slashed clay pots

[remo]

Friends,
I've become partial to clay pots. I just have a sense that they would 'breathe' if you know what I mean. I also know that I have a tendency to be heavy handed with the hose so I have gone to slashed clay pots and/or the ones with holes in them. I use a skilsaw with a concrete blade and it just zips right thru them. It is a messy process, but, such is life. The catts really seem to like them and the phals are starting to go nuts with root growth and leaf growth. I've been growing almost exclusively in bark and the greenhouse is jumpin' with new growth. Could those of you who have used clay & slashed pots share your experience? Let me know what problems, if any, I might run into?
As always, I appreciate your lessons.
Thanks,
Remo

[catttan]

I love clay pots and used them exclusively for a great number of years.But now they have become quite expensive and I have switched to plastic pots.You have listed the advantages of clay pots, plus I think they are aesthetically more attractive.

I am not sure what you mean by 'slashed' clay pots. I assume you mean pots with a lot of holes in the bottom and the sides, which we refer to here as 'orchid pots' as they are produced specifically for the epiphytic orchids. If that is what you mean these are the clay pots we use here for 90% of our orchids.

As to the problems associated with them - the main problem is when you have to repot. Orchid roots stick to the clay surface and it's almost impossible to pry them loose. Soaking the pot with the plant in it for some time before removing it may save some roots but you are still left with some damaged roots.It is relatively easy with plants in plastic pots as the roots don't stick to them. Another problem is reusing them as old pots retain mineral salts in them due to evaporation over time while the pots were in use.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

We use some clay pots here too. I like them especially for larger orchids that get top heavy. Cattleyas love LOVE clay pots. And like Yew pointed out in his post. it is hard to remove a cattleya from a clay pot. What we normally do is soak the pot for about 10-15 minutes and simply wrap the pot with a large towel and take a hammer to it, smashing the pot. The pieces are easily removed. The ones that stick are left in place. The broken pieces get used in the bottom of other pots on my porch for tropical plants and garden plants to help with drainage.

Cheers,
BD

[remo]

Dear Yew & Bruce,
thanks so much for sharing your experience with me. And yes, I can definitely see where the minerals & salts, even biological nasties, viruses, etc would hinder the re-use of a clay pot, tho I think you could probably treat it with Physan or something like it and then bake it in the oven for awhile. I also think they are much more attractive. Yew, the pots you have described with the holes are available in some places and yes they are pretty expensive for what you get so I have taken to making my own. It is quite easy and as soon as I get a chance I will post a couple of pics.
Thanks much for your experience.
Michael

[remo]

Yew & Bruce,
here is a photo of a home-made slashed pot.
I do them with a abrasive blade on a power saw-very easy to do.
I also drill holes in clay pots to promote drainage & air getting to the roots. I use masonry bits-usually 3/8".

[catttan]

Very neatly done.

[maria1971]

I just transferred everything to clay. They look nicer--at least. LOLOLOL

I hope I didn't just kill my entire collection.

[DManley]

I just bought a stack of clay pots with the orchid holes in the sides on a summer closeout sale. I was going to use them for a bunch of bare root Cattleya alliance small plants I am purchasing. (currently in 2" pots, but being shipped bare root) I also have a bunch of 4 inch ones and I was going to use them for some of my older phals that need repotting. Is this a mistake? Should I make a fast order for some slotted plastic pots or some plastic net pots instead? I have 10 Catts coming in a few weeks.

Thanks,
Dave

[remo]

Dear Dave,
I don't think it is a mistake at all. As BD says, catts love clay pots. They breathe very nicely. I have found that it is best to soak them well before you use them and they will dry more uniformly. I really like the clay pots with holes in them. But I like to put the holes in my pots not just around the base but along the sides about midway up as well. It seems to me that you can get more air to the roots that way. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Remo

[DManley]

Thanks Remo,

My clay pots have the small holes part way up the sides. ("Orchid" pots from a box store) I will try repotting the Catts in them. Would I use the same medium in the clay pots as I was going to in plastic? (Aliflor, coconut husk, charcoal and tree fern in equal parts) Should I change things up a bit for the clay? Do I need to add some sphagnum or bark to the mix?

Thanks,
Dave