Pot plant watering tips: Gardener’s clever hack solves biggest mistake made with container gardens

Container gardens are the perfect option for renters and homes with small outdoor spaces to have a garden of their own.

But growing plants only in pots is different to growing them in the ground, where watering is easier because there is no barrier preventing absorption and drainage.

While watering pot plants from the top seems logical, gardener Joe Clark warns it’s a common mistake that can “be causing more harm than good”.

Watch the video above.

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“Most containers will have a slight gap between the soil and inner side of the pot, this is especially the case with plastic pots. As water will always travel down the path of least resistance, it will funnel down the sides of the pot and out the drainage hole in the bottom. This can sometimes leave the middle of the root ball dry,” he said in an Instagram post.

If the root ball doesn’t get any water the plant is unable to soak up that vital moisture needed for growth.

Gardening hacks you need to know for thriving plants

To fix this Clark suggests two options for watering pot plants, including one that’s a very clever hack.

The first would be well known to indoor plant growers and involves bottom watering by placing the pot in a bowl of water so the water can be soaked up from the bottom.

When Clark does this, he usually uses large metal trays so that 20 or 30 pots can get a drink at the same time.

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But as anyone with a container garden knows, most plants in it are too heavy and too big to fit in a bowl of water so Clark recommends using an empty plastic pot to ensure the soil is thoroughly watered.

“If you have large containers, you can’t water them from the bottom, but if you bury a smaller pot with drainage holes, you can water directly into this, which will funnel the water right to the plants roots where it’s needed most,” he said.

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This advice doesn’t mean you have to give up watering plants from the top as it is the easiest and most efficient way, you just need to check the water isn’t only dampening the top layer of soil.

“Just take the time to make sure the water has gone where you wanted it to go, by poking a finger down into the soil. But if you have the time and a large water tight tray try watering from the bottom from time to time too,” he says.

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The plastic pot watering trick was a hit with Clark’s Instagram followers.

“Love the idea to put the little pot in the big pot,” a woman commented.

“That is so smart putting a little pot in my big pots today!!” a follower wrote.

“I just dealt with this yesterday. Time to find a smaller pot to plant with my dahlia lol thank you Joe!!” another posted.

“I found this with all of my grow bags last year,” one said to which Clark replied, “I love to use the little pot trick with grow bags.”

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