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Stone pots with no holes

Poly-anthusPoly-anthus Posts: 155
in Problem solving
Hope this is the right place to ask my question.  The Christmas before last I was given a very nice shaped pot (? terracotta but patterned grey) but there's no drainage holes in it.  I put a plastic pot inside it with summer annuals, but as we had a lot of rain, I eventually discovered that there was a considerable amount of water sitting in the outer pot, having drained through the plastic one.  Is there an easy solution to this, or do I just have to keep an eye on it this summer.

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I read somewhere that if you make a cross with plasters, you can drill holes through them. Never done it myself
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    A ceramic tile drill bit would do the job if you are careful (and don't accidentally use the hammer setting on the drill like I did once!) :D
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Poly-anthusPoly-anthus Posts: 155
    Thanks Bob and B3.  I'll get OH on to it if and when this awful weather stops.  Snow Snow and more snow!!  Will look forward to thinking about filling the pots with summer colour!
  • shane.farrellshane.farrell Posts: 207
    edited April 2021
    You may have done it but I did several recently and my tips would be to soak overnight, keep spraying water to keep everything cool, use a small masonary bit and progressively larger bits to achieve desired hole size.  Take it slowly and use light or no pressure  on drill. This grinds rather than cuts and prevents smacking the drill on the pot as you break through. As above,  definitely no hammer action.
    Good luck.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Hubby has done this many times,with the sticking plaster
  • ManderMander Posts: 349
    I've drilled tile using a cross of masking tape or even just regular tape like you use to wrap packages.
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    If it's a tall enough pot, you could stand the inner plastic pot on a layer of stones or gravel so the roots are above the water level. If you get a lot of rain though, you may have to check the level occasionally. It may be that your pot is an indoor decorative one for house plants? 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    A lot of my shallow outdoor terracotta bulb dishes came with out drainage holes
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