Has anyone had success using those German pots with the water gauge?

[SunflowerJoy]

I am determined to grow my orchids the S/H way, but it has been rocky for me, and I managed to kill several plants using these pots.
I think that having them outside in 95- degree weather in those things actually cooked the roots.

I stumbled upon this site and Ray’s method, and am going to try doing it that way, but I am curious: is anyone growing orchids successfully in these net pots with solid plastic cache?

[Ray]

Certainly one can successfully grow in those pots, but it takes more attention and requires a different watering technique to be successful.

The first caveat is that you can overfill the solid plastic outer pot, and drown the roots.

Watering, in my opinion, is much more of a hassle because to do it right, you have to remove the inner, mesh pot with the plant and flush it thoroughly, then dump the contents of the outer pot, reassemble it, and and nutrient solution only enough to make the gauge budge. Merely "topping up" the reservoir instead of doing the flush process will lead to rapid mineral buildup.

For what it's worth, I grew all of my large, tropical houseplants in such pots, and didn't go through the every time-flush process, but those plants are far more tolerant of dissolved solids, and didn't get fed very much anyway.

[SunflowerJoy]

Thank you, Ray, for taking the time to reply.

So 95 degree temps not a factor?

[Ray]

No. The temperature is more-or-less "self controlling": If the pot is warmed, the water evaporates faster, cooling things down.

I have grown plants in clear S/H pots exposed to full sun, and never experienced an issue.