Containers, pots, baskets etc

[brianb]

Is there a rule of thumb that decides the container in which we place our Orchids.

How do we decide on pot, basket, basket with medium or without medium etc.

Do some orchids hate pots or baskets or vice versa.

Brianb

[kmarch]

Yes, the rule of thumb is: what the particular orchid needs. There is no one best rule for all orchids. My Stanhopeas go in larger baskets, enough for a few years growth. My paphs go in the smallest pot that can comfortably accommodate the roots. My one Ascocenda goes in a medium-ish sized clear plastic pot with large inorganic mix so the roots stay humid but not necessarily wet. Everything depends on the cultural needs of the specific orchid. There is no one-size-fits-all rule of thumb.

[Daethen]

I would add to what kmarch said with the fact that you must add in your personal care habits and your personal climate.

[digitalgate]

another. Can you still find that pot your are looking for? So you get the next best thing.
You will have trouble finding wood basket locally as it cost too much or no one sell them. you end up making one yourself.

[brianb]

Yes, by why would I decide basket and not pot?

[koshki]

One consideration could be whether the roots need to dry out completely or not.

[katrina]

Originally Posted by brianb

Yes, by why would I decide basket and not pot?

We can't tell you why YOU would choose one over the other. As already explained, you would want to look at what the plant needs to thrive as well as what your growing conditions consist of and then figure out which works best given those factors. Within those factors you might also want to consider daily/weekly maintenance. Meaning a plant in an open basket (fast draining and drying) will need more attention than one in a pot w/sphag.

When it comes to orchids...epiphtyes and not the terrestrials...they can grow on or in just about anything as long as you match things up w/what they need.

Ever since I learned how to drill holes on glass...I prefer the heavy crystal thick glass so not to topple the plants and I can see through the roots...my vandas have teak wood baskets made from a California maker...some friends give me orchids in bloom from fancy flower shops with porcelain pots or celadon stoneware with holes; I do not meddle with the aesthetics...I just refuse to ever work with plastic; they are ugly and light they topple the plants and spill everything when the wind blows...its summer so most of my orchids are out hanging on the awning of the windows or on top of the window sill with a wrought iron cage imbedded on the cement wall...the only indoors are my Phals and those sensitive to sunlight...I dread the thought of a pot falling from my apartment on the 7th floor to someone walking the sidewalks...If I can find a pot that I can glue to my ledge then Ill have that...wires can be repeatedly coiled around the metal hooks drilled to the stone walls and they wont budge even with a gale or a storm. My vandas are safely anchored to the building wall; and I only cut the wires after laborday weekend when frost will soon arrive...and all the plants get indoors for the bitter winter.

[edgy]

Hey Brianb,
It's kind of a plant specific sort of thing....If you know what conditions are needed then there are 100 ways to skin the proverbial cat. As was mentioned earlier there is no one size fits all answer. There are people here who grow things very successfully using methods no one would normally expect to work. The question then becomes, what plant are you talking about? What medium are you using? knowing these two things you can make a better determination as to what to plant them in. My take on that is that there have been many people more knowledgeable than my self growing for many years with tried and true methods. I try not to reinvent the wheel unless conventional wisdom is simply not working.
As to why a basket and not a pot? A basket will generally dry out faster. If that is what is needed...go with the basket. On the other hand ceramic pots dry out faster than plastic pots as the ceramic wicks water to the outside. Again it goes back to what does that specific plant require. Sorry for the long and maybe not so helpful answer but it is what it is. I hope it helps. Good Luck!

[brianb]

OK, appreciate all the great information/advice, I really do. However, lets be a little controversial for a moment and particularly as most above say its all about growers preference and TLC.

I have an Ascda Fuchs Spotted Cat growing in a basket with no medium. A nice plant and beautiful flowers but a metre long set of ugly roots(my view).Certainly can't place it on my dining room table. If I was to cut off 3/4 metre of all roots and put it in a pot on charcoal and provide the right TLC, it would live happily ever after (both of us). Is that correct?

Brian

[katrina]

If it were me...I wouldn't cut the roots but rather soak the plant to make the roots more pliable and then wrap them into the basket w/coco husk fiber. You could use the charcoal but the fiber would hide more...if you're looking to hide the roots. Charcoal would work too but it would be a bit more unsightly if you're looking to set it on your dining table. Just my opinion there.

I don't see any reason it wouldn't be perfectly happy provided you changed your watering frequency due to the medium and the wrapped roots holding more moisture over the free hanging roots w/no medium.

[koshki]

Could you place it in a cache pot while in bloom? Something that would be pretty on your table, but then allow you to take it back out to its normal growing area once finished blooming.

I don't know how long those blooms last, but isn't that a high light plant? Would it get enough light while on your dining room table?

Oh, and another possibility...although I shudder to think it...you could cut the spike off and put it in a nice vase.

[brianb]

Sorry the dining table feature was a red herring, I was really trying to ensure that I understood the info given. Nevertheless, Katrina's great suggestion is something I would not have thought about. To Koshki, what is a cache pot?

A better example would have been; if I received an Ascda in the mail, that I can make the decision on how to set it up, either in a pot, basket or mounting. Successful grow would then depend on my application of the right care. In other words my decision and not dictated by the type of plant.

Brian

[koshki]

Brian, a cache pot is a decorative pot...probably without drainage holes...into which you set your orchid in its growing pot, usually for "decorative" purposes. I also use the ceramic orchid pots (the pretty ones with holes) as cache pots, especially when the orchid is top heavy and needs the added weight to keep it in place.

Oh, and Edgy, I wanted to make a slight correction to your post. A ceramic pot is glazed and will not wick water or dry out; it would hold moisture the same way a plastic pot would. I think you mean a clay pot.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by brianb

If I was to cut off 3/4 metre of all roots and put it in a pot on charcoal and provide the right TLC, it would live happily ever after (both of us). Is that correct?

Think about this for a moment. What do roots do? They take moisture an nutrients into the plant so it can grow and flower. What happens if you remove 75% of your roots? You reduce by 75% the amount of water and nutrients the plant can take in. What is going to happen to your plant if it suddenly looses 75% of the water and nutrients it needs to grow and flower? Well at best, it will grow and flower 75% less. Most likely it will loose a lot of leaves since it can't sustain them and it will most certainly stop flowering.

Providing the right TLC and removing 75% of a plant's healthy roots are mutually exclusive. If you're doing one, you're not doing the other.

[brianb]

Originally Posted by kmarch

Think about this for a moment. What do roots do? They take moisture an nutrients into the plant so it can grow and flower. What happens if you remove 75% of your roots? You reduce by 75% the amount of water and nutrients the plant can take in. What is going to happen to your plant if it suddenly looses 75% of the water and nutrients it needs to grow and flower? Well at best, it will grow and flower 75% less. Most likely it will loose a lot of leaves since it can't sustain them and it will most certainly stop flowering.

Providing the right TLC and removing 75% of a plant's healthy roots are mutually exclusive. If you're doing one, you're not doing the other.

Would not really do it. Somewhat unsuccessfully trying to make a point

B

[edgy]

Originally Posted by koshki

Oh, and Edgy, I wanted to make a slight correction to your post. A ceramic pot is glazed and will not wick water or dry out; it would hold moisture the same way a plastic pot would. I think you mean a clay pot.

Thanks for the correction...I did mean clay and not ceramic.

[katrina]

Originally Posted by brianb

A better example would have been; if I received an Ascda in the mail, that I can make the decision on how to set it up, either in a pot, basket or mounting. Successful grow would then depend on my application of the right care. In other words my decision and not dictated by the type of plant.

Brian

Exactly! You've got it!