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 evaporative 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" wrote in message
...
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.