Inside Urban Green

The Daily Drain Hole Report »The Big Deception Part 2

About the photo - Light from the windows made this shot more difficult to show details. The trees actually live on the rack in the window to the left. The objective is simply to show the quality of these coffee trees growing in a planter with no drainage. Click on the photo to view larger sizes on Flickr. Click on Actions for the menu that includes "View all sizes".

About the plants - These are a couple of coffee trees (probably Coffea arabica spp.) growing in a sub-irrigated planter (SIP) made from a storage box.

They were 4” pot size plants from Lowe’s purchased back in October 2006 that looked similar to the photo. They have never seen a drain hole since. No drainage!

They were combined into the current SIP on February 15, 2010. My how they have grown in just 5 years.  

About the growing method – The sub-irrigated planter (SIP) was made from a translucent storage box. The internal plumbing consists of a recycled juice bottle, inverted nursery flat and water bottle fill tube. No need for power tools.

Since it is an indoor plant, I did not include an overflow drain hole. A scale or a soil probe is the best way to measure soil moisture for indoor plants growing in subdued light. In this case it is also helpful that the planter is translucent. I can see the soil moisture at a glance.

More about the big deception – The vast majority of gardeners who read houseplant and gardening books would say, “You can’t do that, you need a drain hole!” They will also say that so-called “self-watering” planters are only for moisture loving plants or for when you go on vacation or a business trip.

Spend some time on houseplant forums such as GardenWeb and Dave’s Garden and you will soon find this to be true. I have done it, but not any more.

While many of the folks on garden forums may not have much formal science education, they are not stupid people. It is simply that our horticultural education system is broken.

As a long time industry insider, I know that much of the misinformation and disinformation is intentional and that bothers me greatly. It did not matter as much to me when it only involved decorative plants. Now it involves hunger, obesity, job creation, environmental concerns such as water wastage and the health threat from contaminated city soil and more.

I plan to escalate this issue to the highest levels of government. If you care about doing the right thing, please join in this effort. Even Tweeting helps. I may be speaking naively but I still believe there is power in public awareness.

The Daily Drain Hole Report » The Big Deception

This is the first in a continuing series about the big drainage deception perpetrated on the American gardening public. A need for drain holes is a bogus teaching that wastes huge amounts of plants, water, time and money. You can easily prove it to yourself. All it takes is a little time and a willingness to unhook from the propaganda. It will cost next to nothing.

There is much more to come. It is long overdue to out the perps. Stay tuned.

About the photos » Normally I black out the background to remove my amateurish cloth backdrop. These unedited photos are as seen by my camera.

The objective is to show the quality of the plants growing in containers with no drainage. Click on the photos to view larger sizes on Flickr. Click on Actions for the menu that includes "View all sizes". 



About the plants » All of the plants are Chlorophytum comosum, common name Spider Plants. They are reputed to be highly susceptible to soluble salts burn. Note that even though there is no drainage there is little or no leaf tipping due to soluble salts burn.

About the growing methods » Top photo - Left plant, sub-irrigated planter (SIP) made from a recycled glass bottle. Note the white cloth wick to move water by capillary action from the reservoir up into the soil/root system. Center plant - growing in expanded clay pebbles in a recycled glass beer bottle (cut in half). Right plant – sub-irrigated planter (SIP) made from a recycled glass beer bottle. These small bottle planters are about 2/3 the size of a standard can, demonstrating that if you supply plants the essentials of light, water and nutrition you do not need a large pot. Most of the plants I see on the web are over-potted, particularly in clay pots that so many gardeners favor. 

Bottom photo – Left plant in white container, sub-irrigated planter (SIP) made from a recycled clear plastic cookie container inside a trash basket cachepot, standing on an inverted trash basket pedestal. Right plant in white container – growing in expanded clay pebbles in an IKEA ceramic cachepot. Other plants are the ones in the top photo.

About the big deception » Drainage of soluble salts is the big deception foisted on consumers as the only reason cited for drain holes. Deception is a more polite word for lie.

If you are maintaining or growing decorative or edible plants in containers with drain holes, know that you have been propagandized, deceived, duped, bamboozled, hoodwinked, ripped off, rolled or conned. Take your pick. It is the big lie of consumer horticulture. 

Stay tuned for more about who and why.

Welcome to Wiltburg, USA

Wiltburg is a fictional neighborhood that could be in any city in the USA. It is just down the road from Leadville. The names are fictional but the photos are real. They are from a site survey (started in 2008) of people’s efforts to grow edible plants in their yards using containers. The real neighborhood of the photos is Bay Ridge Brooklyn, where I live.

In Leadville, they grow plants in soil that is often contaminated with toxic heavy metals. In Wiltburg, they choose to grow their plants in often-undersized containers, just about all of them with traditional drain holes. The result is wilted and anorexic looking plants all over the neighborhood, particularly in the heat of summer.

Unfortunately, our horticultural education fails to deliver up-to-date information about a much more modern plant growing solution for both Wiltburg and Leadville. It would easily solve both the soil contamination and plant wilt problems that are so widespread in these communities.

It is rather amazing that news about micro gardening with sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) has yet to reach these people in spite of the fact that one of the oldest botanical gardens in America is nearby. The garden is apparently living in a time warp.

Traditional drain hole planters may be good for horticultural suppliers who thrive on consumption and non-sustainable products but not for consumers who value their time and money in a very difficult economy.

