I have a lot of broken clay pots. Are they recommended as an added item in
potting medium? I was considering doing so.

Andie Z

Andie Z wrote:
I have a lot of broken clay pots. Are they recommended as an added item in
potting medium? I was considering doing so.

Andie Z


Recommended? I don't know... There is nothing magic about clay shards.
A lot of people use a broken bit of clay pot in the bottom of a new
pot to keep medium from falling out. But that isn't usually necessary
either, especially with most orchid mixes.

But, if the pot shards are clean (new, or sterilized if from used pots),
there really isn't any reason _not_ to add them to a potting mix. If
you hammer them up to the right size. Can see any harm to it. Seems
like a lot of work, though.

Rob


--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

In Malaysia, they smash new pots & bricks for use as the orchid medium itself, or in conjunction with charcoal.

I use Seramis, which is fired clay granules for most orchids.

I would advise against using old pots that may be saturated with salts, though.

Weng

Moderate to finely ground terracotta is an excellent potting medium for
species needing more air.

Significant drawbacks include virus and fungal rot transmission, and
the retention (and release) of a heavy amount of salts from repeated
fertilization and hard water deposits.

In article ,
says...
~
~Andie Z Wrote:
~ I have a lot of broken clay pots. Are they recommended as an added item
~ in
~ potting medium? I was considering doing so.
~
~ Andie Z
~
~In Malaysia, they smash new pots & bricks for use as the orchid medium
~itself, or in conjunction with charcoal.
~
~I use Seramis, which is fired clay granules for most orchids.
~
~I would advise against using old pots that may be saturated with salts,
~though.
~
~Weng
~
~
~--
~Weng
~
Weng, do you use Seramis as a regular medium, or as hydroculture?
--
--
Reka

This is LIFE! It's not a rehearsal. Don't miss it!
http://www.rolbox.it/hukari/index.html

---

Reka, I use pure Seramis as a regular medium (no crocking), water with rainwater & very little fertilizer. I only need to repot when the plant gets too big for the pot. Watering is easy - with a hose-pipe when the surface changes colour :-)

I used to grow epiphytes in 10cm perlag (a harder version of perlite) in terracotta pots, and terrestrials in Seramis in plastic pots. About 6 years ago, I wondered if Doritis might also grow in Seramis. Then Doritaenopsis, then Phalaenopsis, then some Dendrobiums followed. Only Ascocentrum, Aerides, Cattleya, Laelia, Oncidium & Vanda are now in perlag.

Popular orchids currently in Seramis (not mentioned) are Coelogyne, Cypripedium, Disa, Paphiopedilum & Phragmipedium.

I don't do too well with Cymbidium though.

Weng

On Mon, 6 Mar 2006 11:33:46 +0000, Weng
wrote:

Reka, I use pure Seramis as a regular medium (no crocking), water with
rainwater & very little fertilizer. I only need to repot when the
plant gets too big for the pot. Watering is easy - with a hose-pipe
when the surface changes colour :-)

I used to grow epiphytes in 10cm perlag (a harder version of perlite)
in terracotta pots, and terrestrials in Seramis in plastic pots. About
6 years ago, I wondered if Doritis might also grow in Seramis. Then
Doritaenopsis, then Phalaenopsis, then some Dendrobiums followed. Only
Ascocentrum, Aerides, Cattleya, Laelia, Oncidium & Vanda are now in
perlag.

Popular orchids currently in Seramis (not mentioned) are Coelogyne,
Cypripedium, Disa, Paphiopedilum & Phragmipedium.

I don't do too well with Cymbidium though.

Weng

I grow all the Cym in Semi-Hydro with great success. The Cym Golden
Elf has broken several pots because the roots grew so strong. Much
better root structure than other methods we have tried.

Weng, have you read Ray's discussion on Semi-Hydro? It uses a solid
pot with weep holes out the side up about 2 finger widths. That way
there is some reservoir of water but it is not hard to flush or for
the plant to breath.

Susan,
Many thanks for the suggestion. I will certainly give it a go. Ray's discussion can be found at http://www.firstrays.com/hydro.htm

Weng