POTS, with holes or without?

[mnoor]

Hi,

I am a newbie and wondering which is better for phals in pot. Presently they are individually in a clear plastic pot.

The time will come when they need to re-pot. Being a beginner, I am a little bit lost and sometimes confused with so many info available in the net.

Which will be better, a phal pot with air holes at its sides or without?

[Jkelee]

Hi there, My chids have lots and lots of holes or Slits in there pots!! If they come with out holes, I make them with a drill or a knife.

Or mount them!! They love that

Good luck with your babies!

[mnoor]

Originally Posted by Jkelee

Hi there, My chids have lots and lots of holes or Slits in there pots!! If they come with out holes, I make them with a drill or a knife.

Or mount them!! They love that

Good luck with your babies!

Thank you for the prompt reply.

Unlike other type of orchids, the phal pots at the florists in clear pots are without holes at its side but I believe there might be some at its base for water to sip thru (I didn't check this).

I am curious abt this matter.

[camille1585]

I find that the normal clear pots with just bottom drainage holes work fine, as long as the medium is nice and airy to allow for air circulation. That being said, my climate is not very humid, so the medium dries out very quickly anyways. I also use pots with slits in the side, but only if the plant came with a pot like that. Standard clear pots are so difficult to find that I can't be picky about side holes! I buy what I find.

[priz_m]

mnoor welcome to the OB!

The thing with phals is they usually come in sphagnum moss that is packed very tightly and usually holds lots of moisture for long periods of time harming the roots to the point they rot. Personally I over watered my first phal to death, literally.

Clear pots with holes are the best because
a) you get to see the roots through the pot
b) the holes and/or slits allows for the water to flow through preventing your orchid from sitting in water longer than it has to.

I would make sure the phal is potted in media that allows air flow, sphag is ok, as long as is not too compacted, you can try bark, charcoal, perlite or a mix. My phals are in bark, LECA (Expanded clay pellets) and a layer of sphag on the top, right at the rim, so far so good, but everyone has their own favorite.

I advise you to stick to the clear pots with holes and to make it look pretty slip it in a decorative pot. you can take the plastic one out to water and then back to the pretty one.

Hope this helps

[mnoor]

Thank you so much camille and priz_m.

I will stick to the clear plastic. Maybe I will DIY slits for better air circulation for the phals.

I have been to several florists at my area, but couldn't find any perlite. Will it be o.k., if I used spag, LECA , charcoal and coconut husk chips as the medium for my phals?

[magicatt]

Your mix sounds good and airy to me. It should be fine.

[Blueszz]

I deal with the same climate as Camille. For plants with a small/not healthy root system (rescues, drown by family members) I prefer pots with holes on bottem *and* sides. When possible, clear pots, gives me more controle. Sometimes I drill the side holes myself. For me it's very obvious that side holes provide more air flow and that the medium will dry faster. Especially in this time of they year this is something I appreciate with some plants.

[priz_m]

Originally Posted by magicatt

Your mix sounds good and airy to me. It should be fine.

Ditto! Keep us posted

[mnoor]

Thanks to all and will do the mix as mentioned. Will give feedback after the result has been known.