To crock or not to crock?
 

I've got several quite old terracotta pots that were given me by an
elderly gent who'd once been a market gardener. They all have single
good drainage holes and I normally put a flattish stone or a bit of
broken pot or polystyrene packing in the bottom, mainly to stop compost
falling straight out or washing through, rather than for extra drainage.

Saw this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-27126160
and wondered if I should really try something else - bit of old cotton
cloth or something? Used tea-bag?

This article from last year by biologist Ken Thompson is on the same theme:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening...otty-idea.html

So do you crock or not?

--
Sue

To crock or not to crock?
 

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 13:11:58 +0100, Indigo wrote:

I've got several quite old terracotta pots that were given me by an
elderly gent who'd once been a market gardener. They all have single
good drainage holes and I normally put a flattish stone or a bit of
broken pot or polystyrene packing in the bottom, mainly to stop compost
falling straight out or washing through, rather than for extra drainage.

Just had a conversation with "The Gardener". Crocks are used to stop
the compost falling/washing out, particularly on terracotta pots with
a large single hole. Plastic one with lots of smaller holes compost
loss isn't quite such a problem.

Saw this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-27126160
and wondered if I should really try something else - bit of old cotton
cloth or something? Used tea-bag?

That article only tested for drainage/plant vigor and crocks made no
difference in that trial. Tea bag will rot PDQ I'd have thought, a
bit of fairly heavy cotton cloth (ex gardening jeans?) ought to last
well enough but will still rot after a while.

--
Cheers
Dave.

To crock or not to crock?
 

On 25/04/2014 13:11, Indigo wrote:
I've got several quite old terracotta pots that were given me by an
elderly gent who'd once been a market gardener. They all have single
good drainage holes and I normally put a flattish stone or a bit of
broken pot or polystyrene packing in the bottom, mainly to stop
compost falling straight out or washing through, rather than for
extra drainage.

Saw this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-27126160 and
wondered if I should really try something else - bit of old cotton
cloth or something? Used tea-bag?

This article from last year by biologist Ken Thompson is on the same
theme:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening...otty-idea.html



So do you crock or not?


My compost is dosed with vermiculite (so is Monty's I think), which
keeps the soil structure open and creates a pretty uniform water content
top to bottom. Like leaf mould, it holds a lot of water but, once the
limit is reached, the rest drains quite quickly.
Actually I stopped crocking because it was a pain separating it out
when re-potting

To crock or not to crock?
 

In article ,
Indigo wrote:

I've got several quite old terracotta pots that were given me by an
elderly gent who'd once been a market gardener. They all have single
good drainage holes and I normally put a flattish stone or a bit of
broken pot or polystyrene packing in the bottom, mainly to stop compost
falling straight out or washing through, rather than for extra drainage.

Yes, that's why you do it. A bit of broken pot is much the best,
as you don't want to seal the hole.

Saw this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-27126160
and wondered if I should really try something else - bit of old cotton
cloth or something? Used tea-bag?

This article from last year by biologist Ken Thompson is on the same theme:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening...otty-idea.html

It is they who are potty. Older pots had quite large holes, and the
soil loss could be considerable - indeed, if it were a sandy mix,
it could be near-total. Also, if used judiciously, a bit of curved
broken pot can increase the effective size of small holes.

Obviously, you can also block holes, especially when using flattish
items.

So do you crock or not?

When appropriate. But I also usually put a layer of lawn moss on
top of the crock (or bottom of plastic pots), which reduces mess
and increases drainage. As it also holds water, it is ideal for
the purpose, and I often find that the roots are thickest in the
moss.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

To crock or not to crock?
 

In article ,
says...

I also usually put a layer of lawn moss on
top of the crock (or bottom of plastic pots), which reduces mess
and increases drainage. As it also holds water, it is ideal for
the purpose, and I often find that the roots are thickest in the
moss.

Good tip, I'll try that

Janet

To crock or not to crock?
 

On 25/04/2014 13:11, Indigo wrote:
I've got several quite old terracotta pots that were given me by an
elderly gent who'd once been a market gardener. They all have single
good drainage holes and I normally put a flattish stone or a bit of
broken pot or polystyrene packing in the bottom, mainly to stop compost
falling straight out or washing through, rather than for extra drainage.

Saw this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-27126160
and wondered if I should really try something else - bit of old cotton
cloth or something? Used tea-bag?

