Why A Plastic Pot Should Help Your Orchid Thrive

Most orchids are tropical plants and in their natural environment prefer to live as “air plants” (epiphytes) clinging to trees. This means that they need ample aeration and drainage. In their natural environment they would be used to rains washing over them sporadically and then drying out. Orchids thrive when they can dry out completely in between watering. Our aim is to simulate the orchids natural habitat as closely as possible. A clear plastic pot helps in this respect.

How?

1.      A clear pot enables you to see when the roots have dried out and are ready to be watered again (as you can see in the photo here), meaning that you don´t leave your orchid roots sitting in a pool of water, something they would naturally avoid by adjusting their root position.

2.      All plants need photosynthesis to flourish and a clear pot means that light can reach the roots as it would in their natural tree environment. Phalaenopsis orchids especially benefit from the root area being subjected to light.

3.      The clear plastic pot means you can monitor the roots progress and see how the plant is doing without having to disturb it unnecessarily. Orchids need re-potting regularly as they grow and a clear plastic pot helps you to see when this is needed.

4.      Hard water (high in dissolved salts) can leave an accumulation of salts in the pores of a clay pot which can be toxic for the roots. Plastic pots don´t tend to encourage a build up of salts and any dry salts are washed away the next time the plant is watered.

Plastic pots come in different shapes and sizes, allowing you to choose the best one for your orchid when you´re re-potting. You can find 12cm, 13cm, 15cm, 17cm, 19cm and 21cm pots on our gardenluxuries.com site along with many other Orchid related products. Please feel free to have a browse.


We also offer a Clear Pot and Saucer With Compost Kit   £3.79
Containing:
Clear pot and saucer from Growth Technology,
Sufficient Orchid Focus Repotting Mix (also from Growth Technology - bark pieces and coconut fibre chips) to repot your orchid.
The pot size options are 12/13/15/17 cms.