How to Install Bricks for Drainage Holes

Nearly any container serves well as the pot for a container garden, as long as it provides adequate room for roots to grow and has good drainage. While simply drilling holes in the bottom of the pot is always an option, it may not always be feasible -- either due to the material the pot is made of, such as stone planters, or your desire to preserve the container. By double potting the plant, you can garden safely in a decorative container, even if it lacks drainage holes.

Things You'll Need

Large decorative pot
Smaller pot w/drainage holes
2 to 3 Bricks

Peat moss
Potting soil
Perlite

Instructions

- 1
  Select a second container that fits easily inside the decorative container. This container does not need to be decorative because it will not show, but it does need drainage holes.
- 2
  Place bricks in the bottom of the decorative container to work as a spacer between the two pots.
- 3
  Position the smaller pot inside the decorative pot so that the bottom rests on the bricks. Check that the bricks do not cover the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. The object is to hold the second pot off the bottom so that excess water can drain into the bottom of the outer pot, preventing your plants from sitting in soggy soil.
- 4
  Fill the inner container with a mixture of one part peat moss, one part all-purpose potting soil and one part perlite. Garden loam or potting soil are too heavy for container-grown plants and compact easily with watering. This lightweight mixture resists compacting and provides good drainage for your plants.
- 5
  Plant your flowers or vegetables in the inner pot. Water the plants thoroughly to moisten to soil. Water once or twice a week or whenever the soil feels dry 1 inch below the surface.

Why Do the Fronds on Ferns Turn Brown at the Tips?

Low Growing Hydrangea Plants

Growing Plants