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Bro Science Myths - Crocks in Pots · Hydroponics Daily

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  Hi, welcome back to Hydroponics Daily and today we're debunking a myth in hydroponics
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  or horticulture in general.
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  It's a bit of a bro science one this one and it's the idea of putting crocks
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  in pots improves drainage.
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  What are crocks? Crocks are bits of
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  broken terracotta pot or they might be stones or
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  any large chunky item at the bottom of
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  a container and then you put your cocoa or your compost or
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  anything like that you're growing media down after it and
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  the idea that it provides an area where
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  water can drain through and through to the drainage hole
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  and it improves drainage you you might
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  do this because you've seen other growers doing this
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  you've read magazine telling you to do this or
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  maybe your parents used to do it they taught you how to to grow and they said
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  you know you put crocks in the bottom it proves drainage in containerized plants
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  it's not true it actually impedes drainage and the reason it does it is it just
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  think of a sponge a rectangular,
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  sponge and you fill it with water and you.
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  Lay it flat down on the side and it holds
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  a certain amount of water now lift that sponge.
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  Up on its side suddenly what just happens to the.
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  Water that was in the sponge it all drains out of
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  the sponge and there's not much water left in the sponge and that's
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  so when you put crocs in a pot you're basically making the
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  pot the container that sponge that compost far
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  shorter and far wider proportionally
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  and so you're making a big wide sponge now
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  if you think about a rose pot a long a very
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  tall pot very but it's very narrow rose
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  pots actually have amazing drainage because they
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  are like a sponge up on its end and
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  the water just drains straight out of them through the
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  growing media so if you want to improve the drainage of
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  your containerized plants don't go for
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  big wide pots go for the
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  rose type of plant pot so you'll
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  see them described as rose plant pots you when you buy roses they
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  always come in these pots these these plant pots and
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  they have amazing drainage because they're like a sponge and obviously crocs
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  that would make them far far shallower
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  and so it's a myth it's been proven scientifically if
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  you get a water meter and you fill up a
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  container with just normal compost and then one with crocs the one with the
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  crocs after being watered will always be wetter the only advantage perhaps could
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  be that it provides a let if you are growing in sources and you are allowing
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  the plants to sit in water in the sources, then the.
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  Then if the roots don't grow into where the crocs are, then maybe you can prevent
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  waterlogging and damage from the anaerobic conditions.
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  However, I would never do it. It's a waste of time. It's a waste of effort.
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  And actually, if I'm growing any sort of high-value crop, I always grow in rose pots.
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  And I pot up into rose pots, and I've got a good stock of rose pots.
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  And yeah, I'd recommend that rather than crocs, crocs in pots.
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  I don't know why they're called crocs. It's got nothing to do with the shoes or the crocodiles.
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  I guess it's broken containers, crocs. I don't know.
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  But yeah, if you know why they're called crocs, let me know.
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  And as always, this has been an inspirational podcast episode that you've took such enjoyment from.
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  Remember to follow so you hear other amazing episodes just like this one.
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  Until tomorrow, thank you very much for listening. Maybe we'll debunk some more
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  bro science tomorrow. Thanks for listening. Bye.