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crazyplantlady1

Growing hoyas with no drainage. It can be done easily!

CrazyPlantLady1
9 years ago

Have you ever had a cute planter that you would love to use, but thought you couldn't because it had no drainage?

I thought I would post this just to let folks know that you can grow some hoyas and most epiphytes in planters with no drainage holes.

Some would say drill a drain hole, but that is not always an option, as some ceramic pots are difficult to drill and may break during drilling.

So, here's the easy way.....

1. Purchase or mix your own chunky orchid mix (available at most big box stores or nurseries). This is a mix of bark, chunky perlite, styrofoam pieces, hydroton or small broken pieces of clay pots and hopefully a little charcoal to keep the mix sweet.

2. Buy some extra charcoal if your orchid mix doesn't contain it.

3. Buy some sheet moss for topping off the growing medium.

4. Place a few inches of orchid mix in your container, place you rooted plant (try to gently remove all or most of the soil from the roots) in the container and backfill with orchid mix.

5. Layer sheet moss over soil and tuck excess in around the edges. This allows you to turn the pot upside down to drain without losing your planting medium. You're done!

6. Now, to water simply fill the container with water and let sit for a minute of so. Then, place your hand on top of moss to hold it in place and turn it upside down to drain excess water.

7. Dry off the planter and place it back in your favorite bright spot and enjoy. No drainage tray needed! Beside, trays can be ugly and messy.

Some hoyas are more succulent in nature and like to be drier, so this would not be a good way to grow those. But, most hoyas, schlumbergeras, Epiphyllums and bromeliads can be grown quite successfully this way.

This is a pic of my selenicereus chrysocardium.

Comments (9)

  • CrazyPlantLady1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is a Hatiora epiphylloides sp bradyei growing in a large clam shell. This one is growing in GrowStones and topped with moss.

  • CrazyPlantLady1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    And here are some bromeliads....Bilbergia nutans or Queens Tears. I wished I had taken pics when they were in bloom.

  • CrazyPlantLady1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    And you can do the same with African violet pots or self watering pots like this one.

    I secretly hate drainage trays....they are so messy!

  • greedygh0st
    9 years ago

    LOL Your campaign against drainage trays is on!!

    Great guide! Love the pictures.

  • vermonthoyas
    9 years ago

    Extremely creative ways of growing plants. I applaud you for shaking things up a little!

    Doug

  • CrazyPlantLady1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'd love to see some members post their own pics of plants in non-draining pots. So, I'm throwing out a challenge to everyone here! I double-dawg dare ya!

  • greentoe357
    9 years ago

    I am a huge fan of drainage, both in the pots and in the medium, but hey, this accomplishes the purpose AND works for you AND looks absolutely great, so I won't get on my horse. :-)

    OK, maybe I'll get on that horse for a little bit... gently... :-) Does tilting the pot upside down work when rooting cuttings? I try to touch them as little as possible in order not to break the tiny feeder roots, and turning the whole pot to the side while applying a bit of pressure to the medium to keep it in place may slow down rooting.

    Drilling pots has not been a problem for me. Unglazed clay is easy-peasy but even hard ceramics have never cracked for me so far. It takes patience though to drill those.

    Another technique that I personally find helpful and where I prefer a draining pot is for plants that like a bit more water. I'd set them on a saucer, often shallow but wide saucer(*), and when watering, I'd deliberately leave some water in there. So, roots sit in a bit of water, which conventional wisdom tells you not to do, but I find it's not harmful and even helpful - as the upper layers of soil dry out, the soil wicks the moisture from the tray to the top. To me, this is better than no drainage, because I can see how fast the water is being reabsorbed and can drain it out, or give it less water next time, if the water stays in there too long.

    (*) The saucer is shallow but wide in order for the water level to be low, but the volume of water relatively high. It helps that water to last longer and it creates more humidity because the water surface is larger.

    Finally, what I can think of now: saucers allow me to water some plants in place with no need to get rid of that water. This speeds up watering, which to me is a huge plus - in fact, watering time is THE reason I do not have even more plants than I do.

    But hey, I am glad it works for you, I really am. And you definitely win in the looks department.

  • CrazyPlantLady1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oh, and when you root with moss in a glass test tube or small jelly jar....the moss expands sufficiently to create a snug-ness that you do not have to support when you turn it upside down. =)

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