Clear Glass Flower Pots?

[red]

I wasn't quite sure where to put this. So, I ended up putting it here. My apologies if it's in the wrong section.

Okay, so I know some people use clear plastic flower pots for their plants. It allows the roots to be see as well as how wet the contents are, which is very appealing to me. Also, seeing the roots would be very aesthetically pleasing to me. When my phals aren't in bloom, I could admire the root growth. :-)

I remember reading somewhere that algae growth could become a possible problem because of the light accessing the contents of the pot? Anyone have any experience with this? Maybe I just hallucinated reading that. :-P

As far as glass pots in specific, would their be any problems with them? I doubt there would be, but I figured I'd though the question out there as long as I'm posting.

Finally, where on Earth can I get glass clear pots WITH a drainage hole!? I have seriously been searching Amazon, Ebay, and just in general googling for hours. And I have basically gotten no success. Can anybody help me out?

I know repotme.com has plastic clear containers, but I really want glass.

I'm to the point where my only options are attempting--key word here is attempting--- to drill (with a diamond tip) into glass pots without drainage holes or attempting to contact a glass blower/worker in my area!

[PhalNewbie89]

I could be wrong but when I first got my orchid it began to form this green growth on the side of the pot and I was worried that it might have been a mold but since you said that I am thinking it looked a lot more like Algae so I would say it could definately happen but I don't see how algae would really hurt. Might just add a little color to the inside of your pot :P

[Rivka]

the few folks that use glass, drill the holes themselves. and all of them that i have seen have been used with semi-hydroponic media. but i can see why it wuld not work with anything as long as it had the drainage it needed.

here is one that i have set up

[Rivka]

the type of drill to use is a diamond hole saw, similar to these

3/8" (9.5mm) Diamond Hole Saw

and to do it under water, having a thick sturdy vase is a big help, and i think flat sides are a lot easier too

[maria1971]

Ahem, I can tell you that you won't find it. Unfortunately.

Finding pretty orchid containers, beyond the usual clay or plastic pots, is really a challenge.

I've resorted to ordering custom things myself--as I am all about the entire presentation as opposed to just focusing on the plant itself.

[Rivka]

hahah, here you go, i wanna see you drill a hole in this one!

"Clare" Flower-Pot Vase*-* Horchow

[patticake]

The glass is like ceramic, where it keeps the roots colder than plastic also. Just be careful of what orchid you put in it. Orchids such as Phalaenopsis don't like cold feet! I have a couple of containers from the dollar store that are clear plastic that look like cut glass. I drilled holes 2" up from the bottom for s/h. They look really nice. Good luck!

[jdmatthew]

I'd definitely want to wear some hand and eye protection before I started drilling glass. I would think thinner glass would be prone to shatter.

[DonnaH]

What perfect timing for the subject of glass pots.

I collect Fenton Glass. My son is a glazier, and is coming over later today to drill holes around the bottom of one of my pieces so that I can pot a little Dendrobium in it. It isn't clear glass, but unusual and very pretty.

I'll let you know how it proceeds once the plant is established.

Any medium suggestions?

[Ray]

1) Any time you have light, water, and nutrition, you WILL have algae! The key is prevention - one teaspoon of Physan or one ounce of chlorine bleach per gallon used as a period drench does the trick.

2) I have a bachelors and masters degree in ceramic engineering. If you can put the glass under water when you drill (I suggest a cordless one), it will be far less prone to cracking. Follow Jadie's advice.

3) Sorry Patti, but a glass container will not give the same cooling effect that a clay pot will. It is moisture escaping through the clay porosity and evaporating that does the cooling. There is no such escape through glass.

[syndywindy]

I have alot of my orchids in S/H and they summer outdoors. I was concerned about algae as well, but was told other than it looking alittle unsightly, it won't hurt the plant. So now I learn to ignore it, unless it really starts to look nasty and then I clean it up. I just hate to disturb the plants even tho I know its not going to harm them.

[Rivka]

thanks for confirming that class will not cool, i was thinking that was i mistake.

Ray can i ask you a question about the water and glass cutting? does it matter or work more if the pot is submerged in water vs just building a dam and having a large puddle on the top where your bit is?

i was thinking that having something hard like wood behind the glass might help if it could be flat up against it like if i have a square glass pot. to stop it from breaking out on the backside.
when i drilled my glass, i was perfect once i got it started and until the last 1/2 a second.

