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Holes in the bottom of 16oz red party cups..

NickMode

Member
How many holes and how big should they be. Can someone post a pic or a diagram showing how the holes should be drilled on the bottom of red party cups?

Thanks
 
A

andrew415

Your soil is what needs to keep the moisture, not lack of holes, the more drainage the better IMO, You cannot screw up
 
R

Rood Spook

Take an Icepick or anything similar and poke 5 or 6 holes in the bottom of the cup,you dont need no picture or diagram bro.
 
N

NZjay

i cut 4 good sized holes.

Eee Zee!

hard to mess this part up mate. best of luck
 
P

Pandemic

Wow, these only have two holes, burned in with a soldering iron.



All worked out well.



Even these planters only have four.


BTW, They are Sour Diesel, can't help the stretch. 3" away from a 400W.

Pandemic
 

bounty29

Custom User Title
Veteran
I usually just hold a lighter to the bottom of the cups, melts a nice round hole, I make 3-5 of them, around the edge and in the middle.
 

clowntown

Active member
Veteran
Drills (with standard wood/metal bits) work great for these disposable cups. Nice, clean holes.

Soldering irons also work well, as others have mentioned. But the key to it is not making contact with the plastic, only melting using the radiated heat.

The thing about heat-created holes is that if you try to do too many, you might end up with a cup that's warped at the bottom and might tip over easily given the small footprint of the cup.
 
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G

Guest

I heat up a screw or nail head and melt holes, usually 4 holes at 90 degrees in the sides, just above the bottom/side seam. Melting is much neater than any other way IMO. Works on most any plastic pots, including my 3 gallon ones.

pedro
:sasmokin:
 

clowntown

Active member
Veteran
Melting is definitely not the cleanest or neatest way, as it slightly (and up to severely) warps the surface. It also can create smoke (from plastic), and something you want to be doing in a well-ventilated area or outside.
 

bounty29

Custom User Title
Veteran
I melt my cups, they stand up fine. Don't overdo it, we're not trying to turn the cups into molten plastic, just putting some small holes in them. Try it, if you put the holes in the right places the cups footprint isn't affected at all. I always got torn edges or plastic shavings with other methods, melting is definitely cleaner in my experience, minus the fumes.
 
G

Guest

A hint on melting with a nailhead or screwhead. You need to use a nailhead that is smaller, maybe half the size hole you want. Experiment with it. I heat mine with a propane torch till the head is red hot. Takes one second on a solo cup :)

The hole will expand quickly on thin wall cups like solo cups. You need to be careful till you get the hang of it. Much easier to control on the thicker plastic paint pots I use...and the black nursery pots.

I try not to snort the fumes :joint:

pedro
:sasmokin:

You have to look close but you'll see the holes. Enlarge the picture by clicking

http://www.mrnice.nl/photos/data/541/0214_ssh1_21.jpg

http://www.mrnice.nl/photos/data/541/0214ssh3_41.jpg
 
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GirthDogg

Member
Putting holes in the bottom of 16 oz. red cups is on the verge of making things too complicated. I use them all the time and never need drainage holes in them. The plants don't stay in them all that long anyway.
I'm not saying that it can't be of some sort of use for the plant, just unnecessary.
 
G

Guest

Heres a simple trick, fill the empty cup with water (no matter what the size). If it drains within 5 seconds of being filled up (cover the bottom with something else while you fill it), you have good drainage.

Larger pots can take 10 seconds.

If you make a practice cup and fill it up with soil, water it like you would a plant. Tilt the cup sideways and if water pours out in a stream then you have horrible drainage.

I use a bunch of 12 ounce styrofoam cups and cut about 4 inch long triangles in it. I also put 4 tin ones around the rim that are really small (mostly for oxygen).
 
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G

Guest

NickMode said:
pedro it looks like your roots are growing out of the cup :nono:

They were growing out of the cup. They got transplanted shortly after the pictures. They sprouted in those cups and were in there 15 days+-. SSH are vigorous growing plants. Trust me...they weren't harmed in the slightest. Those bitches are 4 feet plus now.

pedro
:sasmokin:
 

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