Planting drainage holes is a natural way to help water drain. When the soil is moist, it is much easier to plant. But there are Plants that don’t need drainage holes. In this article I am going to describe some Plants that don’t need drainage holes.
01. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a commonly spotted indoor grown plant which is very beneficial in terms of health as well as in beauty. In fact, you could use Aloe vera sap on your skin as well as on hair. In addition to that you could make use of these plants to heal cuts and burns too.
Aloe vera leaves are sharp and somewhat long too. In fact, they would tend to look like crocodile tails as well. Once you cut the aloe vera leaves, you would see how the jelly is coming out. In fact , the jelly would be quite crucial in healing the wounds.
Due to all the benefits, many plant lovers tend to add them into their indoor garden collection a lot. What is special about these plants is that they don’t need any drainage when you cultivate them. This literally means you could limit watering them. Keep in mind that you need to water them only if their soil’s top layer is dry only.
02. Asparagus Sprengeri
Asparagus Sprengeri plants are yet another famous plant type which many people opt to grow in their indoor garden. These plants also don’t need any drainage holes in the pots. Many plant lovers prefer to grow them as ornamental plants as well as hanging plants.
Asparagus Sprengeri plants are renowned for their ability to clean the air quality. In addition to that, they would add so much glamor to your garden collection as well.
03. Autograph Tree
Autograph Trees are adapted to grow in tropical areas where they would tend to look like small trees. They consist of wide and chubby leaves. As they grow , you could spot them producing some fruit items as well. Those fruits would resemble the look of an apple.
Autograph plants would also make perfect indoor plants and they are tolerant of high temperature levels as well. These plants can thrive with medium light levels too. Many gardeners tend to add them as decorative plants as these plants are not too big or not too small. They can also survive in pots which don’t have any draining holes.
04. Birds of paradise (Strelitzia reginae).
Birds of paradise would be quite handy if you are looking for a flowering plant to grow. These plants are hailing from South Africa and from central Africa.
They would usually contain dark green colored leaves. Besides they may also come up with flower blossoms either in orange blue or in pink. Those flowers would resemble the look of a bird’s head.
These plants can thrive with minimum soil amount as their soil system is shallow. So, you could grow them in a deep pot which doesn’t have any draining holes. Birds of paradise roots are strong, and they would stay firm even when you place them in deep pots which don’t have any draining holes.
Due to this, these plants would rarely come across root rots. In terms of the ideal climate wise, they would ideally prefer to have warm, humid environmental conditions where they can gain indirect sunlight. You can limit watering them to once a week whilst ensuring that their soil is completely dry from the previous watering session.
05. Cactus
Most of the plant lovers have cactus grown in their indoor and outdoor garden as they would require a minimum maintenance in general. Apart from that, they can also grow in pots which don’t have sufficient drainage too. Cactus is quite handy to use as gift items as well. Cacti have a great durability and it is very unlikely that they would die.
Cactus are available in different sizes and in different colors and you could choose them depending on your wish. Cactus are a versatile and resistant set of plants which can tolerate harsh conditions as well.
Cactus have water conserved in their bodies and they can even survive even if you neglect watering them once or twice. Most of the cactus can thrive well in pots which don’t have drainage holes.
06. Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Evergreen plants are quite popular for their elongated and silver-colored leaves. Those leaves would further comprise a tinge of green too. Chinese Evergreen plants are yet another type of plants which can perform well in pots which don’t have any drainage.
In fact, Chinese Evergreen plants would grow perfectly fine in non draining pots and they can survive in wet growing conditions. However you need to make sure that you are not making waterlogged and soggy growing conditions in the soil mix as they would hate to grow in such conditions.
As such it is always best to water them only if their soil is dry and refrain from applying any water if they are still moist. If you supply them too much water, it would pave the way for root rot.
Having said that, they can still survive in pots which don’t have draining holes as long as you water them properly. You can also grow them in containers which have one or draining holes too.
07. Christ Plant
Christ plants are originally from Madagascar. These plants are widely spread in the island of Madagascar and quite famous for their unique and wild look. Christ plants can survive with minimal watering. In fact you can limit watering them for just 4 times per year. Literally you can water them just once in every season.