[red]

Okay, thanks everyone for the replies; however, I won't get into individual replies to everyone. All of the information was really helpful and I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond to me-- much love.

So, I did my glass drilling today. I already had a 3/8" diamond tipped bit, but it was not a hole saw. I tried to do a few random jars with mediocre success. The glass would often crack at the last minute. If you want multiple holes, I didn't have much success with that bit. It was an $11 dollar bit from True Value. I forget the brand.

HOWEVER, when I got a 1/2" diamond hole saw bit, it worked GREAT!!!

I'd say the difficulty level on this is easy. I'd recommend practicing on some old peanut butter jars or some glasses from Good Will to get into the swing of things, though. I ended up scratching the bottoms of my vases a bit. To put this in perspective, I'm a 19 year old female with pretty limited experience with power tools. My upper body strength isn't all that impressive. So, the drilling isn't too intense.

MY GEAR:
-1/2" diamond hole saw for drill ($20 dollars at home depot, Rigid brand)
-drill (already had one, but I saw a cheap cordless for $30)
-eye protection (True Value, $4)
-thick gloves for hands (already had, $2)
-2 glass vases w/ ($8 total from Walmart)
-towel (already had, $2)
-sink (???)

Please, keep in mind that this is only what worked for me. I can't guarantee anything.

WHAT I DID:
1) I laid a towel in my sink.
2) set glass vase into sink, on top of towel (I put mine upside down, but right side up works too-- I did that on a few jars)
3) put 1/2" diamond hole saw bit into the drill
4) make sure drill has power source
5) pour water onto the glass vase so it collects there at least slightly, moisten drill bit without electrocuting yourself
4) make sure eye gear and gloves are on!!!
5) start up drill at a very high speed, gently tap the same location until you have a slight divet. Creating a dent like this will give a place for hole saw to rest so it doesn't slip around all crazy and scratch the glass too much. I learned this the hard way. My bottoms have some scratches.
6) Begin drilling into the divet you created-- don't put a lot of pressure on it, let the drill do it's own thing, just help it out with a little pressure. Periodically pull away and fill your divet with water. Also, cool your drill bit with some water by running water over JUST the hole saw (don't electrocute yourself! Be mindful of where water and electricity are). I cooled and refilled the divet every 30 seconds to be safe. This worked for me.
7) Keep drilling until it goes through. If you want, do multiple holes. I managed to do 5 on each vase, but I kept them all at least an inch apart.

*** I would just like to mention that if you drill holes on the bottoms of your pots (and the pots have flat bottoms) you need to have an uneven surface below them so the water can escape. If you don't, it will create a seal and trap all the water there. It will essentially undo what the purpose of the holes. I have my pots set up a dish full of rocks to facilitate this. ***

PICTURES: (special thanks to the little brother who held up the pot for me to take a picture of its bottom :-P )


Note the scratches from me being unable to get the holes started properly, but they are on the bottom and not a big deal.





I filled the bottoms with stones because the vases were too big. I couldn't find anything smaller that I liked. It doesn't look half bad either. It also gives a place for water to collect that won't affect the coconut fiber and perlite. The two vases are set on a clear cookie/cake baking thingy (for the time being) that is filled with stones and slightly filled with water for humidity. If anybody sees anything in my design that is flawed/concerning, give me a holler. I'm still new to this. In case anyone is wondering how much the rocks were, they were about $15 total from Steins.

[PhalPal]

They look great Red!!!! Gotta love a woman with power tools!!

Another trick to avoid chipping and cracking is to put an 'X' of masking tape where you want your hole and drill through the middle of it. Go slow and don't put too much pressure on the bit, let the drill do the work. I have drilled many ceramic and metal pots and haven't broken one yet; however, I think glass might be a bit trickier.

I think you did a great job figuring out how to do this on your own!!

[red]

Lol thanks Phalpal. If it's functional, I'm happy. The other pot has much fewer scratches. I had to get my brother to hold one up so I could take a picture, but I happened to pick up more scratched of the two. :-P Go figure.

