Orchid Pots: How to Select the Right One for You
If you want to have healthy and beautiful orchids, then it is of vital importance to select the right orchid pots for them. Orchid roots have rotted and plants have perished because they were placed in the wrong kind of pot. There are a lot of different designs of pots available that are custom made for orchids.
There are orchid pots that have been designed to allow air to flow easily through them while other pots are created to be semi-transparent which enables photosynthesis to occur more easily within the plant. It is critical, however, to pay attention to the type of orchid you have, as well as the growing conditions it requires, in order to select the right size and type of pot.
Plastic pots, clay or terracotta pots, and basket orchid pots are the three of the most common types of orchid pots that are available. Here is a brief description of each type of pot, including their advantages and disadvantages, to help you select the right pot for your orchid
Plastic Orchid Pots
For plants that require a constantly damp growing medium, pots made out of plastic are the perfect orchid pots to purchase. You don’t want the medium your orchid plants grow in to become saturated with water, and plastic orchid pots have enough drainage holes to prevent this. If there isn’t enough drainage you can always puncture the bottom of the plastic pot accordingly to fit your orchid’s needs.
The main disadvantage of plastic pots is that the potting medium your orchids grow in tends to stay wet longer and doesn’t dry out as quickly as it would if placed in a clay or basket pot.
Orchid Pots Made out of Clay (Terracotta Pots)
Cymbidiums and other epiphytic orchids that can easily tolerate drought conditions grow extremely well in clay or terracotta pots. The great advantage of clay pots is that, along with the drainage hole at the pot’s bottom, clay is porous, which means that water will evaporate quickly from the potting soil. For orchids that don’t do well in an overly saturated potting mixture, clay pots are ideal.
If you want to grow your orchids outside, then terracotta pots are perfect because they are heavier than plastic pots and thus provide a much more stable growing environment.
Baskets For Orchids
Acineta Stanhopea, Gongora (with its pendant flowers), and other types of heavily-rooted orchids that like to sprawl, do extremely well in basket pots which are composed of either wire, mesh, or wood. These types of orchids need a lot of sunlight to penetrate their root systems, as well as good air circulation, both of which are important for producing the beautiful blooms these orchids are known for. Basket orchid pots are excellent providers of air circulation and sunlight.
But you are going to have to pay close attention to the watering needs of orchids in basket pots because soil in them tends to become dry a lot faster than in clay or plastic pots. You can find basket pots made from a variety of materials and in a number of shapes and sizes.
Plastic pots, clay pots, and basket pots all make excellent homes for your orchids. But it is always a good idea to know the kind of pot your orchid plant prefers to grow in before purchasing one, so do some research first. Each variety of orchid plant requires a uniquely different type of growing condition and pot. So make sure you take the time to find out what your orchid prefers before choosing between these 3 types of orchid pots.
If you want to learn more about orchid pots, I’ve put together a free step-by-step email mini-course that will give you all of the essentials of orchid care so that you can get started right away and grow breathtaking orchids every time.
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