MYTH: Coarse material placed at bottom of container creates better drainage for gardens and plants

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Placing sand, gravel, pebbles or pot chards in the bottom of a container before potting houseplants or outdoor plants OBSTRUCTS water movement.

Water doesn’t travel easily from layers of finely textured material to layers of more coarsely textured material

• ​​Water stops when it reaches the coarse material which can cause roots to sit in SOGGY SOIL.
• The coarser the underlying material, the more difficult it is for water to move across the interface.

ENSURE CONTAINERS HAVE DRAINAGE HOLE(S) AND USE THE SAME PLANTING MATERIAL THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CONTAINER TO ENSURE AIR AND WATER MOVEMENT.

Source:
Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott
https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/container-drainage.pdfs