Friends bought echiverias and want to plant in funkie containers.
Is it true the container doesn't need a drainage hole ?
They are looking at garage sales and flea markets for china bowls and etc.

Jo Ann if they don't have drainage holes you have to be very careful when watering and if they're outside in the rain it can fill up and stay filled with water, succulents would rot very quickly in that situation. However they could pave the planter on its side for drainage or place a smaller pot inside the one with no holes

Thanks Greg, I figured they needed so little water none would accumulate.

Only if they're in the weather
I tend to water heavier than needed do i prefer holes in the pots

Check !!

It takes a lot of care to grow Echeverias with no drainage. I've killed many of them, and am just getting a handle on them. I swear they can live on misting only. Every time I think I've given it a very little bit of water, they rot.

Always with drainage for any succulents. So easy to rot the roots. Depending on your outdoor temps, some echeverias may even go somewhat dormant when temps soar too high, so if one is not aware of that and watered, then the possiblity of overwatering is much higher. Plant not actively growing and sitting in moist media, and not able to flush out water quickly, a real recipe for root rot. At the same time it is better to water thoroughly till water drains out, that way accumulated salt is getting flushed out as well.

Yes, the holes are vital. You can drill them in some containers, or you can nest a pot with holes inside the other container (removing it when necessary to water). During active growth, your Echeverias will enjoy it when the soil goes fully moist (to saturation) and then has a chance to dry out most or all of the way before they get water again. Without holes, there's no way to flush, so salt will build up in the container over time.

The plants may look cute in a little teacup or whatever, but if you're interested in their long-term survival then find a way to water them well, so that water exits the bottom of the container. And use an airy, quick-draining mix so that it dries out relatively fast afterwards, which helps with the watering and reduces the risk of rot. In our mild climate, given this care and a lot of light, I do not have rot problems with my Echeverias.

Great topic of echeverias and containers, but shouldn't this thread be in the Container forum?

Thank you everyone for your input.
Bev. It was the echeveria needs that I was looking for.

This friend is a young working woman who lives in an apt. I doubt she has room outdoors for her plants..

I like to use all types of recycled containers but I do drill holes in them. If you can't drill you should put a few. Inches of small stones in the bottom of the pot .

Ed, It all depends on what type of planr I would think.
I have put a deeper amount of stones in a closed planter. You still need enough room left for pot mix that will allow root growth.

Nothing is going to grow well in a bathtub. Even pure water will get "rotty" at the bottom of a container eventually. Water anything when it needs it, but leave an escape hole...