Strategic potholes?

[irrka]

Hi!
I know that the usual set up with S/H is closed bottom pots with holes a bit higher up.
Since i have a bunch of regular pots that i could put inside closed decorative ones, i was thinking i could just water like that--the reservoir would be on the outside of the draining pot, the media would still be able to bring it up by capillary action... what do you think?

[dave b]

That would still work overall. One downside would be the reduced light at the roots. Its known that the roots of many orchids benefit from light at their roots. When doing S/H in clear or translucent cups / pots, you'll get this light.

[Pippin]

It works.

[Ray]

It's just an external reservoir...

Three "watchoutfor's", that don't apply to a standard s/h pot, because of the design.:

1. Don't overfill the outer pot
2. Dump the liquid in the outer pot before each watering
3. Periodically, take the inner pot to the sink and flush it with clear water

[irrka]

Thanks!
I'm confused though, if i wait to water until the level in the outer pot goes down (like it would in the internal reservoir) why does it need to get washed out? because of the evaporation issue?
thanks again!!

[Ray]

In a pot of my design, you fill the pot to the top and let it drain, which flushes the mineral residues from the medium.

In your scenario, you're basically just "topping up" the reservoir when you water, so evaporation leads to greater and greater buildup with no flushing, so you have to do it as a separate action.

[irrka]

Cool. thanks for clearing that up for me!