bonsai pots for orchids

[catherinecarney]

Hi gang--

Was repotting the houseplants for the summer last month and came across my stash of bonsai pots.....and they got me to thinking (yes, I DO think occasionally)--how well would they work for orchids??

Here's my thinking on this--orchids want air flow around the roots, and want to dry out relatively fast. We tend to pot them in relatively deep and narrow pots, which restricts airflow and slows drying. A shallower pot would seem (IMO) to allow a greater surface area which would allow more airflow and faster drying.

In addition, sympodial orchids (catts and such) seem to "creep" as the rhizome grows, often overgrowing the edges of the pot and requiring more frequent repotting. A shallower, wider pot would allow more room for the plant.

Finally, orchids in narrow pots tend to be tippy since the base is narrow relative to the height of the plant. A shallower, wider pot is inherently more stable.

So, long story short, I repotted some of my orchids into my bonsai stash--starting with my Bc. Maikai Mayumi (which had badly overgrown its pot and was cascading over the side) and my Den. kingianum (also in process of overgrowing its old pot). I also repotted an Enc. Reese Grazaffi (cordigera x Nursery Rhyme) since the root mass was huge....

I noticed several things right away after the repots. First, plants are far more attractive when out of bloom (amazing what a difference an attractive pot can make--my Den. kingianum reminds me of a dwarf bamboo) and they are certainly less likely to tip over. I am also noticing that the plants are sending out roots like crazy now that they are starting new growth--they have a wider area over which to spread their roots and they are taking advantage of it!

So, anyone else tried this? Any caveats I should be aware of?

Catherine