Any warnings against using glazed, clay pots?

[wieb]

I am getting ready to re-pot my Cattleya. I was going to use a pot that is a glazed, clay pot and therefore not porous like non-glazed clay.

Any words of warning or advice before I proceed Thanks.

[wieb]

By the way, the Cattleya is coming out of an equally non-porous, plastic container.

Thanks.

[articuno75]

As long as it has really good drainage holes on the bottom I wouldn't think there would be a problem.

[pikevi]

Since we use plastic pots for Orchids, glazed pots should not make any difference as far as porosity is concerned. But glazing is done with lead and the quality of glazing is very important if there are very small children at home.

[kmarch]

The only drawback I can think of concerning glazed pots is that they cost more. If the drainage is good they should be fine.

[jerrymeola]

Orchids will grow in just about anything with small changes in how you care for it.

Porosity in a clay pot is a big improvement in the growing condition of an orchid. Plastic is used commercially for cost and ease in shipment.

The glazed pot (glaze is a glass coating over the pot) will work but not breathe as clay. Be more concerned about air circulation over the roots. I would use styro pellets in the bottom to prevent the medium from packing over the single drainage hole.

My wife recently potted some Oncidium, Phals and Paphs in Zisha pots (Blue Clay USA), which are more porous than regular clay. The improvement in the quality of the plants was noticeable. Unfortunately they are relatively expensive.

Since you are re-potting a Cattleya remember they will attach their roots to the sides of the pot on the inside and then as it grows over the side the roots attach tot he outside. I usually have to break a clay pot to re-pot a Cattleya.

[slippery_biscuit]

Is your glazed pot an orchid pot? I have several orchids in these and they are doing fine. There will be a pattern of holes in the sides of an orchid pot to facilitate air exchange, a compensation for the glazing. After awhile you will probably see roots coming through these hole and start to wrap themselves around the pot. I use a course and porous medium with the glazed pots. A bonus is the weight of the pot keeping things stable, also.

[PhalPal]

I have all my phals in ceramic and my only advice to you would be to make sure the pot is glazed on the INSIDE of the pot as well; not all of them are. If it is not, roots will attach themselves to the clay and make re-potting destructive to the plant.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I prefer plastic because the pot can be flexed to release the roots from the pot with zero damage. Orchid pots with the slit sides are the opposite for damage to roots when repotting as the roots coming out the holes are a total loss at repotting time. Getting a plant out of a clay or glazed pot generally requires using a sharp sterile knife to run around the inside of the pot to free up the roots.

[wieb]

I'm sure glad I asked that "dumb" question ... I almost didn't. The things you learn by tossing things around on this forum ... it is much appreciated. If nothing else, with the varied opinions, all making a good point from a certain point of view, it sure helps one think about things quite a bit differently ... 10 heads are better than one!

My pot is glazed both inside and out, and that sounds like a good thing. But it has a single hole in the bottom center ... I did not know that there were specific "orchid" pots with multiple holes around the edge (I've seen then used on other plants). It sounds like I am not the only one using the "single-holed" pots. The multiple holes make a lot of sense ... as do the more porous Zisha clay pots. I will have to consider both for the future re-pottings. I would tend to think that in nature, orchids would probably dry relatively fast (not being in a pot) after a good rain ... but the humidity would also tend to slow this evaporation process.

I did use pieces of styrofoam on the bottom to prevent the bark from plugging the bottom hole ... it is draining very nicely.

There was some discussion in this posting about damaging roots when re-potting. I can see that being a problem when a plant is already in poor health and you are trying to save it ... but a healthy orchid with lots of roots (my Cattleya was severely root bound), would it really be detrimental to trim back the roots a bit? ... I know that root pruning in the outdoor landscaping is usually a good thing, to help re-invigorate a plant. Is this not the case for orchids ... if you lost some roots in a re-potting, is that really a problem, or could it be a good thing?

Thanks again for everyone's advice

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

If root bound, the loss of a percentage is OK. I've often had to literally cut off the bottom 1/4, to be able to open up the root system to get the old mix out. But, not all Catts, by nature, are good rooters. Some are very skimpy rooters, and these need all the roots they have. Also, remember that a broken root may well die below the break, and repotting will often break a large percentage of roots, especially where roots have wound round and round the inside of the pot. If you are repotting at the exact right time, the broken or cut roots will be replaced very soon, so there will be very little set back.

As far as cutting roots acting as a stimulant to rooting, I have not seen this, but I won't say it doesn't happen, just haven't any opportunity to observe it.