Old pottery shards have an important purpose in a flower pot. When introduced correctly, they protect the plant from waterlogging, which always causes great damage to potted plants.
What are potsherds used for in flower pots?
Pottery shards in the flower pot serve as drainage to prevent waterlogging and protect the plant roots from rot. Place a 3-4 cm thick layer of clay shards over the drainage hole and cover it with fleece before filling the pot with soil.
The danger of waterlogging
If the water in the flower pot cannot drain properly, waterlogging forms. The earth is constantly wet and muddy. All the pores in the soil that give the plant oxygen are flooded. Because of this, the roots can no longer breathe and die. Rot develops and spreads quickly. The plant suffocates and hangs its head. Anyone who mistakes this for a lack of water and waters it will only make things worse. To prevent this from happening in the first place, drainage should be placed in the flower pot with every new planting.
Drainage for the flower pot
Material for flower pot drainage is of course available from gardening stores, expanded clay, pumice gravel, etc. But if you don't want to spend money, first check your inventory to see if there is a broken clay pot lying around somewhere. Clay shards provide excellent drainage. There are plenty of cavities in the pot through which the water can drain. So, break the clay pot and reuse the shards. Proceed as follows:
- Take your plant pot and layer pottery shards over the drainage hole.
- Make sure the layer is about three to four centimeters thick.
- Place a piece of fleece (€34.00 on Amazon) over the shards as a filter layer so that the potting soil cannot mix with the shards and thus clog the drainage hole.
- Fill the pot with soil.
- Plant your flower.
Drainages made from pottery shards are not only suitable for flower pots on the windowsill. Balcony boxes or even large planters can be provided with such a layer of shards. Since the clay absorbs plenty of water, the plant always has a supply of moisture even on dry days, meaning that there is no need for frequent watering. Even during heavy rainfall, waterlogging cannot form in the plant pots in the garden if they are through the drainage are protected. All excess water drains away.
