You should know by now that plants require water to be able to thrive, grow, and reproduce properly. It is not like they are in the own category of special creatures in the world, even though they do have many abilities. One of those is creating oxygen by photosynthesis that is just done by them only.
Water is important for a plant as well, but that does not mean all of them can handle way too much water. Sometimes, water needs to keep running for a plant to continue its processes. That is what is called drainage and that is the main reason why some pots have holes in them.
However, some pots do not have holes, apart from the one above of course. That is because those are plants that don’t need drainage. Today we are talking about them, with some good examples to know and learn from.
Can the snake plant survive without drainage?
Starting with a plant that does not need drainage, we would need to talk again about the snake plant. Yes, again. So, can the snake plant survive without drainage?
This common fixture of a plant in some offices around the world does not require a lot of water to start with. This is very similar to the case of the pineapple, cactuses, and even the aloe vera that we talked about before.
These plants make their processes by using as little water as they can. They may have some spikes to take humidity from the air. In the case of the snake plant, the soil is the main source of the hydration the plant requires.
Better yet, you do not need to get a pot or container with holes to help with the drainage because they do not require drainage. As said before, they would require some water, but use as little as possible to help with their processes, without wasting any. This is especially important in arid environments like a desert or the air-conditioned dry air of an office.
Does cactus thrive without drainage?
This may be a silly question to answer but: Does cactus thrive without drainage? The short answer is yes. And in fact, the cactus is one of those plants that do not need drainage at all.
The cactus is what is called a “succulent plant” which does not mean is tasty. What this means is this is a plant with thick parts somewhere. These could be on their leaves, the roots, or other parts. And this is mainly because of how harsh the environment they usually are in is.
For cactuses, bringing some water inside can be done by the use of their spikes. These parts catch the water from the humidity in the air. This can make them endure large periods of drought in some circumstances.
When they are in your home though, the usually harsher environment they could encounter is in a room with an air conditioner blowing dry air. So, having wet soil without drainage is critical when planting a cactus indoors.
There are many species of cactuses that you can bring home. Like many other plants, you should do the research needed to give them the proper care and maintenance they require. This is important even when they do not require a lot, just like in this case. Neglecting a cactus is a very hard thing to accomplish. This is due to the plant’s natural ability to survive a very harsh environment that your home can’t even hold a candle to.
Can aloe vera survive without drainage?
We can’t end a list of plants that don’t need drainage with one of the most ubiquitous ones in the world. We are talking of course of the good old aloe vera. Can aloe vera survive without drainage?
These plants that can be found everywhere (seriously, everywhere!) function in a similar fashion as cactus and many other succulent plants. They would get water whenever and whatever means necessary, including the use of spikes and surviving inside of a pot without any drainage at all.
If you have cut aloe vera leaves, you have probably seen the amount of flesh it has inside, and how humid and sticky it is. This is water and all the components the plants produce because of their processes.
And having an aloe vera plant inside of a pot without any drainage can be done without much fuss. The thing that you should consider is the amount of water you would give to it when the soil is drying up. Too much water can’t go anywhere in a container like that, especially plastic ones.
The aloe vera is such a special plant to have at home because of the many uses and benefits. Even if you think that those spikes may look scary for some and can hurt anyone when handled improperly (it is not like they would eat a finger or something like that). Still, the good things outweigh the rather harsh look of this useful plant. It is also a good plant to gift to someone, given its many uses and the low maintenance practicality of it.
Conclusion
Wrapping things up, many plants don’t need drainage, most of them because of where they usually grow. And this would dictate how the plant would do its processes and how larger it can grow.
While desert and arid climates are very harsh environments for any plant, these can thrive and grow using another metabolic processes. One of these is called CAM or crassulacean acid metabolism in which the plant tries not to release oxygen until it is close to night time, just to not waste the water.
And that is good when they do not have soil with drainage. You can grow a nice example of a cactus or aloe vera by putting them inside of a container or pot without any holes in it. Even using a plastic pot could not prevent some of these plants to grow. But make sure to give them just enough water for them to be hydrated.
