Why does an Orchid Pot Look so Strange?
For people from upper latitudes, orchids seem like an incredibly exotic, delicate plant. In their native habitats however, orchids are hardy, resilient, and abundant. The reason why people in temperate climates must use a strange-looking pot to grow an orchid is to help mimic the orchids natural, humid environment.
The orchids most commonly cultivated by fanciers are tropicals from the phalaenopsis, cattleya, and dendrobium genra. In their natural habitat, these orchids are anchored in trees; their roots do not grow in the soil at all.
As leaf litter and dead bark collect in the joint formed by a branch growing from a tree, the perfect habitat for an orchid is created. Orchids are not parasites; they just want a nice place to balance. Their tough, whitish, roots adhere to the tree bark and litter without actually burrowing inside like most plants. Then, as the roots grow longer, the orchids take their nutrients from the humid air where the roots are dangling.
To mimic this arboreal environment, it is necessary to get an orchid pot that does not hold water, and fill it with a coarse medium. Many fanciers recommend filling an orchid pot with charcoal or natural lava rocks. These are an excellent medium; adding a little Spanish moss can improve the look and help with moisture retention.
Orchids need to be misted with an atomizer, not watered from a can to better mimic humid tropical weather. Set the orchid pot in a saucer filled with gravel and a bit of water to keep its immediate area a little more damp.
Terra Cotta or Wood?
Maybe you have been at a garden store and seen a terra cotta pot that looks a little strange. Very much like a regular cylindrical pot, but with giant holes in it. This is an orchid pot as it has giant holes because it should not hold any water. It is simply more of a container to hold the charcoal together. Mist the orchids roots directly by misting through the holes in the pot.
A wooden orchid pot does the same thing as terra cotta one; it is just a little different look. Wooden orchid pots look about like a box made of Linkin Logs filled with charcoal and Spanish moss. Because it is wooden, this kind of orchid pot will usually grow discolored and eventually rot. But as long as it can be kept together, the orchid will enjoy growing in the rotten wood.
Though the plants in both stores may be from the same grower, at the independent nursery, there may be a staff member that specializes in orchid care and can answer your questions.
Piping Rock Orchids
A characteristic feature of the orchid flower is that the fertile stamen or stamens are all on one side of the flower opposite the lip.
Repot the orchid plant if you come to detect signs of excessive retention of water at the roots. The orchids themselves are very expensive; when needed in special flower arrangement the cost almost triples. Similarly, leaves of the famous orchid Dendrobium salaccense are cooked as seasoning with rice. A silk orchid flower arrangement is also an option, namely from the Silk Plant Design Center.
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