Orchid question
I purchased a lace style (holey)orchid pot. Do I add the medium to this type of pot or do I sit a pot inside this pot? Thanks in advance.
You can do either, but the pots were made to be used with out an inner pot. Most orchids grown by people are designed NOT to live in soil. They grow up in the canapy as epiphytes and their roots run over the bark of trees absorbing nutrients in rain water that runs down from above. Orchid potting medium is an attempt to reproduce the humid yet airy conditions found in nature. People more often than not overwater their orchids thinking that they are like houseplants...dirt plants, when they are a lot like cacti. The holey pots are nice but soon you will have roots growing out of the holes and everywhere else, because that is what orchids do. If you are good at growing orchids in solid plastic pots and like the look of the holey pots go ahead and slip the plastic one inside.
A down side to the holey pots is that when the orchid has outgrown it, it is very difficult to remove without breaking the pot. However, most people who grow orchids that well have a lot and use cheaper pots, and those that do use the nice glazed holey pots, especially the square ones, generally kill their orchid one way or another and never have to worry about repotting.
A down side to the holey pots is that when the orchid has outgrown it, it is very difficult to remove without breaking the pot. However, most people who grow orchids that well have a lot and use cheaper pots, and those that do use the nice glazed holey pots, especially the square ones, generally kill their orchid one way or another and never have to worry about repotting.