Plant people get pretty heated about this one. I personally think it's a waste of time. It's not going to make much difference to your plant's health. You just don't need to do it.

I was intrigued though. So I decided to test it and see whether there was any effect. I weighed the water that came out of the bottom. I wanted to see if I could bust this garden myth with a simple home made experiment anyone could try.


Intro:
Experimental method: 0.22
Why bother with the test?: 1.07
Why do some soils drain better?: 2.04
Why is gravity and capillary action relevant?: 2.58
The Experiment: 4.21
Results: 5.30
Conclusion: 6.00

I've heard that it can cause the water to collect in the compost above the gravel rather than at the bottom of the pot. This makes sense but I doubt it will make much difference to the health of your houseplants.

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