Large shallow pots - how to make them.
 

The huge problem with epiphytes is getting air to flow thru the medium easily, and the bigger the pot, the deeper the medium will be, and a small increase in depth will make a BIG decrease in air flow.

Nowhere, but nowhere have I been able to find shallow pots (ie 6 - 8 cm.) So in the end, I decided to see if I could make them.

Now, I really like these cylindrical pots. They are simple, and not top heavy like the more tapering pots. Plus, I worked out that with their slight taper, a cut and shunt job might just give me what I wanted. If you try this, it pays to measure very carefully, or you will end up with a lot of ruined pots.


Basically the trick is to find two pot sizes where the base of the big one will fit nicely into the top of the small one. You can then cut the top off the small, the bottom off the big and fix them together.

This pic shows the type of pot I like, a cut rim and base, and the end product.

I started out cutting with a hot knife, and then using it to weld them together. Expensive in gas, and a messy finish. Cutting with an ultra thin cutting disc is way better, and the second batch were glued together.

The problem with that is that the glue, or mastic, gets everywhere, and looks bad. Plus the base tries to rise up all the time, and you have to put the construct in another large pot and put weights in it.

Eventually, I went back to hot weld, but with a difference. Some of the smaller pots needed to hang, and I had to melt holes around the rim, and then I realised that those holes would weld the two pieces together quite well.

These pics show the various pot sizes, ranging from 15 cm to 30 cm int diam and 6 - 8 cm deep.

In the pic with the two pots, you can see the holes around the rim. You can also see the difference between the rim going on the outside (10 cm deep) and the inside (8 cm deep)

In the upside down pot you can see extra holes melted in the bottom. These are for the soft rubber coated wire ties. You pass a length thru the holes to tie the orchid to the pot while the roots form and attach.

and here is a planted pot with a whole lot of hard cane dens that all flower the same pink shade. This should look stunning when they flower again.

This pot shows what I do to stop plants sitting in water, but still be able to see when the water comes thru.

I use a large saucer, with a smaller saucer upside down in that and then the orchid pot sits on that. I water with a spray, and do so until the water runs out the bottom. When it pools in the saucer it then can act as a humidifier, but the roots are well out of the water.

Nice job, I have been looking for a shallow pot to repot my Coelogyne Cristata. It's not big but it needs a repot. I want to find a terrAcotta pot but I haven't found one yet. I might try this instead.

I'm impressed by your tenacity and ingenuity. And I think the end result is awesome. I don't think I have the aptitude or patience to replicate what you've done, though. Maybe I'll just place an order with you :)

Thank you very much. Trust me, it isn't that difficult. The trick is to work out which pots go together. I found the ones that worked best were an 18cm top with a 20cm base, a 25cm top with a 30cm base, a 40cm base with a 35cm top and so on. If you are just making one size, then obviously it doubles the cost of the pots. However, you can pull a bit back if you can use the top and the base of some.
tbh the cost is isn't that big, and it is worth it to get a shallow enough pot.
If you aren't up on the DIY, and it isn't to everyone's taste, then you can always get someone to cut them for you once you work out what you need.
Now that I have discovered that melting holes round the rim works, fitting them together isn't that hard either.

Could you post a pic of the tools you used to cut and join your pots? I'm thinking I may give it a try, but I am so lacking in knowledge about tools that I thought the names and a visual would help. :)

Have you tried a terra cotta bulb pan ?

Sure. I'll do it in the next couple of days.

If you want I can send you some, but postage would be a bit high.