what kind of potting is this

[ArronOB]

I came across this image in an old eBay listing when I was looking for an image of an orchid of mine.

I don’t recognise the manner in which it is potted. Has anyone seen this before and can explain it to me.

CATTLEYA BLC.YEN 24 CARAT x RLC.CHOMTHONG FANCY Blooming size, Orchid Plant | eBay

I guess sooner or later eBay will remove the image and that will make this post rather meaningless. Sorry about that, I just don’t feel good about using other peoples photos, so have posted the link.

Cheers
Arron

[Fairorchids]

It is a round plastic basket with fairly large openings. This is sorta equivalent to growing in net pots (to provide high air flow around the roots).

[ArronOB]

I guess I didn’t make myself clear.

If you look closely at the pot you will see what looks like short sticks of aged timber, arranged vertically, inside the pot.

That’s what I’m asking about.

Cheers
Arron

[MrHappyRotter]

The photos are too blurry and low quality for me to really tell what's going on there, and I can't identify the type of wood/bark used. However, to me this looks like the orchid is planted in a wooden tube, either a hollowed out branch or wood/bark chips fastened together, then placed down into a net pot.

I don't think the wood used here is cork, but cork tubes are sold in certain parts of the world. They may be trying to emulate that style of potting.

The net pot may serve to help hold the bark into its tube shape. If there's potting media placed inside the tube, the net pot may help keep that from falling out, and the net pot probably makes hanging the plant a bit easier and more secure.

[Orchid Whisperer]

It does look like vertical pieces of wood in the pot.

As long as the wood is non-toxic and somewhat resistant to rot, I see nothing wrong with the potting method or materials. Obviously, good results.

I often use somewhat unorthodox potting media (e.g., wine corks).

[Roberta]

It looks to me like it might have started out mounted, and outgrew it and got dropped into a basket. I do that quite frequently. I often drop a plant, mount and all, into a wood basket - the roots love the wood, and so it's like a 3-dimensional mount. A bit of large bark is optional, helps to hold the mounted plant in place.

[ArronOB]

If you click on ‘Sellers other items’ you’ll see that this seller grows a lot of Hoyas. Most of their Hoyas are potted this way, though more usually it’s with sticks of tree fern rather then aged timber. Same thing though, sticks arranged vertically in the pot and about 50% higher then the pot.

I’m wondering if it’s some method favoured by Hoya growers, which they have adapted to orchid growing.they don’t seem to grow many orchids.

[Fairorchids]

Looking at sellers other items (specifically the Hoyas), it looks like there is a mix inside the vertical sticks. This might be how this seller adapts the commonly available baskets to hold a mix for those plants requiring more humidity in the root zone.

[Stella1979]

I've seen and purchased Dendrobiums potted in a similar manner. Don't like being the dissenter but I think we're looking at an aged coconut with the outer shell and husk intact and the actual coconut fruit removed. The husk wedges sort of smooshed together and roots live inside. Upon a close look at the listing's pics, I think I see telltale coconut hairs.:P

I can't be sure of course, but it sure looks a lot like the coconut husk potting I had on 3 unhappy Dens years ago.

[ArronOB]

Originally Posted by Stella1979

Don't like being the dissenter

Why not? Dissenters are the best. That’s how we learn.

Yep, agree, coconut husk is very likely. I don’t see any other potting mix inside those ones. Just a handful of sticks of coconut husk jammed into the pot like a stack of pencils. I still don’t understand the thinking behind it though.

I’m always interested in other strategies. You don’t have to think about it much to work out that the way we pot orchids is a disappointing kludge at best.

Imagine, potting a delicate plant in something which breaks down after a couple of years and starts killing the plant from the roots up.

Or if you use inorganic media then you’re using something that builds up toxins till it eventually poisons the plant.

There has to be a better way.