question about repoting

[Itsironworker]

My Phal just got done blooming for the second time on the same stem so i cut back the stem and now i want to repot. I bought a orchid pot and need to know if i can repot directly in the new ceramic pot. im new to this so i hope this question isnt stupid. any help would be great.

[WhiteRabbit]

there are no stupid questions
I have one orchid planted directly into a ceramic orchid pot. For others, I generally pot into a plastic pot, and set that in the pretty ceramic ones

[Itsironworker]

do the ones you keep in the plastic pots grow as well as the one in your ceramic orchid pot cause i am under the assumption that it will grow better in the ceramic orchid pot because of the holes on the side

[mayres]

The plastic pots work great IMHO. Many of them also come with slits in the bottom and portions of the sides of the containers. You an always make more holes in them with a drill or dremel too if you like. I use both the version with slits and without and my phals seem to do equally well with both types. The ones with slits will dry out slightly faster and provide good air circulation - probably slightly "safer" in staying away from overwatering watering issues (?). I've not tried potting directly in ceramics as they are too expensive for large numbers - but as noted by other poster - put my plastic pots in them for show - you can easily rotate your blooming plants in and out!

[Judi]

Air circulation for the roots is certainly very important. Personally I prefer the plastic pots also and then I place some of the larger ones in a pretty ceramic pot with holes on the sides. I use clear plastic pots with slits in the sides as well as holes in the bottom, and I make sure there is plenty of space between the ceramic pot and the plastic pot. I only put really top heavy chids directly in a ceramic pot. Most of my chids are just in plastic pots. They are easy to clean (dishwasher) reasonably priced, and I keep a supply of all available sizes on hand. Phals don't like to be overpotted, so this way I always have the right sized pot. If you want to see what they look like, here is an example: Slot Pots

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by Itsironworker

do the ones you keep in the plastic pots grow as well as the one in your ceramic orchid pot cause i am under the assumption that it will grow better in the ceramic orchid pot because of the holes on the side

Well, the one potted directly into the ceramic pot is doing well, but I don't think I would say it's doing "better" than plants in plastic pots.
Mostly I have learned to consider the plants moisture wants, the media used, as well as pot type together.

The one I have in ceramic is a catt hybrid - the pot has lots of medium sized "holes" and the media is predominantly medium fir bark. My climate tends to low humidity - especially during summer when it can be extremely low. - so far this is the only plant I have been successful with in a ceramic orchid pot. Which just means I have figured out how to meet this particular plants needs while it is potted in this pot.

So - I know your question was asking about increased aeration - many commercial growers don't even use orchid pots at all, just plain nursery pots. I have recently used plain nursery pots myself for a few plants, and so far, so good. I have found skewers in the pots extremely helpful in determining when to water.
If I wish to increase aeration I either pot with an inverted net pot inside the pot I am using (I tend to rot phal roots, and this method seems to be very helpful for me with them), or styro pnut/s in root ball, and/or pieces of broken clay pottery at bottom of plastic pot before adding potting media.
Clay orchid pots are also a bit 'airier' than plastic.

I hope this helps and I haven't further confused the issue lol

[phalaephila]

Whatever pot type you decide to use, just be sure that the size is appropriate for the root mass; too big a pot may hold too much moisture, leading to rotting roots.

My collection has plants in both plastic growing pots or clay (with or without holes); I put plastic-pot growing orchids in decorative pots for display.

[Itsironworker]

thanks everybody for your help