Clay vs. ceramic?

[patlee]

Well, this orchid pot was 50% off so I had to buy it--no choice! But I have never planted anything (at least not orchids) in a glazed ceramic pot before. It has tons of holes for good air circulation and drainage, but I'm just not used to this type of container... I usually plant in the slotted clay pots that are made for orchids. Anybody had any good or bad experiences? Thanks in advance...

[PhalPal]

Hi patlee - I have all of my orchids in ceramic pots, some with holes and slits and some with just a drain hole in the bottom. All are glazed inside and out. The only real inhibiting factor is cost but I don't have that many orchids (about 25 now) and tend to just collect pretty pots when I see them on sale. Some orchid roots will stick to the sides of clay pots and cause damage when re-potting. I love ceramic; it helps me to 'decorate' my home using my orchids when in bloom.

[chefatplay]

I have my Brassia,Psychopsis, 2 Oncidiums and 2 Paphs in glazed ceramic containers with slits and holes on the sides. Except for my paphs, all of planted in pure sphag. I have them in these containers so I can stick my finger in the middle of the sphag and test the inner wetness. It's working great for me!

[Sharyn]

Hi Patlee. I use both. I use the fancy ceramic pots as cache pots because most of my orchids are planted in clear plastic pots. Slipping the plastic pots out to carry to the sink for watering is a lot easier (and lighter).

[jay]

I use ceramic pots to hold my clear plastic S/H pots when they are in flower and out for show.


Jay

[arleneg]

Like Sharyn and Jay, I use my ceramic pots as cache pots. The advantage I see in doing that is you can change ceramic pots on a whim when you feel like changing color to suit your mood, or to compliment the colors of your the flowers.