Fixing An Over-Watered Plastic Cup

Plastic cups can make useful growing vessels (keep out of strong sunlight), especially for novices. Being able to see the compost is a distinct advantage and can be very enlightening. But what happens if we over-water?

Up 'till now, we've relied upon a pin-prick hole punched in the base of the cup. But this will only let out the excess water. If you remember, I showed you a way to remove even more water from the compost by standing a plant pot on a piece of absorbent material such as a kitchen towel. I know this looks a bit 'Heath Robinson', but it really does work very well (I recommend you keep a piece under all your pots on a permanent basis 'till you master the art of watering). However, it was little use on these plastic cups.

So I took a craft knife and sliced some larger holes in the base, so that the compost (soil in this case) can actually come into direct contact with the paper, which then acts as a wick. This seems to work fine.