People keep putting succulents in glass jars with no drainage

I saw three posts today where someone's prized echeveria was rotting at the base because they thought the pebble layer at the bottom counts as drainage, so have any of you actually tested moisture levels down there with a finger or a stick before scrapping the pot altogether?

2 comments

2 Comments

king.aaron9d ago

Yeah, that whole "pebble layer for drainage" thing is a total myth. I actually tested it myself with a skewer in one of those jar setups and the bottom was straight up wet even with rocks. The water just sits in the gaps between the pebbles and creates a swamp zone where the roots rot.

derek999d ago

Have you ever tried sticking a bamboo skewer all the way down into one of those jar setups and pulling it out after a minute? I did that with a friend's jar last week and the tip was dripping wet even though the top inch looked bone dry. The pebbles just trap water underneath and create this humid dead zone where the roots can't breathe, so the only way to know what's really going on is to check the bottom moisture yourself before you decide the pot is useless.