Learn how to drill drainage holes without shattering your planters
Time 1 hour or less
ComplexityIntermediate
Cost$0 - $20
Introduction
Learn how to drill drainage holes without shattering your planters
If you want to add to your houseplant collection, you’ll need pots. The easiest way to ensure your plants survive and stay healthy is to use pots with drainage holes. But drilling into ceramic is tricky.
We spoke to John Hancock, a horticulturist, and Evie Chang, an artist who works with ceramics, to learn how and why to drill a hole in a ceramic pot. Read on for their tips and insight.
Tools Required
- bucket of water
- Diamond drill bit
- electric drill
Project step-by-step (6)
Step 1
Determine what type of pot you’re working with
Chang explains that the drilling technique varies depending on whether your pot has been fired in a kiln yet. “The short answer, regardless, is ‘[you should drill] carefully,'” she says.
If your pot is unfired, Chang says you can drill a hole “by hand with any drill bit and light pressure.” It’s better to go slowly and lightly so that you don’t break the pot. However, unfired pots are uncommon, and you’ll likely only run into an one if you made it yourself.
If you’ve bought your pot from a garden center, it’s already been fired. Chang’s technique “will work for either glazed or unglazed pots, though glazed pots are much tricker as the glazed surface is slick.”
Step 2
Submerge your pot in water
Submerge the part of the pot you’re drilling in water. “This keeps any particulate from scattering in the air, and will be safer overall should your pot shatter,” Chang explains.
Step 3
Start drilling slowly
Drainage holes typically go at the bottom of the pot. Grab your drill and begin drilling. “Start with somewhat light pressure,” Chang advises. “Too much pressure will shatter your pot.”
Step 4
Increase drilling pressure gradually
Chang prescribes patience, saying, “You can increase pressure once you’ve made an indent.” Keep going until the drill has completely pierced the bottom of the pot and you’re happy with the hole.
Hancock says there’s no rule for how many drainage holes a pot should have, nor is there one for size; “it just needs to be enough to ensure that excess moisture drains out efficiently.”
Step 5
FAQ
Why do flower pots need drainage holes?
“Drainage holes allow excess water to escape the pot,” Hancock explains. Too much moisture can cause issues for your plants. It ” impedes the air spaces between the soil particles,” which can cause “roots to suffocate, die, and rot.”
Do all pots need drainage holes?
The answer here depends on what kind of plants you’re growing and how precise you are with your watering. According to Hancock, “Technically, no pot needs drainage holes.” But this is absolutely dependent on you always being exact with the amount of water you give your plants. You need to keep the soil moisture levels exactly right; if you overwater and don’t have drainage holes, you’ll run into the issues mentioned above.
The other exception is the plants you’re growing. For example, “If you grow lucky bamboo or other houseplants in a vase of water, they don’t need drainage as they’re already growing aquatically,” Hancock reassures.
How many drainage holes should a pot have?
Hancock says that “more holes tend to be better than fewer holes” because it reduces the risk of clogs.
“I’ve actually experienced this with some of my outdoor plants—I didn’t realize it, but the root system had started to grow down through the drainage hole and got big enough that it completely clogged it. My plant started wilting even though the soil was moist, so I tried to slip it out of the pot and discovered it had rooted down into the soil.”
Step 6
About the Experts
- Justin Hancock is a horticulturalist with Costa Farms.
- Evie Chang is a ceramics artist.