Providing good drainage is not a major thing to consider when you cultivate them indoors. So, you could grow these plants in any container even if they don’t have draining holes. I suggest you add a sandy soil mix as it would help the plants to grow healthily and vigorously.
08. Cordyline
Cordyline are yet another famous and very beautiful colorful set of plants which you could grow indoors. These plants would perform well if you water them with bottled water and avoid using tap water.
These plants consist of long leaves which you could spot either in red or in green. Further they would be colored with a yellow or a white note too.
Cordyline plants would flourish as long as you water them properly. if you make any lapses in watering and if you had grown them in pots which don’t have any draining holes, it would make the plants leaves become brown in color.
Unfortunately it is very unlikely that you could bring them back to normal healthy color as well. Cordyline plants spread widely. Hence, you need to plant them in a kind of an empty place.
09. Coleus
Coleus are best known as painted nettle or as poor mans croton. They are quite renowned for their stunning colored foliage. In fact you could spot them forming in numerous colors such as in yellow, pink red and in maroon colors as well.
Their leaves sizes would vary and they may tend to have an oval shape as well. These are perfect additions if you wish to particularly add some color to a dark location. These plants would not mind staying in moist conditions.
Hence you could grow them in pots which don’t have any draining holes. In addition to that these plants would be quite handy to use in beds and borders as well.
10. Croton
Croton plants can grow up to 5 to 6 feet in height .so, if you are looking for a plant which doesn’t want any draining in the pots, croton would be yet another great pick for your requirement. Croton forms in numerous shapes and you may come across various varieties as well.
Many croton varieties adapted to grow in warmer and tropical conditions. So, if you want to grow them as houseplants, you need to provide a soil mix which has excellent drainage.
In addition to that you may have to add some peat moss into it as well. Once you add peat moss it would further enhance the draining of the soil mix.
You could consider doing this step even if your pot has draining holes or not. However you need to make sure that you don’t over water these plants as they don’t prefer getting exposed to over water just like most other plant species.
When watering these plants, you need to ensure that you water them only if their top layer of the soil is dry from the previous watering session only. Croton plants would prefer to have humid environmental conditions. As such best would be to leave them outdoors during the later afternoon hours.
11. Dumbcane plant (Dieffenbachia seguine)
Dumbcane plants are tropical plants which are fond of water. These plants have no issues at all with excess watering. Hence you could grow them in pots which don’t have any draining holes.
As such you could easily grow them in pots or in any other container which doesn’t have any draining holes. The beautiful leaves are the highlight of these plants. Those leaves are long and wide too.
You may consider misting the Dumbcane plants occasionally as these plants used to grow in semi humid and tropical areas.
So when you cultivate them as houseplants, best would be to mist them on and off so that it would create a vibe of a tropical jungle. Dumbcane plants are hardy plants which can survive even in harsh weather conditions.
12. Dwarf Palm
Dwarf palm is native to Asia and you can commonly find it in Vietnam. This is a quite popular garden plant and many people tend to add them in their living rooms as well as in large halls. They would prefer to have bright indirect sunlight.
You can limit watering them to once a week and that would be enough for them to survive. Dwarf palm can even thrive well in simple baskets. In terms of the sizes of the plants, they would usually stay under 20 feet.
You could grow Dwarf palm plants in pots which don’t contain any draining holes. Due to this advantage many people opt to add them in their landscaping.
13. Elephant Foot Plant
Elephant Foot Plants are yet another perfect choice for indoor landscaping. This is yet another famous plant species which you could grow in non draining pots. You could water these plants just once a year and it should ideally be done in winter.
Elephant Foot Plants are juice plants and you need to always water them once their top layer of the soil is dry only.
If you are looking for a succulent which doesn’t need any draining in the pots, this would be the one to try out. These plants are endemic to Mexico.
These are single trunk plants and their leaves would form from the top of the trunk. Elephant Foot Plants are prone to over watering and you need to refrain from supplying excess water for them.
14. Kupukupu Fern
Kupukupu Fern plants are interesting plant species which are originating from Hawaii. This is a quite famous plant species especially among the Hawaii people. Many plant lovers prefer to add the Kupukupu Fern plants in schools as Kupukupu Fern plants are a symbol of life learning and education.
