How do drainage materials and perched water desk have an effect on your plant? That’s a fantastic query. Chances are you’ll be asking what a perched water desk is and I’m going to try to clarify it the most effective I can. I do know that drainage materials within the backside of a pot, whether or not it has a drainage gap or not, is NOT mandatory. I see many individuals on social media sharing that they use pebbles within the backside of the pot for “drainage”. It could work for them, however isn’t mandatory. Will probably be detrimental to the potting medium’s drainage capabilities and your plant’s well being. It’s true.
Perched Water Desk
A perched water desk occurs in each container whether or not it has a drainage gap or not. With out a drainage gap and drainage materials added, the perched water desk happens above the drainage materials. This shortens the soil column that the roots could possibly be rising in with out being too moist. With drainage materials eliminated, the perched water desk strikes to the underside of the container giving the roots extra room to develop above the desk. Does that make sense?
Visible
The image beneath is my try to offer you a visible of this idea. Between the rubber bands is the perched water desk and extra water has collected there than above the rubber bands. It’s arduous to see with the glare on the plastic pot. (This pot does have drainage holes.) The underside layer is the “drainage materials” or pebbles and as you may see there’s little or no water within the pebbles as a result of it’s residing within the potting medium above it, thus the identify perched water desk. By eradicating the pebbles, the perched water desk would transfer to the underside of the pot, giving the roots extra space to develop with out probably turning into waterlogged. Waterlogged crops are disadvantaged of oxygen, their roots will rot, and the plant might die.
It could be arduous to see, however between the rubber bands is the place the perched water desk is and extra water is saved there than above the rubber bands.
Container Dimension
The peak of the container makes a distinction as nicely. All containers have the perched water desk on the backside of the pot, so a taller pot permits extra space for the roots to unfold out. The shorter pot can have the identical quantity of perched water desk, taking over extra of the pot.
Completely different heights of containers
That’s the reason that when you could have a plant in a big pot, what’s going on within the prime of the pot isn’t what’s going on within the backside of the pot. Chances are you’ll put your finger within the pot and assume the plant wants water, but the potting medium on the backside of the pot should be moist. That’s why it’s good to make use of a dowel to find out if the underside space of the potting medium is dry. If the dowel finish is moist, don’t water the plant but and test once more in a number of days.
Examine a big pot with a dowel
