I never cover drain holes in pots that have them as part of their makeup.

I have used landscape fabric on a few large plastic planter boxes that had large damage holes in the bottom.

I've never covered drainage holes. I just place pots on saucers or some makeshift tray, even pringles lids or medicine bottle lids for small ones.

Humboldt said: When potting and re-potting, do you you use gravel or screen or anything else to cover the drain holes and prevent soil loss?

Just wondering. For outdoor I normally add ~1" of chunky gravel.

I've heard of people using dryer lint to cover the holes. Anybody try that?

DaisyI said: Adding anything to the bottom of pot inhibits drainage. The old idea of adding gravel or whatever to help drainage is a wive's tail, debunked in the 1800's but some ideas never change. The problem is a phenomenon called a "perched water table". The basic idea is every layer you add to a pot adds a perched water table. The "perched" part are layers that inhibit water flow. Each layer above the perched water table must be saturated before moistue moves on. The bottom of the pot is the first. Gravel, pot shards, screen... is the second. The soil is the third. You can't get rid of the bottom of the pot or the soil but you can eliminate the gravel, shard, screen layer or at least minimize it. Screen is the minimize for large holes. I use a piece of newspaper or paper towel over smaller drain holes. By the time the paper rots away, the soil has packed enough so it won't fall through the now open hole.

Stop reading any more posts and heed this wise advice.

Thank you, Nancy!

Yes, to hold the soil in the pot, I will lay something over drainage holes. I usually use cut pieces of paper towel or coffee filters. The basket-shaped coffee filters conform nicely to the shape of a round pot. Tree leaves also work. I've never lost a plant due to root rot from inadequate drainage. By the time these items rot, plant roots usually will have grown enough to hold the soil in the pot.

Humboldt said: When potting and re-potting, do you you use gravel or screen or anything else to cover the drain holes and prevent soil loss?

Just wondering. For outdoor I normally add ~1" of chunky gravel.

Indoor not so often unless they're in a terra cotta (larger drain holes compared to plastic).

I have friends who use window screen. I see the logic I guess but not going there.

Doing bonsai I've learned to use fiberglass drywall mesh tape. It has larger openings than window screen, lasts forever and is cheap. Buy a roll at HD or Lowes.

Utnvpa said: Doing bonsai I've learned to use fiberglass drywall mesh tape. It has larger openings than window screen, lasts forever and is cheap. Buy a roll at HD or Lowes.

That's a great idea. At the end of a season I sometimes forget to find the old piece of screen and dig it out. The adhesive on the tape would make that part so much easier for me. And I wouldn't have to be repositioning them ever again in the spring when planting.

Adding fiberglass drywall mesh tape to my shopping list!

I rarely put anything to cover drain holes, and I've seen little evidence of soil in the saucers under my indoor plants. I think the soil compacts enough with the initial watering to not need anything over the hole(s). The only time I've noticed soil exiting the hole is when I've used a pot with a large hole to transport dry potting mix.

My blocking of drain holes is more about keeping worms out than keeping soil in. I put pots on the ground often, and when pots get worms in them, they turn the soil to anaerobic mud much too quickly. Great in the garden, but too much in a pot.

That's a good point! I've always welcomed worms into my containers, but I bet the soil-less mix does break down faster with them.

I use broken pieces of terra cotta pots. I've used them for years and have never had a problem.