April 01, 2022
There are some old fashioned methods in gardening lore that hang on, into modern times. This is a question about one of them.
April 1 2022
The question is; what good does it do to put crocks (broken up dishes or crockery) into the bottom of the pot when transplanting?
The answer to this question is; nothing. There is no use for it any more. Originally, gardeners growing plants in pots would use garden soil, which compacts into a hard clay ball, which was when the crock idea came into being.
The thought was that the crocks would allow water to drain out, instead of waterlogging the soil. However, in this day and age, we have much more suitable soil mixtures, which contain their own drainage materials mixed right in.
These are things like perlite and pumice. Now, the only use for a crock is to prevent the soil and all its parts from washing out of the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.
In addition, repotting a plant where the pot has crocks in is fraught with the danger of cutting your hands on the sharp edges.
I suggest you let this old method die a quick death and don’t use crocks in your pots.
I hope that’s answered some of the questions you may have about watering your succulents. If you still need answers, you know what to do – simply reply to this email and ask me, or contact me (there’s a link at the bottom of every page, in the footer, to the contact page.
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I hope you’ve enjoyed this issue of Xeria e-Zine! Any questions or suggestions are welcome. Don’t forget, the Horticulturist is always in.
Happy Gardening,
Jacki Cammidge, Certified Horticulturist, Webmaster and Artisan
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