Use crushed cans, empty plastic bottles or Styrofoam peanuts. Adding a few inches of foam peanuts or chunks in the bottom of the container reduces the amount of soil needed to fill the planter. Here is an excellent link that has several suggestions that might be what you are looking for. Building a Raised Garden Bed on Grass. Blocks of foam also can be used as filler. I have also used crushed pop cans and plastic bottles as well as pea rock. The same reason why different sizes and shaped containers can work just fine, … It is not that you can’t use them, just the watering schedule may be different. Pot fillers are also a great opportunity to recycle non-biodegradable trash like plastic. You don't have to. Plastic window screening: You can buy big rolls of plastic window screening for very little and cut pieces to fit the bottom of your pots.This is a cheap and easy way to cover your drainage holes, letting water out and keeping soil in. Drainage is dear to your flowers and plants. Empty plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Use those to make a nice “Almost Hypertufa” or “Faux Hypertufa” garden planter which you can decorate to match your favorite colors or co-ordinate with any patio or deck furniture. In the past, it was recommended that broken pieces of clay pots, rocks, wood chips or Styrofoam packing peanuts be placed in the bottom of pots as filler and to improve drainage. With large planters and pots, consider more space occupying options. You can usually pick one up for a couple of bucks for a picnic or outing. Well, the plant is small but the blossoms are just as big as on the regular sized plant. I put rocks, broken pots, Styrofoam chunks, etc whatever i have around to fill up the bottom a few inches so I don't have to spend alot on potting soil. Before you line the bottom of your planter with a filler material, consider the needs of your plant. Whether you have a few flowers planted in pots or you have an entire vegetable garden in containers, you have probably heard that adding Styrofoam to the bottom of the container helps improve drainage. It consists of a box that has no top or bottom placed in a high-intensity sunny area with quality soil. How to line the bottom of a planter on the cheap. Plus if you have straight soil in the pot, then all the water setting in the bottom of the pot makes your plant un-happy. So when you top off your planter with potting soil, you’ll have plenty of leftover dirt for other gardening projects. HI -- Don't forget you have to put a rock or a brick or two in the bottom first . I mention my concern, too, in the article. What Is a Raised Garden Bed? So I was wondering, what filler at the bottom of the pot do some of you use so you use less soil? After adding the foam, level it slightly with your hand so one side isn't significantly higher than another, allowing for even root growth. Turn the planter over so the bottom is facing up, and use a power drill to make holes along the outside edges of the bottom of the pot. We’ve got four easy ways to help you fill out the bottom of your containers with materials you probably never thought of. If you're moving your favorite houseplant or cubicle-friendly companion to a new, larger planter, try adding some packing peanuts to the bottom of the planter. Fill the planter one-third full with a filler material. With vegetables needing 8 inches of soil, don't use more than 3 or 4 inches of foam in a pot 12 inches deep. If you want to use less dirt in your planter you can fill it partially with styrofoam packing peanuts before adding dirt. Whether set on a patio, porch, in the garden, or on each side of an entryway, stunning container designs make a statement. Say you are filling your planter box or flower pot with dirt on the deck or inside the house and you do not want dirt coming out from the drainage holes, but you still need the planter to drain. When filled with potting medium, large pots can be extremely heavy and unmovable. Containers are available in a wide array of colors shapes and sizes. Read more articles about Container Gardens. If you plan on moving your container regularly, filler can help reduce its weight. The rocks help drainage, but are not totally necessary so long as you have holes at the bottom. And the best part is you can plant these Styrofoam planters up in just a day or two. The Styrofoam planter above is planted with Platycodon “Sentimental Blue” which is a tiny Balloon Flower. Foam doesn't break down easily in the environment, which means it's unlikely to degrade in a vegetable gardening container so it's safe to use as filler. Myth #1: Styrofoam Improves Drainage in Containers . I have heard of packaging peanuts (styrofoam). In pots with little to no drainage, the area of Styrofoam may be waterlogged and cause these plant roots to rot or die. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Large urns and tall decorative glazed pots are especially popular these days. Hi,what can I put in the bottom of large flower pots besides styrofoam peanuts to take up some room so I don't have to use lots of potting soil.I prefer not to use regualr dirt as it makes the pot lots heavier than potting soil does.I thought about newspaper but what else could be used.Thanks in advance. It is not that you can’t put a layer of gravel at the bottom, it’s just you won’t have to, and there are times it is just easier to care for your plant if you didn’t. However, because landfills are overfilled with non-biodegradable products, many Styrofoam packing products are now made to dissolve in time. Large containers often need filler in the bottoms, and foam chunks or peanuts can fulfill that need without causing harm to those who eat the vegetables. Drill drainage holes in the bottom of the planter if none are already present. You can use Styrofoam peanuts in plastic bags or used containers and cans. The soil in the container -- and therefore the foam under the soil -- doesn't get hot enough to cause a problem since it normally stays cooler than the ambient temperature. These can add or reduce the weight of your planter. you said it yourself, the perched water table will always be the same height. Now, as for the bottom of the plant holder, just use another piece of the foam, but, add a layer of small pebbles on the bottom, to allow drainage that can recycle back. Hey everyone I just bought a really small schefflera plant and I bought a bigger pot to put it in. because it will have or get root rot from all the water, and you can drowned it out. Upside down empty plant containers. But when we recover tons and tons of styrofoam from our shores, and most of it is taken to the transfer station, aka the landfill, I have saved a few pieces to put in the bottom … Many glazed decorative pots may also lack proper drainage holes or do not drain well due to all the potting mix. I don't add any if my pots aren't big - … The good news is there are many materials you can use to fill your planter. With this method, container designs can easily be changed out each season, plant roots are contained within the potting mix and, if Styrofoam filler does break down in time, it can be easily fixed. Large planters can be very heavy if filled with soil and drainage rocks. How Does Foam Insulation Work on Windows? Then the filler of what ever you choose . It was long lasting, improved drainage, did not add weight to the pot and made an effective filler for deep pots. But still, something is better than nothing. 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