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Photo: A pot with no drainage hole — 4028mdk09 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo cropped from the original.
Pot and soil

A pot with no drainage hole

MYTH

You can do without a hole — just water a little at a time.

FACT

Extra water has nowhere to go, so you're always guessing how much to pour. Overdo it and the soil stays wet and the roots rot.

What actually matters

  1. Pot inside a potPlant in a plain pot with a hole and stand it inside the nice one. If it's an orchid, use a clear inner pot: its roots benefit from light.
  2. Empty the outer potHalf an hour after watering, look into the outer pot and pour out any water that has collected.
  3. Inner pot out of waterLeave a gap between the bottom of the inner pot and the bottom of the outer one. If the nice pot is deep, put a layer of clay pebbles in it.
  4. Or drill a holeA regular bit goes through plastic; for ceramic or terracotta use a glass and tile bit.
  5. The Venus flytrap is differentIts pot should stand in a saucer of rainwater or distilled water.
Sources: Iowa State Extension, Wisconsin Extension, Penn State Extension, Illinois Extension, Arizona Extension, American Orchid Society, RHS.