Better Than Rocks® - Planter Drainage Material - 16"x96" Jumbo - Cut to Fit Many Planters

Better Than Rocks came to the rescue to solve my planter problem. I wanted to set pots of annuals inside the tops of my two tall, skinny planters without removing the flowers and actually planting them. I cut a section of Better Than Rocks from the jumbo roll and wrapped it around each pot then inserted them in the planters. The wrapped pots fit snuggly inside and aren't going anywhere until I'm ready to change out the flowers. Plus, the planters aren't filled with heavy soil and can be moved if needed, and I avoid the mess of digging out the flowers when it's time to change. I only used about half of the jumbo roll for this project and have plenty left over for future needs. A versatile and cost effective solution that I wasn't able to find with any other product. Thanks!

Excellent product!! It really does lighten the weight of planters, while filtering, too, leading to excellent plant growth!!I initially bought 2 rolls, directly from the manufacturer, and was able to cut enough to place 2 layers each in 12 10" pots, by carefully drawing an outline & cutting -- these rolls can go a long way with careful planning. Better Than Rocks is ~2" high and my usual scissors were not strong/sharp enough to cut through this dense plastic mesh. I found that kitchen shears (the type which separate into 2 pieces) worked well, because I could use a sharpening steel after cutting 1-2 rounds, thus maintaining the sharpness of the shears to keep cutting through.These layers compacted a little when soil was placed atop -- but I was amazed at how much lighter the planters were when filled!! Also, Better Than Rocks acts as a filter, so less soil seeps through the planters -- and I have noticed less staining on my deck.Later, I bought another roll from Amazon (Unbeatable Sale, specifically; this took days longer to arrive), and have been able to cut liners for 16" planters, which are tapered at the bottom, so the 12" width of Better Than Rocks also fit for those. Since I wanted more than 1 layer, I placed a single ~12" layer at the bottom, then added several cut-up pieces, finally placing soil atop this, and it worked well. Better Than Rocks is so expensive that it was good to use all remnants, so nothing has gone to waste.All the flowers in the planters are growing nicely, so Better Than Rocks seems to promote drainage as expected.This product is made in Canada.I have difficultly lifting because of shoulder injuries and this has allowed me to continue gardening in planters without too much help. Overall, I am VERY pleased with every aspect of this product, except the price, but it is so helpful I have overlooked that.

I've used this product before. It works well for large, heavy pots to lighten them up and help you not use so much potting soil. Then, it's possible for me to move my patio pots. Plus, this keeps the soil inside your pot, and helps keep your plant from rotting if it ever gets overwatered. I've tried other stuff - styrofoam peanuts, weed fabric, pea gravel, expanded shale, Ups-a-Daisy discs, etc. - but this can be custom fit to your pot, multiples can be layered, you can reuse it, and this roll is a better price than I'd found before. I'd suggest only adding this to larger pots that you will have a hard time moving. For me that's 7-gallon or larger. Or, heavy clay pots. Be careful with smaller, shallow pots because you risk plant roots growing into and through the BTR medium. It doesn't seem to hurt the plant at all but I had to rip the roots out of the BTR when repotting. See my last 2 pics of my Amaryllis. CUTTING BTR - it's not easy to cut. I emailed BTR and they suggested regular scissors, but that didn't work well for me. This stuff is scratchy and spun, similar to those 3M Scotch Brite Heavy Duty Scouring Pads (https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Duty-Scour-Pad-Pack-Set/dp/B007IJNY8G/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3TOW4JBWY3V3I&keywords=scotch+bright+heavy+duty+pad&qid=1647400664&sprefix=scotch+bright+heavy+duty+pad%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-5) and I didn't want to use my good pruners. So, I experimented and found my sewing rotary cutters and cutting mat worked very well. I traced the pot's base onto the BTR with a Sharpie and then cut with the rotary cutter and mat. From the 16x96inch roll I got: 6-8inch rounds, 6-12inch rounds, 4-8inch squares. So, that makes this about $4 per square foot. The BTR 2-pack is about $11 per square foot. So, this roll is cheaper but you have a bit of a project to get the shapes and sizes you want. Definitely not cheaper than rocks!

This stuff is great! A little spendy, but it really makes a difference in the weight of the finished planter, and it's much less messy than styrofoam peanuts, etc., and rocks are so darn heavy and add so much weight. I would definitely buy this again. I've put it in several pots (2-3 layers deep) and still have leftovers. Great find!

From the photo it makes it look like its thick and would fill half a large pot. There is just not enough to fill larger pots. You could probably do smaller pots. I would have to buy 2 rolls for each pot I want to use it for. I will not pay that much so will have to find other filler.

In the past I used Styrofoam peanuts & pinecones in my whiskey barrel which became a nightmare when I wanted to change the potting soil. BETTER THAN ROCKS is light weight, easy to cut to fit the barrel, water runs thru it, & manageable.

Pots are so much lighter and easier to move around. Plan to use it often.

I can cut to fit as bottom lining for hydroponic pots filled with coconut cuir. No escapibg clay balls anymore! Scraps get used too, zero waste. Excellent drainage. Light weight, easy to store. Washable, reuseable.