Oxygen Core Dual Sounds More Like a Car...

[Chlorophile]

As I delve deeper into orchids I am starting to get somewhat overwhelmed, I sense I will posting here quite often.

My first question is, what kind of pot is useful for a beginner keeper of a M. tenuifolia? I came across the Oxygen Core Dual Pot and it seems like it would be good. Clear so I can see the roots and media, allows air to reach the roots but also keep them in a humid environment.

But then I see people growing orchids in old colanders and in upcycled car parts.

I want to have everything ready before the orchid arrives but my shopping list is growing.

[Roberta]

No need to get fancy with this one. I don't know how big your plant will be, the pot size needs to be based on that (over-potting leads to a wet, airless environment that kills roots) So choose a pot that is just a little bit bigger than the plant root system. You can go to a larger pot when the plant gets bigger. As mentioned before, it tends to be a rambler. so see what it does under your care, then the next time you pot it you will have a better idea of what you want to do. But I don't think you need a fancy air-core pot (they're designed to get extra air into the middle of the pot... if the pot is the right size for the plant, not necessary) If the plant comes potted, you can probably leave it in its pot for a year (unless the mix is badly broken down or it is something like sphagnum that many people have trouble with) If it needs to be potted, small bark is good. But it's easy to over-think these things. Focus on the objective - moisture not "heavy wetness", and air (which can be accomplished by watering so that it runs through the pot, then draining well before putting it on a surface so that it doesn't sit in water)

[estación seca]

You can grow in almost anything if you pay attention to watering.

People in humid areas tend to get better results with pots having lots of holes, and/or clay pots, so the medium dries faster. They also tend to do better with larger chunks of medium, for the same reason.

People in arid areas do better with fewer holes, plastic as opposed to clay, and smaller chunks of medium.

[Optimist]

I do not choose fancy-- for instance ornemental ceramic-- pots because in the end, you will destroy either the plant or the pot, and I chose to destroy the pot. Just a plain plastic pot, see-through or otherwise is a great choice. The roots do not stick to plastic, and it keeps the moisture in. Your talking a cost of maybe $1.50-$2.00 per pot. I have used Mayonnaise jars. I have used small acrylic cups (for small plants in semi hydro) with holes drilled about 1 inch from the bottom.

I am a sculptor, and being a combination of an Orchid collector and a Sculptor, makes me want to go and design "the perfect pot" for orchids. But in the mean-time, I am using random dog dishes, dollar store pots, picknick cups, and mayonnaise jars.

[Orchid Whisperer]

My M. tenuifolia is in a terracotta pot, roughly 4 inch diameter, with medium bark and chopped Sphagnum. It is huge (2 feet across) and blooms well.