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Plant pot no drainage holes: cache pot, rain, or drill

Updated: 22 October 2026

Plant pot no drainage holes usually starts here: the saucer is in the box, and the peace lily is already sitting in water. That pot is not a planting pot unless you drill it, and a tray is not evidence that the base is open. The Royal Horticultural Society treats a hole as essential where compost sits. The [flower pots comparison](/hub/plant-accessories/flower-pots) flags two sealed listings: B2C and Straame. This page is that one problem. Peter F. used the listings, UK reviews on amazon.co.uk, and public UK notes. We did not drill these pots. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

Plant pot no drainage holes usually starts here: the saucer is in the box, and the peace lily is already sitting in water.

Our top picks

SG Traders SG Traders (30 cm pair)

Best overall

SG Traders SG Traders (30 cm pair)
8.8/10about £19.99
View offer
Straame Straame (50 L)

Alternative

Straame Straame (50 L)
7.9/10about £13.99
View offer
B2C B2C (30 cm)

Alternative

B2C B2C (30 cm)
7.7/10about £11.87
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A saucer is not a hole
  2. 2.Cache pot indoors
  3. 3.Rain and the 50 L barrel
  4. 4.Drill or return

A saucer is not a hole

A saucer catches what leaves a hole. It cannot create one. B2C’s 30 cm graphite pot is about £11.87, 4.2 from 2,394 reviews, with a saucer and Has Drainage: No. Buyers still treat the missing holes as the main fault, which is a reading of the photograph rather than the spec. Straame’s barrel is about £13.99, 50 L, 4.5 from 1,147 reviews, watertight until you drill. LE TAUCI has a hole, a plug and mesh. If the plug stays in, you have closed the hole. Garden Ninja’s UK note is blunt: a pot without holes should not sit in the rain as a planter. Hortology’s houseplant note is the indoor counterpart: keep the grow pot and empty the outer shell. Saucer included is a drip tray. Has Drainage: Yes is a hole. Drill your own holes is a sealed pot sold honestly.

Cache pot indoors

Indoors, a sealed pot is a fair use if you treat it as a cache pot. Leave the plant in a nursery pot that already has holes, drop that pot into the shell, then empty the shell until it is dry. Hortology’s method is that simple. B2C is already that shell at 30 cm. The saucer is a drip catch for the inner pot, not proof the graphite pot drains. A houseplant left in a full outer pot for a week is how you get sour compost and fungus gnats. LE TAUCI can be the planting pot if you take the plug out and put a plate underneath. Leave the plug in and the wood floor is the next place the water goes. A cache pot is the wrong answer on a patio that takes rain.
SG Traders SG Traders (30 cm pair)

Testsieger

SG Traders SG Traders (30 cm pair)
8.8/10about £19.99
View offer

Rain and the 50 L barrel

Rain does not wait for you to empty a tray. A sealed pot outdoors is a bucket. Garden Ninja’s line is not to use outdoor pots without holes as planters. Pot feet and a winter saucer taken off only help if water can leave in the first place. Straame is the 50 L version of that problem. UK texts like the size for trees, bamboo and a water feature. As a water feature, a sealed barrel is the spec. As a planter, you drill, or you drop a smaller holed pot inside and still manage overflow. The 39 g weight field is not a usable empty weight. Wet compost in 50 L is the load. SG Traders, Garden Superstore and Fyne-Finds already have holes. A holed pot in a deep winter saucer is a sealed pot by another name.

Drill or return

Drilling a plastic pot is a use of the goods. UK reviews on Straame and on B2C describe bases that split. There is no British Standard in this file for how to drill a planter. If you drill, support the base, start small, and stop if the plastic whitens. You accept the split risk. The Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22, gives you 30 days from the day after delivery to reject goods that are faulty, misdescribed or unfit. A disclosed line that there are no pre-drilled holes is not a hidden defect. A cracked arrival can be. After you drill, a later reject is harder, because drilling looks like use. The flower pots buying guide is the check you wanted before the click.

Common questions

Do all flower pots need holes?
A planting pot does. The RHS treats a base hole as essential in a container that holds compost. A cache pot does not, if you keep an inner pot and empty the shell. A water feature does not. The job decides, not the word pot on the title.
Can I use a pot with no holes indoors?
Yes, as a cache pot. Keep the nursery pot, water, and empty the outer pot so the plant is not standing in a reservoir you never planned. B2C is sold for that decorative job once you read the bullets. A full outer pot left for a week sours the compost.
Can I use a pot with no holes outside?
Not as a planter in the rain. A sealed pot outdoors fills in an hour. Garden Ninja’s UK note is not to use outdoor pots without holes. Straame as a water feature is a different use from Straame as a tree tub.
How do I drill a plastic pot without splitting it?
Carefully, and without a promise. UK reviews on Straame and B2C already include split bases. Support the base, start with a small bit, and accept that some pots still tear. If you need holes on day one, buy a listing that already has them.
Why does B2C include a saucer?
Because a saucer is a drip tray, not a drainage system. The bullets disclose no holes. The saucer is consistent with a cache pot. It is misleading only if you read the photograph as proof that the base is open.
Is Straame a water feature or a planter?
The listing supports both readings: a 50 L sealed barrel that you can drill. UK texts use it for trees, bamboo and a water feature. You choose. The spec does not choose for you. The 39 g weight field is not a usable empty weight.
Can I send it back after I drill it?
Section 22 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is a 30-day reject right for faulty, misdescribed or unfit goods. Drilling may count as use. A disclosed sealed pot is a weak reject once you have holed it. Photograph a hidden sealed base before you touch a drill.

Related pages

How to plant a pot

Flower pots

Best plant pots UK: one listing for each job in this set

Plant pots with drainage: what to check before you buy

Indoor vs outdoor plant pots: rain, frost and a balcony

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these twelve listings. Last checked 19 October 2026.

  1. RHS: Growing plants in containers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. RHS: How to plant up a container (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. RHS: How to water containers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RHS: Roof gardens and balconies (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. RHS: Peat-free tips for gardeners (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. BBC Gardening: Plant up a container (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)