Stupid, stupid, stupid. Orchid pots
 

Well George, I dun it again.

You know when you have been beating your brains out over a problem that you just can't solve, and someone says to you "Why don't you do such-and-such?" and you stand there thinking "Why the (words deleted to protect the gently brung up and ladies of nervous dispositions) didn't I think of that?

I went into the garden shop today, to buy some compost for my non orchid plants, and saw this delightful black bowl that would be perfect for the hard canes, oncidiums and the like. Only trouble was, it was too deep at 14 cm, and I really, really didn't want to go above 10 at the very most.
I was discussing this with the guy, and he went thru his catalogue, but nothing. Then he asked why, and I explained I wanted a shallow medium, and he suggested a layer of gravel, at the bottom, but I explained that the particles would wash into it and turn it into a death trap. Then he looked at me and said "Why don't you put a false bottom in it.?"
I didn't know whether to weep at the fact that I hadn't thought of that, or rejoice that at least someone had.

Also the bonus is that I can put a terracotta brick under the false bottom so that if the plants grow tall, their Centre of Gravity won't be a problem when the wind blows.
On the way out I saw this cymbidium, and while I had promised myself that I wouldn't buy anything before March when the frosts are passed, I figured that since a lot of the wood is out of the woodshed, their would be room for one more.
I know it's a crap picture, because it appears that a chunk is taken up by my thumb, but the plant can be seen, and I can't be bothered to undo all the plastic seeting to get a better pic.
I know it houldn't be repotted just now, but the pot was almost bursting, and so I carefully eased it out and popped it into a bigger pot and lined it with bark without disturbing the roots.

It sounds like a win win came out of that visit. I would have wanted that Cym also, and at least they are pretty cold hardy. And good idea for the pots. A very worthwhile shopping trip :)

Commercial growers use Styrofoam peanuts to accomplish the same thing. What kind of 'false bottom' are you planning to put in?

This is the basic principle behind cache pots, but instead of planting the plant directly into the pot with the false bottom, you place the plant in its current pot in the decorative pot (cache pot). It makes it far easier to repot as the cache pot will not be involved.

This is the first, I bought one from the shop, as if it didn't work I didn't want to buy any more. I drilled drainage holes all round the bottom, and I found that if you cut the end off a terracotta brick that's 4 cm thick, a normal 30 cm plant pot saucer fits perfectly, and I can of course melt drainage holes thru that.

I am then left with a 9 cm deep container for planting in, which should be ideal. Do you think I need side holes for ventilation as the planting medium will only be about 8cm deep?

Plus, I can screw the saucer to the brick to make the planting more stable.

I thought that a layer of styrofoam pellets would accumulate debris, and be too lightweight.

Yeah, but I wanted a simple pot that was larger and would be all in one, rather than a cache pot.

I really like the saucer idea. I never would have thought of that but it's a very inventive solution to the problem. Good job.

I don't blame you for buying it. I bought 2 and we have had 70+ degree weather for 3 days now its pouring rain and 30*. I broke my promise too...no more orchids until spring...oops

Thanks. More coincidence, in that it was just there, rather than creative genius, I'm afraid.

---------- Post added at 03:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:27 PM ----------

The lesson always is, if you don't buy it and go back, don't expect it to be there.

We all try things out and if they work, fine. If not, we try something else.

What was wrong with the first repot you made? When you repot a Cym. there should be no more than 2" from the division to the sides of the pot. In my opinion, your new pot is the wrong size for a Cym. which has a very aggressive root system. I grow all my plants in standard 6"W x 7"H (1 gal) or 8"W x 8.5"H (2gal) plastic pots plus a few 3-gal for the very large specimen show standards. All Asian species are potted in tall, narrow pots. The primary differences are that all these pots have straight sides to allow for the heavy root mass a Cym. will develop. I use 14" terracotta cache pots with 3 - 3" pots upside down in the bottom to bring the level of the 3-gal plastic pot level to the top of the cache pot for the patio plants.

If you plant directly into a decorative terracotta pot, chances are you will have to break the pot down the road to remove the plant when it outgrows the pot. In any case I do not see the need for the saucer or for extra holes for drainage if you still want to plant directly into the new pot. After all your work on this remember: "The only reason we put orchids in pots is to keep them from falling over." In nature almost all are epiphytes , happily living on trees! :rofl:

Your pot would be fine for a small Catt alliance orchid.

Slight misunderstanding, I fear. I would never put Cymbidia in a bowl like that. As you say, they have a way bigger root mass and aren't epiphytic, and I put them in more cylindrical pots.

These black bowls are plastic, and are more for plants where a more shallow medium is desired.

My dumb moment came to me this summer and is waiting to punish me come repotting time. As I did what Cym Ladye was talking about and repotted into ceramic pots, ok what are "decorative cache pots". I don't see a good way to get my rather large Zygo hybrid out when the time comes other than breaking the pot, and it's a tall pot. :( Just repotted a Zglm tonight and had the wiggle the heck out of it to get out of decorative pot only to find I needed a taller pot to accommodate the roots! But since the main reason for repotting this plant was because it had sort of fallen over over the summer and the newest growth is up in the air in a manner of speaking I was just trying to get it slightly more upright. I just kind of jammed it down into the pot. I think it's too wide but not deep enough.

Ok, so I say all of that because in my limited time I've noticed plants stretching down into the "void". Case in point, another plant, a catt, I repotted tonight had styrofoam in the bottom. The roots had were all down in the stuff. Instead of creating a false bottom - and this wouldn't work if you don't have a decent supply of media you're willing to use - couldn't you put bigger less water retentive media like clay pebbles or large bark in the bottom? That way if/when the roots get down there it may just be to their liking... ???...

Yeah, but the problem then is that media pparticles will wash down and turn the bottom anoxic if I'm unlucky..

I like that pot, but I would use it more as the water tray with pebbles in it, and put a mounted phalenopsis or similar on a chunk of wood or rock. It would be like a bonsai.

That is, if it does not have holes in it already.

It has no holes.. That's an interesting idea.

I like that plannter/bowl for a number of reasons. It's a nice, simple shape, and the sides come up in a curve, and don't nip in. I've had to bust a couple of pots like that to get the plant out, so I appreciate a simple curve.

That's a great idea Optimist!

Bil that would present a problem now wouldn't it. Would it make much of a difference if you put a drain hole?

Well, I can certainly appreciate that a mounted orchid set like that could look very nice, but I think the average phal would swamp it. A minature might well look very nice tho and more in proportion.

I could envision a trio of mini orchids. I just mentioned phals because they seem ubiquitous.

Or mini Catts, I quite like the bonsai idea of that.