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Photo: Pebbles at the bottom of the pot — Lucis · CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo cropped from the original.
Pot and soil

Pebbles at the bottom of the pot

MYTH

Put a layer of clay pebbles at the bottom and water won't sit in the pot.

FACT

Water collects in the soil just above the layer and only drains into it once the soil is soaked through. And the roots lose room to grow.

What actually matters

  1. The pot needs a holeWithout one, extra water has nowhere to go.
  2. No hole? Use two potsPlant in a pot with a hole and stand it inside the nice one. After watering, pour out whatever has collected in the outer pot.
  3. Pebbles in the outer potIf the nice pot is deep enough, a layer at its bottom keeps the inner one out of the water.
  4. Soil falls through the hole?Lay a paper coffee filter over the hole. You don't have to, though.
Sources: Illinois Extension, Arizona Extension.