This article from last year by biologist Ken Thompson is on the same theme:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening...otty-idea.html


So do you crock or not?




I don't crock all the time, certainly not in plastic pots with small
drainage holes, but usually in terracotta or ceramic pots with one large
drainage hole. I use shaped crocks rather than flat crocks, as the
latter really would impede drainage. When I run out of shaped crocks, I
put a layer of wine bottle corks in the bottom. These seem to give good
drainage, but are lighter. They also mean I can use less compost.

The only time I had a problem with crocking was years ago when I didn't
have crocks (hadn't broken many pots then!), so I used pieces of broken
slate from the garden. Of course this was too flat and blocked the
drainage hole. I lost the plant and learned the lesson.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

To crock or not to crock?
 

On 25/04/2014 13:11, Indigo wrote:
I've got several quite old terracotta pots that were given me by an
elderly gent who'd once been a market gardener. They all have single
good drainage holes and I normally put a flattish stone or a bit of
broken pot or polystyrene packing in the bottom, mainly to stop compost
falling straight out or washing through, rather than for extra drainage.

Saw this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-27126160
and wondered if I should really try something else - bit of old cotton
cloth or something? Used tea-bag?

This article from last year by biologist Ken Thompson is on the same theme:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening...otty-idea.html

So do you crock or not?

Use a small piece of weed-proof membrane to cover the hole. This allows
water through, but not soil. It has the added benefit of stopping ants
entering the pot through the base and excavating it.

--

Jeff

To crock or not to crock?
 

On 25/04/2014 20:49, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 25/04/2014 13:11, Indigo wrote:
[...]
So do you crock or not?

Use a small piece of weed-proof membrane to cover the hole. This allows
water through, but not soil. It has the added benefit of stopping ants
entering the pot through the base and excavating it.

Ah, now ants in the pots are a recurring problem for me so that's
another good idea to try. We have sandy soil and ants get everywhere - I
leave them alone unless they start coming indoors or make a nest under a
plant and cause problems, but this spring I found several pots I'd had
standing out over winter had been invaded by red ant colonies.

Thanks Jeff.

--
Sue

To crock or not to crock?
 

On 25/04/2014 15:04, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Indigo wrote:
[...]
So do you crock or not?

When appropriate. But I also usually put a layer of lawn moss on
top of the crock (or bottom of plastic pots), which reduces mess
and increases drainage. As it also holds water, it is ideal for
the purpose, and I often find that the roots are thickest in the
moss.

That sounds like a good idea; I'll give it a try. Thanks Nick.

--
Sue

To crock or not to crock?
 

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:49:06 +0100, Jeff Layman
wrote:

On 25/04/2014 13:11, Indigo wrote:
I've got several quite old terracotta pots that were given me by an
elderly gent who'd once been a market gardener. They all have single
good drainage holes and I normally put a flattish stone or a bit of
broken pot or polystyrene packing in the bottom, mainly to stop compost
falling straight out or washing through, rather than for extra drainage.

Saw this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-maga...nitor-27126160
and wondered if I should really try something else - bit of old cotton
cloth or something? Used tea-bag?

This article from last year by biologist Ken Thompson is on the same theme:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening...otty-idea.html

So do you crock or not?

Use a small piece of weed-proof membrane to cover the hole. This allows
water through, but not soil. It has the added benefit of stopping ants
entering the pot through the base and excavating it.

A few layers of old torn fleece works to stop soil washing through.
Can't comment on stopping ants, as that has not been a problem for me.

----

Gardening on Wilts/Somerset border
on slightly alkaline clay underlying soil worked for many decades.

To crock or not to crock?
 

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 15:04:43 +0100, Nick Maclaren wrote:

This article from last year by biologist Ken Thompson is on the same
theme:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening...ing-crocks-to-
help-containers-drain-A-potty-idea.html

It is they who are potty. Older pots had quite large holes, and the
soil loss could be considerable - indeed, if it were a sandy mix, it
could be near-total. Also, if used judiciously, a bit of curved broken
pot can increase the effective size of small holes.

The whole thing about a perched water table is on target though. But
certainly, if you use terracotta pots you need something (a bit of crock)
to keep the soil in. I don't; in plastic pots ranging from 7x7x7 to 35 l
(quite large) I use very free draining, practically soil-less mix, with
no crocks.

-E

--
Gardening in Lower Normandy