Whether you like to pot your plants directly into a decorative pot or use a nursery pot inside, it’s important for your plant to be able to drain properly.

If you use the nursery pot method and use your decorative pot as a cache pot, it is not necessary for the cache pot to have a drainage hole. If you like to plant directly into the decorative pot though, you’re going to want to make sure you have the proper drainage holes so that your plant can get oxygen and allow excess water out.

Drainage Helps Prevent Mineral Buildup

Another reason drainage holes are important is for leaching the soil. It’s a good idea to leach your soil every so often to get rid of mineral buildup.

You can do this by running a bunch of water through your soil and letting it drain out until the pot is no longer dripping. I prefer to do this with nursery pots or a pot with multiple drainage holes so that all of the water can drain out properly.

This process will carry the unabsorbed minerals out of your soil so your plant can continue to stay healthy.

Drainage Holes Can Tell You When to Repot

When your plant is getting ready to need a bigger pot, you may see roots growing out of the drainage holes. Yet another reason to love drainage holes because they help you know when to repot your plants.

If you see roots growing out of the holes in the bottom of your pot, it is probably a great time to move up to a slightly bigger pot.

What If Your Decorative Pot Doesn't Have Drainage?

So what can you do with your beautiful decorative pots if they don’t have drainage holes and you still want to use them?

With a ceramic drill bit, you can easily drill holes into the bottom of your plant pots. Or, use the decorative pot as a cache pot and keep your plant in a nursery pot with drainage inside it.

If you’ve been struggling with a houseplant that’s sitting in a pot with no drainage, consider switching it over or adding a drainage hole. Your plants will thank you!