Making my own ventilated pots!

[Dollythehun]

Good idea, Roberta...as usual.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Good idea, Roberta...as usual.

Thanks Got the idea when I wanted a little float valve for my RO system... Home Depot sells them for swamp coolers in hot inland areas but doesn't stock them at the local store , nobody (or nearly nobody) has a swamp cooler near the coast. I could have driven an hour each way to the store that had them on the shelf, but postponed gratification for a few days and got them after a 10 minute drive, with no shipping cost. Much better.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Katrina, those are all spectacular! I am so jealous. I've always called those shallower pots "azalea pots." You're correct, they're hard to find.

As I say, if you widen your search away from the garden supplies, there are other shallow containers that would do.

---------- Post added at 12:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 PM ----------

Originally Posted by katrina

Bulb pans are just shallow, wide pots. The plastic ones are easiest to find but I did find one place in Central Ohio that has the clay ones...I drive 40 mins to get them. I have to put in my order early in the year or I end up not being able to get what I need...they sell out fast. You'll see a clay one in the pics below. Wide, straight sides, and much more shallow than the standard clay pots. I get my plastic ones from Kelley's Korner Orchid Supplies.






So right you are when it comes to plants that have a wider leaf span and/or those that tend to sprawl...like my maxima alba (pic below). However, for upright growers...the taller pots can save a good deal of shelf space. The pics are not perfect examples of what I'm talking about because these are my larger ones and once a plant gets to the 8" size, I try to use the clay bulb pans. But, my 6" and lower(Calistoglossa a great example)...I do tend to use the regular clay pots about 50% of the time. See example...the upright growth habit...I can fit more of those taller pots and w/adjustments made by filling the lower space w/something like a net pot...it makes for fitting more on my shelves.

Examples --
C maxima - this is a 12" bulb pan but if I had to use a regular clay pot, the actual leaves don't extend much beyond the pot so that equals less foot print on the shelf. This one is due for a divide. Upright growers work great in regular clay pots but, yes, you have to do something at the roots to avoid "dead" spots down in there.

C Bow Bells - also bulb pan but another upright grower

C Calistoglossa - upright grower

Ang viguieri - 4" regular clay pot and, it may not look like it but, that pot is chock-full of roots. It grows only a few from the base but they wind and wind around inside that pot - big, thick, fat roots, and they are kind of orange and warty. If it were in a shallow pot then I'd need a lot more foot print to house this on the shelf.

Those plants are great. However I would worry that packing them too close together would end up with broken blooms!

[katrina]

Originally Posted by bil

Those plants are great. However I would worry that packing them too close together would end up with broken blooms!

Thanks, bil and if I weren't so addicted then I wouldn't be crowded to the point of having to figure out ways to squeeze as many as I can into my limited space. I have taken over 2 rooms in the main level of the house and encroached into another room upstairs and there is no additional space to be had so, well, I gotta do what I gotta do.

Knocks on wood...I haven't had any trouble w/breaking flowers, yet. I'm more prone to breaking off new growths when I repot.

[No-Pro-mwa]

It is hard to find the right pots sometimes. Katrina your plants are beautiful.

[bil]

Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

It is hard to find the right pots sometimes. Katrina your plants are beautiful.

If you want really shallow ones, you simply can't buy pots that are 3-4" deep. That's why I suggest looking outside of garden containers for your needs.

[Evendozen]

Originally Posted by bil

Hey, anything except shallow pots...

I do believe you are correct! I only have Phals currently and try to make do with the pots I already have so adjust the depth if needed for the smaller plants if the pot is too large. In the wild their roots extend sideways.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Evendozen

I do believe you are correct! I only have Phals currently and try to make do with the pots I already have so adjust the depth if needed for the smaller plants if the pot is too large. In the wild their roots extend sideways.

With phals in sieved coarse bark, the depth doesn't matter. It's when you use fine bark, or worst of all moss or fine bark/moss. Then depth is vital, and potentially lethal if you get it wrong.

[Evendozen]

Originally Posted by bil

With phals in sieved coarse bark, the depth doesn't matter. It's when you use fine bark, or worst of all moss or fine bark/moss. Then depth is vital, and potentially lethal if you get it wrong.

Well that's good to know. I use medium size bark chips and it still stays moist at the bottom long after the top has dried out. That's the reason for making ventilation holes towards the bottom. Another good thing with wide pots is that they're more stable. Many of my plants are top heavy.

[estación seca]

A member of our cactus society buys ceramic containers at second-hand stores and drills holes in them with a ceramic bit.