Pots too big??

[butterfly79]

I think I may have potted my orchids in too large of pot. My pots are 5 or so inches. These are the only clear pots I could get, no one has smaller. When I have watered the water runs through it really well but I can't see the roots on the bottom but I can see them through the sides.

Will they be ok? It seems no one sells clear pots around here and when they do it the same size.

[Call_Me_Bob]

pictures would help here, the pot should only be big enough to just accommodate the roots

[butterfly79]

Ok, here are my 2 orchids. What do I do now? I can't get smaller pots. To get them from the states is $25 to ship $2 worth in pots.

[WhiteRabbit]

If the pots seem too big you can place a small overturned pot inside

[CTB]

I don't see any foam for drainage, you could fill the bottom half with foam peanuts used for packing.

[butterfly79]

Is there anyway to tell if the pots are too big? Is there any major issue if the pot is too big?

I didn't put any foam because I have read some reports that say it's good and other's that say don't bother because it actually retains too much moisture and can cause root rot.

I would have to repot both orchids, would this not be stressful to them since they were just repotted?

[Ray]

I think they'll be OK.

• The pot is not too big for that size of a phalaenopsis.
• The bark is coarse enough that it has little chance of blocking the drainage holes in the pot.

That bark is unusual looking, as orchid bark goes. Usually it's in much more uniform chunks. Was it sold as "orchid" medium?

[PleuroPal]

I agree. I think they will be fine the way they are.

[butterfly79]

The medium used was Fafard pro Orchid mix. It's coconut husk and bark. Smells really nice actually. I wouldn't use anything that isn't suggested for orchids.

I was thinking of getting some charcoal to add.

[RosieC]

I was going to say I thought the mix looked like it had a lot of CHC in there (cocunut husk chip).

I have had some problems with larger pots, even if the bark/CHC is large grade as it looks to be. I think large bark would be OK, but the CHC holds a lot of moisture for a long time and combined with an over large pot has caused me problems.

The tip about putting a smaller upturned pot inside to reduce the volume is a good one. You can use yogurt pots or other small food containers. Make plenty of holes in them to allow drainage, especially down the bottom. That has worked really well for me when I couldn't get a small enough pot.