Anything really works for covering holes in small pots to prevent compost dropping through, but I use other things for big pots too - crocks of any kind, from broken pots to broken plates, bits of wood, old tiles and pieces of stone which can be used to allow water through but not soil/compost. Old sponges are also good, and would be particularly good for pots which dry out too quickly.
Washed face wipes are also useful for small pots of cuttings or seedlings.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
For single-season planting (eg tomatoes) I put a folded sheet of newspaper in the bottom to stop the compost washing out. It's just about gone by the end of the season and the spent compost can be chucked on the borders as a mulch without having to pick out crocks, bits of j-cloth or whatever.
For longer-term containers, it's old-fashioned crocks (bits of broken pots etc). If I have any coarse bits sieved out of compost, or some old disintegrating coir basket liner, I put in a layer of that over the crocks, but is more to use it up than anything else.
I don't really think it's possible to keep bugs etc out of outdoor pots no matter what you use.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I think you’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Plants’ roots will bind the compost to stop it falling through though if it is a big pot with big drainage holes I will put a few crocks in the bottom.
On the limited evidence of a little that I have read I would say British gardeners are much more tolerant of insects on their plants than their American counterparts. We seem to acknowledge that even the smallest of creatures plays a role in a balanced ecosystem and our intervention with insecticides throws things out of kilter. But maybe that is not the case or maybe American pests are much more pesty.
I think you’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Plants’ roots will bind the compost to stop it falling through though if it is a big pot with big drainage holes I will put a few crocks in the bottom.
On the limited evidence of a little that I have read I would say British gardeners are much more tolerant of insects on their plants than their American counterparts. We seem to acknowledge that even the smallest of creatures plays a role in a balanced ecosystem and our intervention with insecticides throws things out of kilter. But maybe that is not the case or maybe American pests are much more pesty.
If I had any pieces of broken pottery I would use it in the botton. I'll keep the idea in mind if I ever have an incident.
I'm not certain about the comparative tolerance of British and American gardeners toward insects. Its an interesing issue. I think that generally speaking, what you suggest is likely very accurate. Regarding my particular situation: I garden only organically, and don't use any chemicals on my lawn either (which will get continually reduced in size). However, we are stepping outside of the natural ecosystem just by growing something in a container, and if I am growing a plant in a pot, it seems logical (and quite easy) to take chemical-free structural steps in the process that might at least reduce insect destruction. While an insect determined to get at a particular plant may find a way into a pot, others might be deterred by mesh or something else, and just move on to the next possible plant (perhaps something in nature, rather than a new garden purchase). This was triggered by my finding that Forficula auricularia ('earwig') had damaged my newly arrived Baptisia 'Dutch Chocolate'.
Thank you for all of the ideas, thus far. They are all great, and all fine examples of UK gardening practicality and creativity. I'm very pleased that I signed up for Gardener's World.
Oh we had an incident! I had just finished putting out six geraniums in terracotta pots on one of those plant stands and returned from a visit to the vets to find strong winds had toppled the thing generating enough terracotta shards to see us through the next decade. Fortunately the pots were cheap affairs from the DIY store. We also have quite a stash of salvaged roof tiles in the builders’ yard (the scrappy area behind the forsythia) and one of those smashed into pieces functions well as crocks.
I understand your comment iog about making things more difficult - we think the same with our home CCTV system - and you have been given lots of advice about alternatives. That so many others on here do as you do, albeit with different materials, it makes me think that I am out of step.
As we seem to always have a lot of ants around, I use used folded J cloths to put in the bottom of my pots, followed by a layer of gravel to weigh it down, then the compost. It does seem to deter the ants in my experience, although the J cloths only last a season or two.
I read somewhere (RHS Garden magazine I think) that crocks to stop compost falling out is a bit of a myth. Compost tends to lock itself together when firmed into a pot. Maybe if the drainage holes are particularly large it might help but in most of my pots they aren't big enough to leak compost.
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Washed face wipes are also useful for small pots of cuttings or seedlings.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm not certain about the comparative tolerance of British and American gardeners toward insects. Its an interesing issue. I think that generally speaking, what you suggest is likely very accurate. Regarding my particular situation: I garden only organically, and don't use any chemicals on my lawn either (which will get continually reduced in size). However, we are stepping outside of the natural ecosystem just by growing something in a container, and if I am growing a plant in a pot, it seems logical (and quite easy) to take chemical-free structural steps in the process that might at least reduce insect destruction. While an insect determined to get at a particular plant may find a way into a pot, others might be deterred by mesh or something else, and just move on to the next possible plant (perhaps something in nature, rather than a new garden purchase). This was triggered by my finding that Forficula auricularia ('earwig') had damaged my newly arrived Baptisia 'Dutch Chocolate'.
I understand your comment iog about making things more difficult - we think the same with our home CCTV system - and you have been given lots of advice about alternatives. That so many others on here do as you do, albeit with different materials, it makes me think that I am out of step.