Choosing Your Orchid Pots - By: David Maguire

There are a lot of things to consider when growing orchids. The choice of pot to use, the potting medium, watering, fertilizing and the location are just some of the most important aspects involved in successfully growing an orchid. It is a no brainer that with regards to the location, you have to consider the adequacy of the sun and the heat that the orchid gets as the sun is vital for the existence of the plant and plants and trees provide oxygen for us. This is the main source of energy for everything. It starts with the sun, plants and it reverberates throughout the entire animal kingdom. In case you are wondering, this article is not about the benefits of the sun for plants and animals hence, this article is about orchid pots and what are pots to use in growing them. It's just a minor detour as I want to stress the part of the sun in growing plants as well. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, pots are a staple for any plant or orchid grower. There are certain plants and orchids that are best grown in pots rather than the conventional garden plots. With orchids, you have to place them in pots or a similar container as this will enable the grower to keep watch what's going on with the orchid roots and the overall moisture content. There are some orchids that need sunlight at the root zone for their photosynthesis that's why it is important that the roots of these orchids are somewhat exposed to the sun. Essentially, orchid pots are classified into three (3) types; namely the plastic pot, the terracotta pot and the basket pot. I will explain the advantages and disadvantages.

Plastic pots for orchids are ideal because you can puncture a amount of holes anytime you need to. Of course, these pots already have drainage holes but there are times that the plant and pot needs additional holes for different purposes. The same cannot be said for ceramic or clay pots.Orchids in plastic pots are not well suited for outdoors as they are more likely to be blown over due to their lack of weight. The growing medium tends to dry more slowly also which is favorable to the orchid.

Terracotta pots are heavier pots and are a lot more stable compared to the plastic pots. This pot has only one drainage hole at the bottom which makes it less suitable for orchids that need their roots more exposed to the sun. However, some orchids that are drought tolerant fare better with these types of pots as there is less chance of it becoming waterlogged.

Basket pots are well-suited for orchids that are heavy-rooted and are sprawling. This allows more air to circulate and more sunlight to reach its compost and roots. You will need to put some supporting blocks around the orchid when growing it in a basket pot. Supporting blocks such as pine and oak are perfect for this scenario.

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Useful tips and information on how to choose Orchid Pots for your house and garden. Discuss on the different types of Orchid pots and their advantages and disadvantages. For more information, visit http://www.orchids-types.com

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