Yes. Drainage holes are essential for the vast majority of houseplants. Without drainage holes, excess water accumulates at the base of the pot and cannot escape after watering. This creates a persistently waterlogged zone around the roots, leading to oxygen deprivation and root rot. The roots in the saturated lower zone die and decay, and the rot progresses upward through the root system.
For tropical houseplants, which require their roots to have access to both moisture and oxygen, a pot without drainage is a significantly compromised growing environment. The exceptions are aquatic plants and a small number of highly adaptable species used in sealed terrarium setups, but for all standard houseplants, drainage holes are not optional.
Why Drainage Matters for Root Health
Roots need both water and oxygen. In well-draining compost in a pot with drainage holes, watering flushes the compost and the excess drains away, leaving the compost moist but with air spaces throughout. Between waterings, the compost dries further and air returns to the root zone. Roots in this environment have consistent access to both water and oxygen, which supports healthy function and growth.
In a pot without drainage, there is no mechanism to remove excess water. The bottom of the pot becomes permanently waterlogged, and the roots there are deprived of oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria thrive in these conditions and attack the roots. The rot typically begins at the base and progresses upward, and by the time symptoms appear at the leaf level the root damage is already significant. See our guide on what root rot is and how to treat it.
Using Decorative Pots Without Drainage Holes
Decorative pots without drainage holes are widely used as outer cache pots. Grow the plant in a plain plastic nursery pot with drainage holes that sits inside the decorative pot. After watering, wait 30 to 60 minutes and then empty any water that has collected in the outer pot.
This creates a reservoir at the base that separates the root zone from standing water.
The Gravel Drainage Layer Myth
A persistent piece of gardening advice is to place a layer of gravel or stones at the base of a pot without drainage holes to "improve drainage." Research and practical experience consistently show this does not work as intended. Due to the physics of water movement in soil (the concept of a perched water table), adding a coarser layer below the compost actually causes the compost above it to retain more water, not less: water does not move from finer to coarser material until the fine layer is saturated. A gravel layer in a pot without drainage holes creates a flooded reservoir at the base faster than compost alone would. The cache pot method or growing in a pot with actual holes is always more effective.