Where do you buy your liner pots?
 

Hi, it’s me again! I just got some slotted orchid pots from repotme and as you can see from the photo, they’re a good bit shorter than the other pots I have, and they sit too far down in my decorative ceramic pots. I’m having a really hard time finding plastic liner pots that are tall enough - the one I’m using now is 4.25 inches and the new ones from repot me are 3.5 inches I think. I’m getting super frustrated:( and now I’m wondering if I should just switch to those glazed ceramic orchid pots with the cut-outs and ditch the liners all together…

If you use a decorative pot for an orchid, realize that you may have to destroy it at repot time... roots wrap themselves around the slots and it is better to destroy a pot than a root. But my orchids aren't "decoration"... they live in pots (or baskets) chosen for the best environment for the orchid (so I don't even think about the aesthetics of the pots) You could use plastic baskets rather than pots if you must put your orchids into decorative pots. At least you'll get lots of air around their roots.

if it was me I would solve this problem by placing something inside the pot like the lid to a coffee jar for example. That would make the liner sit higher up in the pot...
There might be neater options but it's just a height issue really.

I actually did grab a little Rubbermaid container that was too small for anything and cut it in half. Props the liner up nicely, but I also wanted to see what else may be available that I don’t have to destroy tupperware to use 😅

---------- Post added at 12:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:57 AM ----------

Oh my goodness I didn’t even think about that! I never considered I may have to break the pot when it was time to repot the orchid. At least the plastic liner pots are cheap and easy to cut, but those ceramic orchid pots can get expensive and I’d hate to have to keep replacing them.

I mostly grow my orchids outside or in the greenhouse. When in bloom, I bring them into the house, at that point I may put them (pot and all) into one of those decorative pots. But out of bloom, they're not all that attractive so I keep them where they aren't on display.

I grow mine inside (I don't have any outdoor space) and I want them to look nice even when they are not in bloom, so I keep all my slotted plastic pots inside ceramic cover pots. When the ceramic pot is too tall, I prop the plastic pot using a segment of PVC pipe that I cut such that the top of the plastic pot is a few millimeters below that of the ceramic pot. For larger pots I glue a few segments together to fill the bottom of the ceramic pot.

I’m starting to think this is the easiest way around my issue. Thank you!

Always use the proper size container for the plant. Don't pick a too-large container just because it fits into the decorative container.

This is exactly what I do for the majority of my orchids. I can use the correct size pot for the plant and still use my existing decorative outer pots - way to go! Surprising what you can upcycle from the kitchen for this purpose - you don't have to cut into tupperware!

I generally get my pots from Repotme.com since I like that theirs have both drainage slots/holes on the bottom, as well as the sides, for maximum air flow. I do not usually put them into outer decorative pots, but if I do, it will be a terra cotta pot. If the plastic pot is shorter than the outer pot I put it into, I prop it up usually by using a small terra cotta saucer turned upside down inside the larger terra cotta pot. The plastic pots are usually narrower than the decorative terra cotta pot, too, so I keep it from flopping around by placing wine corks around the sides.

The roots of all of my Phals love to grow through both the bottom holes and the side slots, so plastic pots are usually, unfortunately, sacrificed at repotting time. I cut up the pot rather than break roots, though of course, a root or two usually gets broken anyway.

Those decorative ceramic orchid pots with all the holes are expensive, and while I think they're beautiful, I don't use them because I would never want to have to break a pot like that at repotting time.

Just use your imagination to come up with something to put underneath the plastic pot to bring it up to the height of the decorative pot. A small block of wood, packing styrofoam cut to fit, a few overturned shot glasses. As mentioned above, a piece of PVC pipe, an overturned jar lid. Don't cut up your good Rubbermaid containers, cut up a yogurt or sour cream or butter container instead. You get the picture!