Making my own pots, input needed

[ArronOB]

Hi. I was wondering recently just what the ideal shape for an orchid pot is, and whether I should just make some on a pottery wheel.

I know that it depends on what you grow and your growing conditions, but this is what I came up with as my fundamental requirements.

1. They must be heavy for their size and with a wide, thick base. Falling over is a big problem in my shadehouse so I don’t want the whole pot tipping over. Therefore I want them wide and flat. However I don’t want them so flat that the plant can tip over within the pot by simply rotating the root ball.
2. I want them to have straight sides so I can get the root mass out easily when repotting.
3. Lots of holes to get air to the roots. Also, lots of holes in the bottom partly to drain quickly but also to dry the thick base out to prevent cracking during firing.
4. Rough texture for roots to grip on to. I wipe them with slip (clay/water mix) when finished to rough them up. Unglazed too.
5. It’s fairly humid here, and I grow outdoors or in a shadehouse, so I water automatically and can do so as often as I want - so really there is no requirement for the pot to retain water.

So I made these ones in the image for a bunch of little Sarcochilus that need repotting. A bit of experimentation here, but the one with the height to diameter ratio that i like the most is the one in the front.

I’m interested in other people’s opinions. How would you design terracotta pots if you could have any shape that could be created by a very mediocre potter.

Cheers

[ArronOB]

Carrying on …

We all know that most orchids grow better mounted. Pots are a convenience nonetheless and I actually don’t mount much because it doesn’t fit with my growing space. But I was thinking could we somehow hybridise the two approaches. Perhaps a hollow terracotta cone, with a wide base, that sits on orchid shelving with the stability of a pot, with the plant mounted on the exterior midway up the cone. If it grows too high, just turn and fire a terracotta extension and drop it on top for the plant to keep on growing. Rubbish idea really, but there must be some good ideas out there. So any ideas anyone? I really want to hear other people’s suggestions.

I guess what I’m getting at here is the stability and space-saving convenience of a pot but getting the plants roots out of the whole medium/bark/sphagnum/whatever thing which is basically just poison for plants.

[Ray]

If you have the right conditions and watering ability, mounting on the outside of an inverted clay pot is very “doable”.

I wouldn’t both with the slip to increase surface roughness. On the scale of the root cells that “grabs the pot wall, it’s plenty rough. Here are micrographs of (Clockwise from top, left) bark, cedar slab, cork, and a terra cotta flower pot.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i like the design a lot- i would add intentional holes around the top for a wire hanger too but these are great

[Roberta]

Those look great! I use low-form pots a lot to give the bigger footprint for stability. (I can't find that configuration in terracotta, I use plastic but the same concept) That also means that you have the surface area for the plants to spread out without adding too much volume. One note.. the requirement for ease of removing the plant vs holes for air and roughness of the surface, are opposed to each other... roots will grab those holes.

Another advantage of a high area-to-volume ratio, repotting doesn't need to be done as often (as long as the medium is good) because there is more room for the plant to grow.

[Dimples]

I like the design too. I’d buy some if I found them at a store.

[DirtyCoconuts]

if i had the ability to make these i would KEEP the holes, use only inorganic media and expect to simply drop the whole thing it in the next size pot backfill and keep walking lol

[Diane56Victor]

First there is nothing mediocre about your pot throwing abilities. One of my A levels back in the UK (far too many moons ago!) was in art and my chosen area was pottery. I admit to having done nothing in the field since but I still recall the steps to get a required result, and the disappointment when things don't go right.

I agree with Ray and Roberta about the texture of the pot, I would experiment with making it as smooth as possible, smooth to us will still leave plenty of texture for roots.
Good idea from DC too about holes for hanging the pots. Just in case a spot is found for you to hang a plant, but another reason for someone to purchase from you if you intend to make these available to others.

I think these are stunning, congratulations.

[dbarron]

Yes, they seem to be as suitable as any pot I've seen. I would certainly love to try some if I could find them *lol*.
Good job.

[epiphyte78]

how i personally design my own pots is that i elevate the drainage holes so that there's around an inch deep reservoir of water. this seems to work well in my relatively dry conditions and with my relatively chunky medium.

it's actually the subject of my latest blog entry... pot optimization.

i got the idea around a decade ago from the huntington when i bought a dendrobium aphyllum in mostly pumice in a hanging pot with elevated drainage holes. the orchid seemed to do exceptionally well...