Tips & Care: Basic Tools and Equipment for Orchids (Part 1: Pots)

Few expensive tools are needed for orchids, but growers will need to spend their time, (not their money) making sure they have the correct medium and container to match to the orchid.

POTS:

There are many types of pots available that are suited for the culture of orchids but the basic choice remains: clay or pastic.

Most clay orchid pots are terra-cotta and often have additional drainage either as holes or slots around the bottom edge of the pots.  There are several individuals offering clay orchid pots that are decorative as well as functional and you may find these worth investigating.

The basic characteristics of an orchid pot are that it is shallow in relation to it height and has addional holes for drainage and root aeration.  Plastic pots generally have the same features, but the plastic retains moisture longer than a porous clay pot.  Additionally, plastic pots require specific rhizome clips and stakes that don't always anchor as well as their clay counterparts.  In either case, it is important to choose the type of pot based upon your other cultural factors, such as average temperature, air movement, frequency of watering, and choice of potting medium as well as the genera being grown.

Generally, temperate growers who have greenhouses tend to prefer plastic pots and a moisture-retentive mix such as fir bark or sphagnum. Subtropical growers, whose plants are exposed to the elements, tend to use fast-draining media, such as the aggregates and clay pots.  Subtropical growers, who also often grow their plants outdoors or in areas exposed to the wind, find that clay pots give a weighted, bottom-heavy aspect that does not blow over as easily as plastic.

Both, clay and plastic pots are available in a wide range of sizes from 2 inches (5cms) up to 12inch (30cms) and larger.  Choose the appropriate size to allow for approximately two years' growth.

Drainage:

Whether or not to use additional drainage material in the bottom of orchid pots is a continuing debate.  Many growers advocate putting some sort of drainage material in the bottom, whereas others prefer to fill the whole pot with medium.  Although the choice is ultimately yours, most recommend that you use drainage.  The argument against additional drainage material is that it does not really serve any useful purpose, and that it only provides a good hiding place for pests such as slugs and snails.  If you regularly bait for these pests, this is not an issue.

The purpose of putting pieces of broken crock in the bottom of orchid pots is to prevent the medium from compacting and blocking the drainage holes.  It also serves the purpose of providing aeration to the interior of the pot where stagnant conditions easily develop.  Indeed, certain pot manufacturers have created pots with drainage built in as upside-down slotted cones.  This consideration is more critical as pot size increases and becomes imperative when growing specimen-size plants.  Without drainage, the center of the medium in a 12 inch pot can become very dank.

Any coarse, inert, inorganic material can be used as drainage. Broken clay pots (sterilized), styrofoam, and landscape lava rock are all good choices and are easily available.  Lighter materials can help reduce the weight of large specimen plants, while smooth river rock can add stability to a top-heavy phalaenopsis or dendrobium in a plastic pot.  The most important qualities are that the material is coarse enough to provide adequate air space and not break down in the pot.

To be continued...