How to Choose an Orchid Pot? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Selection Methods
When choosing an orchid pot, you should first consider your own site and orchid bench conditions. To give orchids aesthetic and cultural appeal, sometimes the pots are required to be uniform in size, texture, color and style, or uniform in size and texture while rich and varied in color and style. The main types include clay pots, plastic orchid pots, pottery pots, purple clay pots, porcelain pots, glazed pots, stone pots, etc. Let's take a look together below!
Clay tile pots
Because of their low density and excellent water permeability, clay tile pots are the first choice for growing orchids. They are characterized by a loose texture, strong breathability, and resistance to waterlogging, making them suitable for pot-grown orchid growth. For balconies, courtyards, and sites where many orchid pots are kept, this type of pot should be used, as it is convenient to manage. When choosing clay pots, pick ones with a large bottom hole, a flat and round rim, consistent height, and thoroughly fired. Also pay attention to choosing gray ones, slightly deeper pots with feet; clay pots with feet can enhance air circulation at the bottom opening, which is greatly beneficial to orchid growth. Although ordinary clay pots are good, they are too heavy, take up much space, and have simple, rough shapes that are not elegant. Nowadays only a few people still use clay pots to grow orchids.
Nowadays, experienced orchid growers, in order to achieve the goals of good breathability, beauty, and successful orchid growing, spare no expense to custom-order thin-walled, highly breathable, exquisite clay pots for growing orchids. It is said that orchids grown in this kind of pot grow better than in ordinary clay pots, and of course the price of this kind of clay pot is extraordinary.
Plastic pots
Plastic pots are lightweight, beautiful and elegant in appearance, and also have the advantages of being light, clean and durable, with good moisture retention, many styles, many specifications, a large selection range, and economical use of growing medium. Their biggest feature is that they take up little space, making them suitable for orchid farms and balconies. At the same time, they have standardized diameters, can be disassembled and assembled, and are convenient to transport, store, and moderately priced. The disadvantages are poor breathability, easy heat absorption, and slow heat dissipation. To solve this problem, you can do it yourself by drilling several more holes in the plastic pot wall with an electric drill, which can strengthen air circulation inside the pot, facilitate drainage and breathability, and promote orchid growth.
Pottery pots
As ornamental requirements increase, cream-yellow and earth-yellow decorated specialty orchid pottery pots are often used, but this kind of pot is generally not widely chosen; it is only for personal preference and decorative needs.
Purple clay pots
Purple clay pots have fairly good wall breathability, but worse than clay pots. They are both suitable and beautiful for growing high-grade orchids, especially suitable for exhibitions, and are essential pots for orchid masters. When choosing this kind of pot, those with evenly drilled holes on the wall, a large bottom hole, and a thin wall are preferred, as they facilitate drainage and breathability. At the same time, try as much as possible to make the diameter and height dimensions consistent, for easy placement on orchid benches. For carved craft pots, those with hollowed-out holes on the wall made by knife work are top grade. Among modern orchid growers, those who choose purple clay pots to grow orchids are the most numerous.
Of course, porcelain pots, glazed pots, and stone pots can also be used for growing orchids. If they have commemorative significance, artistic quality, or cultural relic value, then of course they should not be discarded, but this kind of pot wall has poor breathability, so generally this kind of pot is not chosen for planting high-grade orchids.