#Terracotta pots absorb water full#

Is it maybe even looking better than ever? Most likely. I dare you to give your established hardy plant (eg: ZZ plant, Monstera Deliciosa, Sansevieria, and so many others!) a good thorough watering, and then not touch it for three weeks.

If, like me, you’re looking to grow your indoor jungle without dedicating large amounts of time and effort, give non-porous planters with no drainage a try (just be sure to adjust your watering too)! You may suddenly find that growing houseplants just got a lot less stressful and complicated. Terra cotta planters without drainage and/or non-porous planters with drainage are awesome if you’re wanting more flexibility without making too big of a jump. What works best for you? If you prefer to do a bit more upkeep with your plants, terra cotta planters with drainage will always be a fine option. Intentional watering and appropriate light is the key to successfully growing houseplants across the board. The verdict? Plants prioritize the proper amount of water (and, of course, sunlight and nutrients) over any specific amount of drainage. This was due to the increased moisture retention in non-porous pots which creates a little micro-environment with higher humidity right under the foliage of your plant, helping these tropical gems to better regulate themselves - especially in the incredibly dry Michigan winter air! Another perk? When you don’t have a drainage hole, you don’t have to worry about water pouring out the bottom of the pot and spilling everywhere when you aren’t looking.Īdditional benefits I discovered over the next few years included less browning of the leaves of my tropical houseplants (almost all houseplants are tropical!) and less seasonal foliage loss (it’s normal for plants to drop a few bottom leaves as the seasons change).

Instead of every plant being on its own individual schedule, I was able to pick one day a week as the day to water them all.īeyond the functional benefits of the new planters, I also thoroughly enjoyed the aesthetic benefits of having colorful, beautiful planters that accented my plant babies (while I love terra cotta, it can get a little dull en masse). Not only that, but I found that the majority of my plant’s needs lined up beautifully - nearly every one required water just once a week.

#Terracotta pots absorb water full#

My solution was to start double checking the soil between watering to see what the moisture level was like (checking the soil an inch or two down with your finger does the trick!) - if the soil felt pretty damp I would wait, if it felt dry I would give a full watering.īy checking the moisture myself regularly, I quickly discovered that my plants now needed a lot less water in the new planters, and I was watering a lot less often - plants that had needed water three times a week before, only required water once a week now plants that I watered once a week before could now go one and a half or two weeks.Īfter adjusting my approach to watering, my plants in the new, non-porous, drainage hole-less pots thrived and I was doing substantially less upkeep. Why is this not surprising? Very simply, providing the same amount of water that was necessary with the terra cotta pots was just overkill in these new ceramic planters with no drainage. I continued with my same watering schedule and, no surprise, lost a few plants. As my collection of plants kept growing, I eventually decided to experiment with planters that didn’t have drainage holes as well as planters made out of non-porous materials.