to retain every bit trivial excess water every bit possible.

The absolute best soil in which to plant succulents is one that is gritty and light. The ratio of organic materials (similar dirt) to minerals (like gravel, pumice, pearlite) is the determining factor in how well your soil will drain excess water.

I unremarkably propose a ratio of ⅓ organic material to ⅔ coarse mineral when planting succulents in pots with drainage holes. However, use the following ratio for a pot without drainage:

¼ organic material
¾ mineral material (picking a particle that is approximately ¼ inch in diameter)

Some people propose a layering approach (large pebbles on the bottom of the pot, topped with succulent soil), however I find that this actually does non work! Doing this technique actually causes h2o to pool at the bottom because at that place is zero to soak upwards the water. Instead, making sure the soil is mixed evenly with the ¼ inch mineral particles will work much improve and foreclose water accumulation.

When you are ready to pot your succulent, loosely fill up the container approximately halfway upwardly or until the base of operations of the plant sits merely below the lip of the pot. Place the plant on height of the soil and fill in the gaps betwixt the delicious and the pot. Exist mindful non to pack in or tightly compress the soil mixture around the roots.

Finally…how to h2o succulents in containers without a drainage pigsty

A measuring device is your best friend! So is knowing the amount of soil your container can concord. Knowing these two things will make watering a whole lot easier!

I like to be more on the conservative side when information technology comes to the amount of water I give my succulents potted in containers without drainage holes. Use ⅓ of the amount of water equally there is soil. For example, if a pot is filled with 3 cups of soil, I will just give it ane cup of water.

A syringe watering a succulent without drainage.

Using this technique will significantly help prevent you from overwatering your succulents! Once yous have watered your delicious in a pot without drainage, let information technology be! The frequency of watering depends on the climate, air menstruum, blazon of delicious, material of the pot and amount of sunlight.

Because each of these can vary profoundly from plant home to establish home, consider this pace-by-step play tricks about a week and a one-half subsequently you have watered your succulent.

Stick a clean, dry out chopstick straight into the soil between the pot's edge and the succulent.
Gently push button the chopstick to the bottom of the pot and let it sit for 10 seconds.
Slowly pull the chopstick out of the soil. If there are moisture clumps of soil still stuck to the chopstick, don't h2o! Look some other 3-5 days and echo. If it has minimal damp to dry out soil, go alee and water!

If this technique is too subjective for you, you can also buy a moisture meter. I personally like the XLUX Moisture Meter.

A drawing of a green moisture meter to aid in watering succulents in pots without drainage holes.

To use, make certain the probe is make clean earlier inserting it deep into the soil. For most accurate measurements, I exit my wet meter in the soil for 3 minutes, or until the dial has stabilized. What I similar about this detail one is that it has 10 readings broken into 3 categories; dry, moist and moisture. For succulents in containers without drainage holes, I only water when the arrow is in the "dry out" range!

Miscellaneous tips and tricks

So at present that nosotros've gone over the basics, I want to share some tips and tricks to make it even easier for you to plant succulents in pots without drainage.

One element to consider when choosing a container for your succulent is the cloth of that pot! This is of import regardless if the pot has a drainage hole or non. Since succulents do non like sitting in h2o, a pot made of porous fabric is the all-time pick. I highly propose going this route if the pot does not have a drainage pigsty.

The ii best porous materials are terracotta or ceramic. These ii mediums are highly breathable which allows for the soil to dry out easier. This inherent characteristic helps protect against accidental overwatering! Cement pots are also a expert selection.

A terracotta pot for a succulent without drainage.

When choosing a pot for your constitute, I suggest avoiding anything fabricated of drinking glass or plastic, especially when the pot lacks any type of drainage pigsty. These materials exercise non allow the soil to breathe and can lead to h2o accumulation and ultimately harm to your succulent!

Detect a pot that properly fits your delicious! Correct sizing allows for the roots to abound and spread properly which volition go on your succulent looking cute. Bigger pots means more than soil…duh! More soil ways that information technology will have longer for the water to exist utilized by the succulent and accept longer to evaporate, leading to overly moist soil.

On average discover a pot that is 10-xv% wider than the diameter of your succulent. Let'due south use this example: your new Aloe measures merely most 4 inches wide! X to xv percent of iv inches is 0.4-0.6 inches. Add together this number to how broad the succulent is and, bam, you lot get a pot diameter that should be nearly iv.v inches wide.

You may non necessarily observe a pot this exact size. And then while the dominion of thumb is to choose a container ten-15% wider than your delicious, as long as you stay within 25%, everything will be just fine!

So that about sums information technology upward!

Go for that cute pot y'all just know y'all tin can't live without or upcycle that erstwhile pottery basin you made as a kid! Growing a succulent in a pot without drainage takes a flake more planning but is totally exercise-able.