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Dracaena with no drainage?
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Posted by gabro14 NY (My Page) on Sun, Nov 26, 06 at 22:45
Hello all,
I will soon be receiving a young dracaena marginata and I was planning on planting it in a beautiful planter I acquired. The only problem is that it is made out of some type of light metal and has no drainage holes. I've raised plants in pots with no drainage holes, but I'm not sure about the dracaena, since it doesn't like to be overwatered. I'm planning on using succulent soil or regular soil with perlite to keep the soil airy, and I will also put a thick layer of river stones on the bottom of the pot to help with drainage. Do you think this will be ok?
Thanks for your help,
Gabi |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| Dracaena tend to be sensitive to a build-up of soluble salts and fluoride, too. They are probably not real high on the list of plants that can take the abuse of no leaching, etc. You could easily have holes drilled in a metal container. |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| Don't put stones 'for drainage' on the bottom of any pots. It's been proven not to work at all. Much better to mix small grit and gravel right into the mix (and stay away from peat!). |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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Thanks for your replies. Draining holes in the metal is a great idea....I'll do that.
Lucy - I have a few spider plants in glass pots (fishbowl type) and also some cermaic pots (hole-less) with succulents and there are stones at the bottom of all. I understand they don't work, but it doesn't hurt to keep them there right? I have some perlite in the spider plant soil mix for aeration and I have great succulent mix in the ceramic pot with the succulent, so they are all getting good drainage that way....but I'm hoping I can leave the stones there even if they do nothing.
Thanks,
Gabi |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| I doubt very much that you will ever be able to talk millions of people out of using readily available peat based, soil-less potting mixes, Lucy. And I'm not sure that you should, unless you can come up with a good alternative for the average consumer. Gabi, the problem with using a layer of gravel in the bottom of your container is that water will pool, creating an unhealthy situation for plant roots. What about using your metal container for decorative purposes only, slipping a regular pot inside? |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| I agree with Rhizo that it would be best to either drill holes in the metal container or use it as a cachepot, that is, put the potted plant inside the container. I'm no expert, but I bought a dish garden last year that had no drainage and wound up repotting the whole thing (successfully, 90% of the plants survived). Eileen |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| Without more information I would say put the plant in another pot that will fit inside the metal planter and use the metal planter as decorative. Without knowing more about the metal I would not be surprised to learn that drilling a hole hastened oxidation (rust). |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| Gabi...you can view a slideshow of indoor plants (24/7, 365) living happily in decorative containers without drainage holes and ugly saucers. These are all healthy plants with no symptoms of soluble salts which IMO (supported by applied testing over the past 8 years) is an ornamantal horticulture "favorite fetish". It may be a greenhouse growers problem but rarely a significant problem maintaining decorative interior plants in buildings. It's way down the list of problems after those caused by inadequate light, improper watering, moving plants outside and inside and lack of pest management. Feel free if you have any questions. Greenscaper |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| Well, hydroculture is a whole other thing - it's not likely most people with house plants are going to run out and get a whole HC set-up anytime soon. |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| I am not familiar with hydroculture, but those pictures were AWESOME Greenscaper! I have a similar situation with one of my plants. I love the decorative pot, but it is a dracaena sanderiana, and it is not loving the lack of drain holes. So if I can buy a cheap plastic pot that has drainage and will fit inside the decorative one that should solve the problem? Garden supplies are not easy to find around here this time of year, but I'm afraid that plant won't make it till spring! |
RE: Dracaena with no drainage?
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| Lucy you must be a speed-reader. Read further and you’ll find that there is no "whole HC set-up" needed. Any of these plants can be growing in either potting soil or expanded clay pebbles (aka hydroculture) without drain holes and saucers. It’s a media choice not a "set-up". There’s no need for special "hydroculture" planters. As recommended by NASA scientist Dr. Bill Wolverton in his best selling book "How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office" either expanded clay pebbles or artificial potting soil mix sub-irrigation is preferable over drench and drain top-watering. Those who aren’t particularly interested in playing in the dirt inside their homes will find that expanded clay pebbles are inert, clean and recyclable. With that said, potting soil measured sub-irrigation where the soil surface is always dry is a close second. Because the soil is dry, there are no fungus gnats or exposure to mold propagation. h.a.t - I'll post some advice about your D. sanderiana problem later today or tomorrow. Greenscaper |
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