Do you get sick of buying garden pots without drainage holes? Lately it seems that all the flower pots I love and wish to buy have no drainage hole, ugh! So I have finally bought the tools to drill my own drain holes so that I can use every pot!
For some reason I thought it would be hard to drill a hole in a ceramic pot or maybe not even possible. But after finding so many pots that I wanted to use but couldn’t, I decided that I was going to do it myself.
Now I cannot believe I didn’t do it sooner because it is so simple and easy. Best of all, I can now buy any pot I want! Drain hole or not!
When it comes time to plant, if you choose succulents, check out how to make homemade succulent soil. It’s a great DIY project, and is the perfect mix for your succulents to grow their best.
Tools needed to Drill Drain Hole in Ceramic Pot
- Power Drill
- Drill bit for tile and stone or glass and tile drill bit
Information on the Tools
A good drill is important so you have the power needed to properly drill through your pots whether they are ceramic or terra cotta. I have a Dewalt drill and it is an all around great quality drill. I currently have a Bosch Tile and Stone ½” drill bit that can drill through natural stone, granite, ceramic, and glass.
Depending on the size of your pot you may want a small hole less than a 1/2″, so it’s based on your preference. Although a 1/2″ seems to be perfect for most sized pots. A drain hole that is too small can easily get blocked by pieces of bark or stone in potting soil mixes.
If you’re worried about too much soil draining out of your pot with a ½” hole, I place either a larger stone over the hole, a piece of coconut coir plant liner, screen, or weed mesh, so that the water will still drain out but with no soil.
Picking out a garden pot is the fun part. Now you can pick any pot that catches your eye, because drain hole or not, you can drill a hole yourself!
The pots that I last bought, shown below, are all from Hobby Lobby. But you can find great pots from almost anywhere.
Checking out your local nursery is a great spot, Hobby Lobby, thrift stores, garage sales, or even checking out Amazon. You’ll be surprised by all of the places where you can find great flower pots!
How to Drill a Drain Hole in a Garden Pot
Step 1: Set your pot upside down so that you are drilling from the outside in. Be sure that the pot is set somewhere where it is secure and won’t move as you start to drill. Center your drill bit so that your hole will be in the center.
Step 2: Slowly begin drilling while applying just a bit of pressure to the top of the drill to keep the bit from slipping. Once you start to see a hole forming in your pot then increase the speed of your drill.
Note that it takes a little bit of time to drill through depending on the hardness of your pot. The average time it takes me to drill through is about 1-2 minutes. It’s not quite as quick and easy as drilling through wood.
If you feel like the hole isn’t progressing, try switching your drill to the hammer setting if it has it.
That will require you to hold your drill more securely but it will be easier to drill through your pot. I ended up using the hammer setting while drilling all the holes in my latest pots and it was much easier!
Step 3: Once you drill all the way through the pot, gently pull the drill bit back out.
Have Fun Drilling
I find so much satisfaction in learning new skills and doing things on my own. Learning new skills is always wonderful but especially when you can put them to use. So definitely try out drilling your own drain holes. It is so easy and well worth the time and investment in tools.
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