"Ted Byers" wrote in message ...

I doubt the biodegradable pots would last the year, so if I kept them in
pots for the year, should they be in plastic or clay?

Definitely plastic. For C. parviflorum var pubescens and C.
parviflorum var. pariviflorum, I use a 6 inch plastic pot. Currently
I have pure perlite in the bottom inch of the pot and then a mix of
peat, sand, and perlite (approximately 1:1:2). I put the pot in a
saucer with a couple of millimeters of distilled or rain water, so it
remains moist at all times. IIRC, var. pubescens can handle slightly
drier conditions than var. parviflorum, so you could probably do
without the saucer if you water regularly.

Since C. Gisela is a primary hybrid of C. parviflorum, so I would
expect it to do O.K. in similar conditions.

I don't grow C. reginae, because it can't handle our summer
temperatures. But, I seem to recall that Spangle Creek Labs suggests
pure perlite.

But then there is the
risk that being in pots, they may develop legs during the night and wander
off, if placed outside.

Thankfully, I haven't had any problems with humans, but a couple of
small very orchids were hauled away, pot and all, by the squirrels. I
found pieces of chewed pseudobulb at the base of a tree, but I never
did find the pot.

Nick

--