What Are Plant Liners?

Why Use Liners

• Liners offer many advantages to indoor and outdoor plants. If you fell in love with an amazing planter but it doesn't have drainage holes, using a draining liner allows the plants to drain into the larger container but not onto your floor. Liners also help when you want to put several plants in the same container; give them all their own liners, and you are better able to meet the moisture needs of each plant. Moving and swapping plants is a breeze with liners, allowing you to relocate the plants without disturbing the soil or roots.

Types of Liners

• The variety of plant liners means there's one for nearly any need. Plastic liners easily sit inside larger decorative containers singly or in a group. If you're looking for low maintenance, some plastic liners offer self-watering capabilities, allowing you to fill a reservoir every couple of weeks, and water is wicked into the soil as necessary. They're sturdy and long-lasting, and they work for almost any type of plant. Coconut coir liners are used most often in wire-framed baskets. These woven mats of coconut fibers help keep wire baskets and urns aerated and drained while providing a natural look. The fibers hold onto water to release it back into the soil when necessary while helping prevent root rot by letting air circulate.

Drainage

• Allowing the soil to drain is essential. Even plants that need consistently moist soil won't thrive when the soil is soggy. Liners can help with drainage. Line a larger container with about 2 inches of gravel and set the liner on top of the gravel. The water can drain out of the liner and over the gravel, keeping the liner from constantly sitting in water. Using coconut coir liners allows moisture to drain out of the soil and into the absorbent fibers, so the soil retains just enough water to keep your plants healthy.

Disadvantages

• While helpful in many ways, plastic liners can sometimes cause problems. If you place the liner directly on the bottom of a larger pot, the holes will cause drained water to be wicked back into the soil, keeping the soil too wet for many plants. There's not much air circulation in a plastic liner, which can promote root rot when conditions stay damp. Although coconut coir liners hold excess water and release it back into the soil, they only hold the water for a short time. The porous nature of the product means it can dry out quickly in hot or windy weather, drying out the soil in the process. You might have to water your plants more often when potted in coconut coir. Water can escape from coconut coir liners, dripping onto the surface below.