The Big Mistake You've Been Making With Your Outdoor Potted Plants

There's no doubt that having lots of outdoor potted plants on your deck, patio, veranda, or balcony helps to create a more relaxing and enjoyable space. There are plenty of container plants that are perfect for your front porch to brighten up the entrance to your home. But if you've followed everyone's advice and chosen planters with drainage holes, and you should, you might find ugly brown marks under the pots if you happen to move them. Or worse, if your deck is timber, you may even discover that the wood beneath the pots is deteriorating and starting to rot. The big mistake you've been making is not realizing that excess water can become trapped under the pot and cause stains and damage. But don't worry because there's actually an easy way you can avoid this — pot feet.

When the water drains from beneath the pot, it will usually be dark-colored from the soil that it's washing through. This dirty water will then collect for a little time under the pot until it dries completely. The result of continuous moisture under your pot is a dark stain on your tiles or pavers which can be difficult to remove. Plus, any amount of water sitting beneath your pots is not good for the plants either and can cause the roots to rot in extreme cases.

Also commonly known as pot risers or planter feet, these seemingly insignificant little devices are much more useful than you might first think. While you may have occasionally spied a large planter sitting on some unusual feet, most likely you thought that they were just decorative. But these gadgets can actually protect your pavers or tiles by creating an air space under the pot that allows the water to dry quickly before it has the chance to leave a stain. They'll also stop your timber deck from rotting due to too much excess moisture for long periods of time. As an added advantage, the water can drain more freely from the pots and air can circulate better around the roots which is a bonus for your plants.

Pot feet can be invisible like these UFelice Solid Rubber Pot Risers (which look like small discs hiding under the pot) or they can be a little more decorative, such as these cute resin dog statues from Luckymeet. You can even get small platforms complete with feet to place under your pots. You could also get a bit creative and use items that you already have at home like wine corks, plastic bottle tops, or polymer clay. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that there are plenty of ways that recycled wine corks can improve the design of your flower garden. Or if you have some old bricks lying around, you could use those as well to raise your planters off the ground. Finally, why not repurpose flip-flops around your garden by making some whimsical pot risers from them?