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  1. Home
  2. Outdoor

Why you should add charcoal to your pot plants

Keep your plants happy! - by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
  • 03 Apr 2018

Overwatering is one of the easiest ways to kill an indoor plant.

Most plants don’t like water-logged soil as the roots are susceptible to rot, fungus and bacteria, so it’s vital that you provide decent drainage.

You can keep your plants happy by using pots with drainage holes, or by adding a layer of rocks and gravel to the bottom of the planter. This directs water away from the roots of the plant.

Why you should add charcoal to your pot plants
Getty images

You can also keep your plants healthy by adding a layer of horticultural charcoal to the pot or planter. This absorbs excess water from the roots of your plant and keeps the soil “sweet” by guarding against bacteria, fungus and rot. It also helps to eliminate odours, and is particularly effective in terrariums.

You can find horticultural charcoal at garden centres and nurseries.

  

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Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
Rebecca Lowrey Boyd is a former magazine editor and the founder of Wee Birdy, one of The Sunday Times’ Top 50 Blogs in the World. A design nerd and bird enthusiast, she can usually be found poring over Pinterest, knee-deep in Bunnings or sticky-beaking at modernist homes in Sydney’s bushburbia.

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