Pots

[fotofashion]

I hope this is considered "culture" as I don't see, as yet, a forum for supplies.
Where do you get orchid pots. The squatty, plastic ones with really good drainage. If these are no longer considered de rigueur, then what type is. Thanks
Beverly A.

[virgil]

google Charlies Greenhouse, and also Oak HIll orchids sells supplies.

[Alice-NJ]

You can take an ordinary plastic pot or deli container and put more holes in it by heating an old screw driver over the stove burners and when it's hot, driving it through the plastic. If the pots are not squat you can fill in the bottom with an inch or more of packing peanuts (just make sure they're not the dissolvable type) or old wine corks. Orchid growers learn to make do.

[Graphicgreg]

Orchids can and will grow innearly any container suing almost any substrate. I remember a grower name Ralph McKeral experimenting with glass marbles in styro cups.

Be creative!

[richardb]

I agree, almost anything can be used - some spreading plants even relish old woven baskets. The trick is to make your cultural technique strike the correct balance between your conditions and your containers. I grow many Odonts and have transferred to clay pots which have only the one hole in the bottom but by getting the mix right they not only drain exceptionally well but the pot keeps the roots really cool because the terracotta absorbs humidity from my misters.
Good Luck
Richard

[Jan-Miami]

Used to do the old heated screwdriver or ice pick trick.
Dawned on me one day that the glue gun nozzle would make nice round holes---just don't squeeze the trigger. Works like a charm!
Jan

[raybark]

For my plants not in semi-hydro culture, I am starting to go more-and-more with "green" technology - pots made from grain hulls and plant-based binders.



They handle just like plastic pots, but after a few years of use, they can be broken up and composted!

[jdmatthew]

If you like square pots the Rand Air Cone pots are really well made, and help keep the roots from staying too wet if you're prone to heavy watering. They're translucent, so you can see the roots.

[KellyW]

Here is my favorite orchid supply source, CalWest Orchid Supply
http://www.calwesttropical.com/index.php

[OrchidPam]

Yes, I agree that Cal-West is really good. They are always prompt and efficient. So is Oak Hill. There are other good orchid supply places. Try googling just what you want to buy and see what comes up or look to see who has advertised in Orchids, the AOS publication. As for the kind of pots I use, the kind of orchid I'm making a home for and my watering habits are both a consideration. For example, I almost always use clay pots for Cattleyas and net pots for Dendrochilum. Some things will prefer to be mounted. It's best to pay attention to the orchid's growth habit and habitat of origin in order to make it really happy. I like Greg's answer: Be creative. All you really need to do is give its roots a place to simulate "home". One time Hermann Pigors told me about a man who wanted to prove that orchids can be grown in anything so he used some of that foam insulation which hardens, and he made them into little nests. The orchids were all quite happy.
Enjoy!
Pam