plastic pots inside clay pots

[slippery_biscuit]

I was reading another thread and this question came to mind. That is the use of a (probably) clay pot to hold an orchid that is planted in a plastic pot. Being a bit sensitive to moisture retention of potting material I take my plants out of the plastic pots and put the plant directly into the clay. One less barrier for moisture to get past.

The vent holes help moisture escape in both cases, but I don't know... seems to me the pot used as a holding fixture for the plastic one would inhibit or have the potential to inhibit moisture evaporation from the potting medium.

A large roomy clay pot with holes and an air space between the it and the plastic pot would not be a concern. but often I see a snug fit at the top and I wonder what the effect of this double potting is, or if it ever comes into play.


There is also the (for me) beauty of seeing roots work their way out through the vent holes and wrap themselves around the pot.

[Orchidflowerchild]

A plastic pot does most of it's evaporation from the top, anyway. If one is an underwaterer, or if one is growing moisture loving plants, one usually grows in plastic pots to retain as much moisture as possible. Adding a clay pot to the outside can keep a topheavy plant from tipping over, or can just make a plant more attractive for keeping indoors while in bloom.

Personlly, I like clay, when I grow potted, but then I am definitely not an underwaterer.

-Cj

[11Orchid126]

I use the clay pots as sleeves on most of my top heavy plants and have never had a problem.

[mayres]

As noted by others, the clay pots are used in the sense you note mainly for aesthetic purposes and to add extra weight to keep the plants from tipping over. I have purchased quite a few plants the past few years that are presented this way - none of them still have their clay over-pots - if any of you were in my area I'd gladly give you more than a dozen clay pots for free! All my plants are planted in plastic. In my case they are neither helping nor hindering - but just one more object to deal with, so I remove them. I tend to have my plants crowded together this time of year to take advantage of overhead lighting too, and the extra bulk of clay pots makes it more difficult to crowd them together.

[WIB]

I also am partial to clay. I can tell when a plant is dry by feeling the outer surface. If it's room temperature to the touch, the medium is probably pretty dry (as there's no more water evaporating from the clay surface and cooling it). Often, when I'm watering, especially small pots, I occlude the drain hole with my finger and allow the medium to soak for a moment before I let the water run out. (This would not work for a large collection.) I haven't found any particular advantage to the azalea pots with slots around the sides. Also, like Ofc, I don't tend be an underwaterer. - Bill

[pikevi]

In the past few months I have opted to do what 11Orchid126 does but for all the orchids, top-heavy or not.

I love clay pots but after joining this forum I found that many suggestions included checking the condition of the roots. If it is in plastic pots it is much easier to see the condition of the roots without disturbing the plants.

Before that I used to repot all orchids into clay pots and dumped the plastic pots into the recycling box.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Repotting plants in clay pots requires a little to a lot of damage to the roots, especially if they go out the bottom and wrap around the pot. I prefer to opt for damage-less repotting, as my mix can be removed with a jet of water, leaving the roots totally intact. With clay, and I have a lot of rupiculous Laelias in clay and any orchids that are sensitive to roots dryness, I expect to have some difficulty, as I repot every year. Haven't repotted yet since the move to clay with these plants.