Xref: kermit rec.gardens.orchids:51401

"TRAINMAN9" wrote in message
...
Could you please elaborate? Does something nasty happen to old plastic
pots?

or paphs, reusing
pots is probably not a horrible thing. For other genera, it is a good
way to spread virus if the pots aren't very well cleaned and
sterilized. So, for anything

The cost of plastic pots is so cheap that it makes no sense to reuse them
and
take the chance that a virus may be transmitted. You also need to take
into
account the cost of your labor, bleach and other cleaning aides. Afterall
you
could be doing something else besides washing old pots.

My partner and I ran a commercial orchid nursery for about 15 years. If we
got
a mail order for a plant we would be shipping bare root that had been
potted 1
minute earlier we would still throw the pot out. This policy applied to
all
genera.

Besides there are some who believe that even paphs can be affected by
orchid
virus and most definately phrags.

Would you risk a $100 plant for a 5 cent pot?

LOL!! Even *I* - cheap ******* that I am, decided to stop washing pots and
just buy new. Makes repotting soooo much quicker and easier. And I buy
premixed bark too. Whenever I can find it. Where ever I can find it.
Stewart's used to sell a mix. Fordyce sells a mix. I'm pretty sure Roberts
sells a mix.(If you care to buy that sort of thing mailorder) When I had 70
plants repotting wasn';t a chore and I looked forward to the experience
(OOOh! what condition would the roots be in *this* year?). Now I have over
700 and its a daunting proposition to say the least.

I suppose I should look into buying pots in bulk, but really don't care
anymore. Time is the ultimate commodity.

K Barrett