When I tried to go slow, I had the worst luck, actually. I think it was the water and slick glass that really made the drill want to slip like crazy. It would stay stable for a short time, but then shoot off. Maybe I just didn't have the patience to go realllly slow. My tapping method isn't perfect, but it cut down considerably on the scratches. Maybe I'll post pictures of the better one later. Next time I need pots, though, I'll have it near perfect.

[lmartiny]

Hey Red. I'm impressed with your industrialism as well. I've done stained glass and mosaic tile and other such things but never really tackled the drill. Or a saw. (I hand it to hubby)
I admire your independance. It is good to have many skills.
I remember when I was about 19 or 20 I was determined to change my own plugs, oil and filter in my newer car, all by myself. I just ended up with a good cut on the wrist and having to ask for help afterall. I've picked up on a few more skills over the years but for the cars, I go to Jiffy Lube (or where ever)
Good job on the glass pots.

[Ray]

Rivka, I think the key is simply having water to fill in the hole as the drill progresses, and that includes the back side as you "punch through".

Believe it or not, it's not only a cooling effect, but the water molecules actually bond to the broken ionic bonds within the glass microstructure, relieving an imbalance that adds to the likelihood of breakage. I recall a demo in which - under water - we were able to cut those super-thin microscope slide "cover slips" with scissors! In air they just shatter.

The key to not "breaking through" in that very last part of drilling is to take it easy, not apply a lot of pressure, and let the drill bit do all of the work. Putting a support begind the surface won't do much, as the glass does not flex.

[Rivka]

thanks ray, the glass not flexing is good info and makes a lot of sense. yeah my next ones will be done underwater for sure.
boy that scissor demo would be a cool thing to see


red, one trick for getting a hole saw started is to start it at a angle for it is only touching a small spot at first and then straighten it out after it gets a decent spot.


the other trick i have used many times when it was super important to not mark the surface of something and i couldn't use a center punch, was to drill thru a pierce of wood first all the way thru and then hold and secure that piece of wood on top of the more important thing you are drilling and then us the hole in the wood as a drill guide, works wonders ad the drill has no where to go!

[Rivka]

oh and a idea for not letting your flat bottom glass seal up agaist the suface you set them down on...
how about those little clear rubber haldround adhesive feet that folks put on the bottom of vases to make then not scratch or slide on the counter?

like these:

[~K8~]

Wow what a great thread! Everything I wanted to know. I couldnt have asked for more.

MY GEAR:
-1/2" diamond hole saw for drill ($20 dollars at home depot, Rigid brand)
-drill (already had one, but I saw a cheap cordless for $30)
-eye protection (True Value, $4)
-thick gloves for hands (already had, $2)
-2 glass vases w/ ($8 total from Walmart)
-towel (already had, $2)
-sink (???)

Stunning orchid presentation priceless!

[Schlyne]

Can we get this put in as a sticky? It's pretty useful if you're interested in trying glass containers.

[oncidiumlover]

Okay, now I'm jealous, really jealous. I'm going to have to break down and buy a new drill bit. Your pots make those chids look so darn good!

[RMW]

Way to go!! They look great.

[dtje2000]

Lynne, were we separated at birth? I do stained glass and mosaics, too.

A comment about drilling glass...I haven't tried it yet, myself, but I saw a demo of drilling through glass and if you can't DO it underwater, you can get some modeling clay or play-do, build a tiny well around where you want to drill, and then fill that well with water.

[koshki]

Wow, beautiful and practical!

[mayres]

Great thread and I loved seeing the glass containers w/orchids - super application - BOTH of them........

[Zsophia]

[QUOTE=Ray;158874]1) If you can put the glass under water when you drill (I suggest a cordless one), it will be far less prone to cracking. Follow Jadie's advice.
QUOTE]

My Grandmother in Hungary back, when I was little, used to build a wall from children's clay and fill up with water on the glass, than she started to drill slowly with some diamond drill bit. She never cracked the glass. She basicly created a little lake on the glass and drilled into the lake (I hope the description is understeandable)!

Now I just buy the $.75 pots and soak them, and I drill the holes on those pots. This way I control the more or less dring for the orchids depending on their needs. It's messy but cool to have my own pots. Not to mention the price!
Good luck with the glass!

[Zsophia]

Ok, sorry, I see someone else already came up with this solution, I just did't read the entire thread before I posed my post!

[11Orchid126]

This all seems like so much work, and a bit dangerous. I'll stick with clear plastic.