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#1
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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 |
#2
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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. |
#3
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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 |
#4
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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. |
#5
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To crock or not to crock?
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#6
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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 |
#7
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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 |
#8
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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 |
#9
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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 |
#10
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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. |
#11
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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 |
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