Clear plant saucers are important for your indoor plants. What many people don’t realize is that you do need to empty the saucers once they fill with drained water. Otherwise, you may risk your plants’ health. Let’s talk about plant saucers, when to empty them, and some options for removing excess water.
Why Use Clear Plant Saucers?
Clear plant saucers are made of heavy duty vinyl plastic to provide long-lasting drainage protection for your plants. The clear plastic matches every décor and pot, which people love. It makes them easy to match and reuse for different plants.
Plant saucers are essential for keeping your home in good condition with potted house plants. This is because water and small bits of soil need to drain out of the plant to prevent overwatering and to help remove soil waste. Without a saucer under your potted plant, this water and soil get onto your tables or floors and can damage your home. Therefore, clear plant saucers are a great investment for any house plant enthusiast.
When to Empty Plant Saucers?
A mistake many people make is not removing extra water from their plant saucers or hanging basket drip pans. They let the water sit in the saucer or drip pan and evaporate naturally. However, this could actually be killing your plants. Many plants actually die of overwatering. The roots of plants need oxygen just like our lungs do. If they don’t get oxygen, they can actually drown. Also, leaving your plant sitting in drained water exposes them to the many waste products from the soil, which can also harm your plants.
You should always empty plant saucers 30 to 60 minutes after watering.
Now, if you haven’t been doing this, then you need to look for signs of waterlogged plants. The leaves may look brown and wilted, but won’t have the crispy, dry texture if your plant is dying from overwatering. They also typically start growing slowly or may even develop blister-like areas on the leaves. If you notice these signs, you may still be able to save your plant. Avoid watering until the soil feels completely dry, simply misting wilted areas with a spray bottle, and make sure the plant has plenty of drainage. After a week, typically you can start watering as usual, as long as you don’t overwater or leave excess water in the clear plant saucers.
Tips for Removing Excess Water
So, how do you remove the extra water that drains out of saucers? Here are some tips that work for both saucers and hanging basket drip pans for your hanging plants:
- If you can, lift the pot up and take the plant saucer to the sink or outside to dump the extra water
- When pots are too heavy or it’s too difficult to take the saucer to the sink, use a turkey baster to suction up excess water.
- If you have a small saucer with just a little bit of water in the bottom, you can soak up the extra water with an absorbent sponge and wring it out in the sink.
Curtis Wagner Plastics – Delivering Floral Excellence for 30 Years
Since 1992, our team at Curtis Wagner Plastics has been designing and manufacturing a wide variety of plastic products. We offer many floral products, from plant saucers to floral boxes, as well as many other items to help protect your home from damage and mess, like paint trays and pet food mats. Discover the superior quality design and manufacturing we have to offer by calling us today at (713) 937-3784 to place an order!