Kupukupu Fern plants are a prominent light green color, and they would also not prefer to stay in waterlogged conditions.
The exposure for over watering could be lethal on the plants leaves. However, you could grow them in a container which doesn’t have sufficient draining. Hawaiian people make use of these plants to create Hawaiian lie or Hawaiian traditional garlands.
15. Lucky Bamboo
Lucky Bamboo usually grows in a spiral look and it would be an excellent choice to decorate your home, office, coffee shop and many other public areas.
However you need to make sure that you are providing sufficient sunlight for them to grow. The exposure for ample sunlight plays a major role in letting the Lucky Bamboo Plants grow rapidly.
You could spot these plants carrying small simple floppy green leaves too. You may water them once in a while with fresh water as Lucky Bamboo plants are quite responsive towards chlorine and to other chemicals. You could consider growing the Lucky Bamboo plants even in vases.
That said, I recommend changing the water once every week. In simple words, you could grow Lucky Bamboo plants in non-draining pots very easily as long you practice the right watering practices.
16. Monstera Deliciosa
Monstera Deliciosa are yet another commonly spotted houseplant. They carry big leaves, and they would tend to look like ribs. Taking care of these plants is a very easy task.
Furthermore, their long durability is another special characteristic of these plants. Monstera Deliciosa plants don’t need a lot of water and they can survive in pots which don’t contain any draining holes.
Monstera Deliciosa used to grow in tropical conditions and usually grow either as vines or as shrubs. These plants are native in Central America and the highlight of these plants are their leaf holes. This feature has made them inherit the nickname called Swiss cheese plant.
17. Oleander
It is said that you need to avoid growing Oleander as an indoor plant. However, plant enthusiasts still prefer to grow them as they are such adorable plants.
Their colorful flower blossoms and plants’ unique beauty make them perfect additions for your indoor landscaping. However bear in mind that Oleander flowers are toxic for your kids as well as for your pets.
Oleander are not fuzzy at all when it comes to the right soil mix and to watering. They prefer growing in coastal areas and would get as tall as 12 feet when they fully mature.
However there could be some dwarf plants which would stay under 3-5 feet. So, you could grow these plants also in containers , pots which don’t contain any draining holes.
18. Pineapple Plant
You could grow Pineapple Plants in pots which don’t have any draining holes. These plants can perform well in small containers which have a smaller amount of water. If you wish to grow them indoors, you could simply go to the grocery and obtain a big ripe pineapple and then grow them.
Pineapple Plants are used to grow in tropical America regions. They would consist of long leaves and they would tend to look like swords. Pineapple Plants would stay in bloom for about two weeks and thereafter they would transform into fruit items.
It is important that you water these plants on a regular basis as only then they can produce the flowers which would later on become fruits. What is special about the Pineapple Plants is that they can tolerate a plenty of water. Hence you could grow them in non draining pots.
19. Pothos
If you are a forgetful gardener, Pothos would be the plant species which would suit you. These are some hardy versatile sets of plants which can tolerate harsh conditions. They would usually grow as vines and they are native to French Polynesian islands.
They would come up with shiny heart shaped leaves and it is the most distinctive feature of these plants. You could use these plants as hanging plants or even let the drape over your shelves or on the walls.
Their nickname is devils ivy and you could grow them in pots which don’t have sufficient drainage since they are not fuzzy in terms of having drainage in the opt or not.
20. Rough horsetail
Rough horsetail would tend to take a look at a tiny striped bamboo. However this is a fern type plant which would prefer to grow in boggy areas when they grow in the wild.
You can simply grow them in a small container which has a smaller amount of water. Further, they don’t bother on draining in their pot or not and you could easily take care of these plants well too.
Rough horsetails are non flowering perennial plants which are native to North America. These are some rapid growing plants and they can even tolerate wet conditions.
Many people tend to grow them as decorative plants in the water gardens. In addition to that Rough horsetail would be great picks to grow in the borders and in the patio as well.
