I can't claim 35 years of growing, only 26. But I have noticed one
difference: white pots don't last nearly as long as any of the other
colors. They get brittle and start breaking much faster. Ray must keep
up
with his repotting better than I do :<) Other than that, I agree with
him.
Kenni
"Ray B" <raybark@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:oo8Dj.596$Nr1.165@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>I have been growing orchids for about 35 years. In that time period, I
>have heard lots of comments about pot color - stuff like "black pots get
>too warm in the sun, so use green, or better yet, white", "clear pots act
>like a greenhouse and cook the roots", "clear pots should only be used
for
>plants with chlorophyll in their roots".
>
> I have used them all, and I have seen no difference that can be
attributed
> to the pot color.
>
> I don't buy the "black pot" thing, as eva****ative cooling does occur
from
> the medium, the incident light angle is probably too great to make an
> appreciable impact most of the time (not to mention shading by the
plants'
> leaves), and maybe some plants LIKE to be warmer!
>
> For the one about how "clear pots act like a greenhouse", I would
simply
> remind one of the first two items I stated above, and add that any
> incident light isn't going any deeper than the pot/medium interface, so
> how much heating effect could there be, anyway?
>
> As to the "chlorophyll-containing roots", I would think that almost all
> epiphytic orchids have that feature, so that really opens up the range
of
> acceptability pretty broadly. Is it a positive aspect of culture?
> Likely, but if you do a quickie calculation of the surface area of the
> roots growing against the pot wall compared to that of the rest of the
> plants, I think you will find it to be miniscule. I will also add that
> those for whom root-borne photosynthesis is not a big thing - paphs, for
> example - growing in clear pots is not a detriment.
>
> The bottom line, in my opinion, is personal preference. I like clear-
or
> translucent pots, as it makes it easier to judge watering needs and see
> what's going on with the roots and medium. Some don't like the look,
and
> as any time you have moisture, nutrition, and light, you WILL have algae
> growth, you may not like the look of that, either (that's preventable
with
> periodic application of dilute bleach or disinfectant [e.g., Physan]
> solutions).
>
> --
>
> Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
> Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info!
>
>
> "someone" <someone@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:47dc587a$0$32047$da0feed9@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Recently I read somewhere that certain orchids should be grown in clear
>> pots, not opaque (brick-colored) pots. Is this true? If so, which
>> varieties?
>>
>> I have a Laeleocattleya which is 18 years old (bought as a 1 mm clone)
>> and only just started flowering last year, in an opaque pot. I also
have
>> a vanilla orchid about 6 years old, should it be in a clear pot, since
>> it's one of those that climbs up trees, so needs more light? It hasn't
>> flowered yet.
>>
>> s.
>>
>
>
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