Perforated Clear Plastic Pots

[RayB]

I recently purchased a Phal. in a perforated clear plastic pot with a raised hump in the middle. When I repotted the plant the roots looked fairly healthy and green.
I was wondering if this would be a good way to prevent overwatering, as I suspected in my post about "Rotted Roots".
would anyone like to share their experience, pro or con, regarding this type of pot for growing phals?

[Joan]

If your phal is looking healthy in this pot then I would say it is a good pot for this orchid and would recommend continuing to use it. I have phals growing successfully in both clay and plastic
pots such as you describe.

[adelia2010]

Hi RayB,

I would definately recomend these pots. The clear plastic does something to the roots that make them a beautiful green and healthy. I think it has something to do with photosynthesis. I grow most of my phals in clay or clear plastic pots, what I like about the clear pots is I can see what is happening to the roots. If I see signs of pest or rot, I can do something about it before I lose the plant.

Hope this helps.

[Marci in SoFL]

I have also had success with clear plastic pots with bottom drainage for phals.

[Alice-NJ]

One thing you can do to regular pots is put packing peanuts in the center of the root ball, which allows air to the center and the roots won't go to mush.

[Suzanne T]

Thank you all for this advice, and thank you RayB for asking the question. I now know that I may grow my orchids in the sterile juice bottles I was planning to use to repot ;D

[raybark]

To push this toward the technical side a bit, water does not cause root rot. If it was the direct cause, most plants that experience months of constant soaking rain would be extinct. We also know that orchids can be grown in hydroponic or even water culture successfully.

What really happens is suffocation.

When we water, most of the liquid runs right through the pot. Some of it is absorbed by the medium particles, and some is held in-between medium particles by surface tension. If the size of the particles is too fine - whether by choice or because it is decomposing and breaking down - more of that bridging water can occur, which cuts of the gas exchange pathways to the roots, effectively poisoning and suffocating them. When they die, they rot.

(I believe that is the basis for the myth that "orchids need to dry out between waterings". By letting the potting medium dry, you allow evaporation and plant absorption reduce the volume of those bridging water droplets, reopening the air paths. If the mix is coarse enough that they don't ever get fully blocked, it's not an issue.)

Having the extra ventialtion in the center of the medium - the part farthest from the surfaces, and therefore last to dry - accelerates the process, and I sell a great deal of Air Cone pots for that reason.