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.
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).
I can't claim 35 years of growing, only 26. But I have noticed one difference: white pots don't last nearly as long as any of the other colors. They get brittle and start breaking much faster. Ray must keep up with his repotting better than I do :<) Other than that, I agree with him. Kenni
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