FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Got a plastic container that is tall and is the perfect color so not to attract heat but now the next problem to deal with is the pot has a lot of drainage holes on the bottom of the pot. Could you use a thin sheet of newspaper to clog the holes yet allows for water to pass through at a slow pace. i cut out a small rectangle of newspaper and placed it over the holes. Has anyone tested this theory? Does it work?

I'm not sure how well it will work, but there's no reason it will harm your plants... Give it a try

My experience is that it's not really about how many or how large the holes are, but more about how tall the pot is. The water is pulled up via capillary action and typically the farther you are from the water the less wet you will be. This is why taller pots work better.

While the newspaper may slow the water initially, eventually equilibrium will be reached and it won't matter. Unless of course you're limiting the time spent in the tray. So a pot without newspaper will absorb more water than one with newspaper in an initial amount of time. But if you're just leaving them in trays and letting the tray dry out I don't think the newspaper is going to make too much difference. Plus this is going in the bottom of the pots and will pretty quickly break down and you'll be left with the holes again.

I say don't worry about the holes, and if your concern is soil falling out just get some of that plastic craft screening and cut it to fit the bottom of the pot.

Sorry still a newbie but are you implying that the tray method is the may way to water a vft or which method would you most likely use to water a vft. I always thought that watering the plant was strait foward putting it into the pot from the top but I hear this is not true. Again what technique is proper for watering.

I always top water VFTs. Not saying its right or wrong just what I do.

jrmc114064 wrote:Sorry still a newbie but are you implying that the tray method is the may way to water a vft or which method would you most likely use to water a vft. I always thought that watering the plant was strait foward putting it into the pot from the top but I hear this is not true. Again what technique is proper for watering.

Though typically not recommended, top watering won't necessarily kill your plants. It's not recommended because in an unhealthy plant it can cause problems if it pools in the rosette and doesn't dry quick enough. Honestly, if you're keeping the plants outside this probably won't ever be an issue because water evaporates pretty quickly outside, after all, rain does the same thing as top watering and it doesn't harm the plants.

The tray method is preferred because it better keeps the soil at the proper moisture level. Most carnivorous plants like it wet, VFT's less so. Where they grow in the wild there is a high water table, so they prefer a soil that is drier at top and wetter 7-8 inches down. Having a tall pot in a tray provides this for them rather well. A tray also has the benefit of being a water reservoir, as the water evaporates off the top of the soil it pulls up more water from the tray via capillary action. It also makes it easier for you, you can put your pots in a tray and maybe only have to refill it every few days. If you were top watering without a tray you may end up having to water daily to maintain the proper moisture level.

Do you want to clog the holes to keep the soil from falling out? If this is your problem you can get a small amount of dried sphagnum moss and place it at the bottom of your pot. This will keep the soil in while allowing the water to be soaked up through the soil.

I use both methods. A benefit of using the tray method is that it encourages the roots to grow long and deep since they need to reach the wetter soil in the bottom. When you top water the roots don’t need to be as long since the top of the soil stays wet as you water more frequent.