Rough horsetail plants are fans of moisture and die so that you need to water them more often. Ensure that you don’t allow them to dry. Due to these factors, you could easily grow them in non draining pots. Keep in mind that you could even water these plants on a daily basis.
21. Schefflera
Schefflera plants also don’t require any additional drainage to grow vigorously. These plants can grow in soil as well as in water too. So, you could just put a couple of plant cuttings and place them in water and watch them flourishing as well.
They would turn out to be aesthetically beautiful and appealing just like the plants which would grow in the soil. These plants would perform well in tropical environments.
They go by the nick name called umbrella plants and long shiny oval shaped leaves are the highlight of these plants. Those leaves would cascade from the central stalk and they have got the common name called umbrella plant due to that. They would produce flowers blooming in red white and in pink as well.
22. Snake Plant
Snake plants would be great picks for beginners in gardening. So, if you are a beginner in gardening and consider a plant which doesn’t want any draining in the pots, you can try growing the snake plants.
These plants are native to West Africa and they are renowned for their blade-shaped leaves which would grow upright. You could grow snake plants in soil as well as in a bowl of water as well.
Many plant lovers tend to grow the Snake plants as decorative plants. In addition to that it has some health benefits as well. Furthermore, snake plants are one of the best plants for air purification purposes as well. Not only that but also, it could keep you energized and make you mentally relaxed too.
23. Spider Plant
If you are considering a fast-growing plant which can survive in a non-draining pot, I suggest you go ahead with spider plants. The spider plants are quite famous for their long fronds. Besides their easy maintenance is one more reason as to why many plant lovers tend to grow them indoors.
So, if you are a fresher in gardening and prefer to have a plan which would thrive well with minimum supervision, you could go ahead with growing spider plants.
These plants are native to tropical parts of Africa and you could grow these plants as both indoor and outdoor plants. What is special about these plants is that you could grow these plants in water as well. So, think of spider plants also if you wish to start gardening in a non draining pot.
24. The Fiddle-Leaf Fig
The Fiddle-Leaf Fig are native in different parts of western Africa. You could spot them in rainforests in those areas. They would usually form in some interesting shapes, and you could commonly spot them in the form of sculptures. These plants can survive for a longer period.
The Fiddle-Leaf Fig usually contains a thick trunk and some larger leaves which could even grow up to one meter in size.
You need to apply water for these plants whenever their soil is dry and having draining holes in the pots is not a major concern for them. However, ensure that there is enough space in the pots as that would help them to grow optimally.
How to take care of Plants that don’t need drainage holes?
First thing you need to keep in mind when taking care of the plants which you have grown in non-draining pots is that you need to refrain from over watering the plants. Ideally you need to water these plants to half of the container volume.
Consider that you have an 8-inch pot and its volume is about one gallon. Then, you need to water them with about 0.5 liters of water. Besides that, you need to always check whether the stop layer of the soil is dry and only then you need to resume watering the plants.
Always make sure that you are exposing these plants for bright indirect sunlight. Do not ever expose the plants for low lights specially when you grow them in pots which don’t have draining holes. If you do so, it would avoid the plants drying out.
Once you expose them for ample sunlight, it would speed up the photosynthesis process and absorb the excess water in the pot.
That said, I always recommend you to go for pots which are made out of porous materials such as terracotta as they would help the excess water to evaporate from their surface whether the pots are draining holes or not.
Don’t place these plants outdoors. If you do so, it would make the plants drown, especially if there was constant rainfall. It would make their soil overflow from the pots as well. it would be very difficult to empty the water also as the pot would be super heavy. So, don’t ever place your non-draining pots outdoors for a longer period.
Next ensure that you are not selecting oversized pots as when the pots diameter is too wide , it would create waterlogged soggy conditions in the pot. Ultimately it would lead to root rot as well.
Lastly, I recommend you to use organic fertilizers only on these plants as they would not withstand the salt residue in the chemical fertilizers. If you end up using chemical fertilizers, the salt residues would even burn the plants as there are no draining holes in the pots.
Conclusion
To conclude, I hope now you have a much better idea on Plants that don’t need drainage holes. So, I hope you could start gardening with these plants right away and trust you are well aware of how to look after the plants in non-draining pots too.
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