Inefficient drain hole planters waste water, plants, time and money. They are a paradox in the new world of greenness and sustainability. As many of the plants demonstrate, these pots and planters are the perfect opposite of green. It is hypocrisy to call growing plants this way a green practice.

The most striking result of the survey is to find very little use of sub-irrigated planters known as SIPs (aka erroneously as “self-watering”). There is no doubt that this will change as the public slowly becomes aware of the fact that there is a better and more green way to grow plants in the city.

Sub-irrigated Crassula Golem Bonsai

This is a Crassula Golem (Jade plant) bonsai growing in a recycled soda bottle sub-irrigated planter (SIP) inside an IKEA ceramic cachepot. There is no drain hole. You can grow any terrestrial plant from Peace Lilies to Cacti in SIPs. You do not need to grow plants in containers with drain holes.

The need for drain holes is an urban myth perpetuated by the USDA extension program, houseplant growers and houseplant book authors who do not know any better.

This plant was installed back in August '07. Even though it was happier in the dry Mediterranean climate of San Diego it has stayed in good health growing on an east facing windowsill here in Brooklyn since the fall of '07. I staged it here under a CFL desk lamp for the photo shoot but you could grow it under artificial light this way.

The Sunshine Of Enlightenment Has Set On Sunset

"Early Girl ' tomato, 'Purple Ruffles' basil, garlic chives, and jalapeño chiles all have a spot in our large galvanized planter. (photo) Thomas J. Story

Sunset Magazine was a regular part of my reading diet in the early years of my life in Southern California. I always had a current copy of their Western Garden Book, the de facto bible of west coast horticulture.

Sunset is no longer, however, an independent publication. Like This Old House, Time Warner owns it. Like This Old House their horticultural content is sadly behind the times, witness this article titled Plant a one-pot vegetable garden.

There is not one word about sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) when they would be an obvious choice for anyone with current knowledge of modern methods of vegetable production.

Instead of an EarthBox, Garden Patch Grow Box or Tomato Success Kit, Sunset's "test garden" staff chose a galvanized water trough. Some may consider this a trendy choice, but it is a dumb planter for this purpose.

Any sub-irrigated planter will out-produce a cattle trough planter, while saving water and time. It is no contest.

This Old House Needs A House Cleaning

Photo: Michael Skott

I am a long time fan of This Old House. I well remember when Bob Villa and Norm Abram started the original series on PBS back in 1979. TimeWarner now owns the name.

This Old House may still be a leader in home improvement information but sadly; their horticultural writers are living in a prior century. This Old House is badly in need of a horticultural house cleaning.

The latest case in point is this article titled “How to Plant in Pots”. You don’t even need to read the article to know that it is out of date. Just read “The Ingredients” related to the photo. "Pottery shards to place over drainage holes” for example is Neanderthal stuff. 

The author goes on to write over a thousand words never mentioning anything about modern methods like sub-irrigated planters (SIPs), not even as a viable option.

This isn't about growing pansies and petunias, it's about people getting accurate information to help them grow some of their own food. I do believe we are trying to eliminate food deserts, improve nutrition and fight obesity. The public deserves better than this from a venerable brand name. 

I often wonder if garden writers who write outdated information like this have computers and spend any significant amount of time on the Internet. It takes some research time but it is vital to updating professional knowledge in any field. It doesn’t appear that they do from what I slog through every day. It is in a word, depressing. The word "science" appears to be absent from their vocabulary.

 via www.thisoldhouse.com

Houseplant Watering Advice From the U.K.

Following is some houseplant watering advice published by the U.K. Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (founded 1804). It is from a brochure titled "The Easy Guide to Growing Houseplants."

It may not seem so, but what it describes is a somewhat primitive method of sub-irrigation (erroneously known widely as "self-watering").This method does not require a special planter, but it does require a basic understanding of how capillary action works.

In any case it's a better method than the "poke, pour and pray" top watering that is unfortunately embedded in our largely matriarchal houseplant society.

Incidentally, the best way to learn houseplant growing and maintenance is to install them in soda (pop) bottle SIPs (sub-irrigated planters). They are the best teaching aid that I know of in my long career.  

View the brochure either as a PDF or Word doc. 

The Easy Guide to Growing Houseplants (PDF)

The Easy Guide to Growing Houseplants (Word doc)

WATERING

Once your new houseplant is safely home, you need to care for it correctly to ensure that it remains in pristine condition – and this largely depends on how well it is watered. Too little or too much watering can cause problems.

OVERWATERING: Giving too much water can be as dangerous as underwatering. The roots not only require moisture but also air, so overwatering leads to the forcible removal of air from the potting compost so the houseplant’s roots are killed by suffocation.

BEST PRACTICE: Watering little and often is the best advice, taking into account the growing environment and the seasons.

Watering from below is the best approach as some plants can suffer from rotting or sun scorch if water is directed onto their stems, root systems or foliage.

DRAINAGE: The best method is to stand the pot (which must have drainage holes in the bottom) on a suitable sized saucer into which a small  amount of gravel has been placed.

Fill the saucer to about 1⁄3 of its depth with water and leave the plant standing for 30 minutes. 

If all the water has been taken up you can repeat the operation until uptake stops, then any surplus water should be tipped away but of course retaining the gravel.

Source: www.the-hta.org.uk