what about Tree Pots for Cyms? -OR- "some Rascals always tryin to ice skate uphill!

[DirtyCoconuts]

So i will start this by saying that i am not a Cym expert, i have three.

I do not like the traditional Cym pots for a few reasons- they are very small, even the largest ones i have found look like they would need to be divided and repotted yearly; they are expensive, relative to what i spend on my pots in general, they are the more expensive side; they are not readily available near me and for some reason, the shipping is also quite expensive


i have some really nice pots that i am experimenting with now
good new pot for a big cymbidium?

but i cant leave well enough alone and i just discovered...tree pots

they seem to come in a range of sizes and materials but they are all very tall relative to their width and much cheaper than the trumpet flared Cym pots


anyone ever use these for Cyms. (or for anything for that matter)

https://www.ebay.com/i/252816036369?...8aAmgZEALw_wcB

[estación seca]

I use those tree pots for other kinds of plants. I buy them directly from Steuwe and Sons, but I need to buy in case quantities.

A well-grown Cymbidium will grow horizontally so fast that it would outgrow a pot like that in a year. In your conditions a standard 5-gallon black nursery pot should work fine for Cymbidiums. Take care sun doesn't heat the pot and cook roots.

[Leafmite]

You can be pretty creative with potting up orchids...any type of orchid. Buckets, kitty litter containers, Lego buckets, etc., can all be used if you need a really big pot. Just make certain it is very sturdy and use a welding tool to melt holes where you need them.

[Ray]

DC - consider a plastic bucket and semi-hydroponics for cymbidiums. Every one I’ve ever grown that way grew so well, I had to control them with a whip and a chair.

[DirtyCoconuts]

hmmm, that is a great idea...like a 2 gallon or more like 5 gallon?

the ones i have are huge and growing a LOT so i know i will be doing a lot of dividing even if i never get a flower...i have very high confidence i will...i have a really good grower behind me in this experiment!!

i think that i will most definitely be doing a bucket in the first round- Lowes has a sturdy 2 gallon that is allegedly UV resistant...

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Firehouse Subs sells very high quality emptied 5 gallon pickle buckets for $2.

[Roberta]

I have learned (the hard way) that very large Cyms are fairly impossible to maintain. They will tend to die back (make bare back bulbs) in the middle to the point that you do eventually need to repot them. The good new roots and the not so good old roots get entangled into an impossible mass. I recall, from very early orchid days, discussing the matter with a very dear man who is no longer with us... he described an impossibly large Cym that he couldn't cut apart, so he went to Tijuana , bought a couple of M-80's (such things not legal in California) ... one of them was placed in the middle... he claimed that the pieces did survive. But if you don't want to eventually have to resort to explosives, resist the urge to go bigger and bigger. I used to let the ones with larger pseudobulbs grow until they filled 3-gallon pots. I'm not as strong any more... 2 gal. is max and then they get cleaned up (old back bulbs removed) and divided.

[DirtyCoconuts]

E.S. you would think i was an employee with how many of their buckets I have and use- food grade with a gasket AND the money goes to local fire dept!!

Roberta- i am basing all of this on your tutelage and i am not going to go bigger than a 3 gal landscaping pot but the largest of the three will out grow that after next year easy.

i was thinking about using the 2 gallon plaster buckets they have for an experiment
down the line of course

[WaterWitchin]

I grow all Cymbs in semi-hydro, and they love it. Biggest is in a 13 gallon trash can, but it's a huge Cymb to begin with (bulbs are almost my fist size).

I find it easier to repot and divide using LECA, rather than bark.

[DirtyCoconuts]

That is a sure advantage.

I am going to see what this years growth does so I can estimate but I have 7 new growths on the big girl and five on each of the “little” ones so they will be out of their pots in a year or two max!