The clay orchid pot is a very popular choice among those people who love to grow orchids. Of course, a pot that is made from clay will be heavier than its plastic counterpart. This feature in fact helps to give the clay pot added stability and the ability to not get easily bowled over when strong winds blow and strike these pots. However, the downside to picking a clay orchid pot is that it will lose water rather too easily, which is not so good for orchid care when the orchids you are growing require plenty of water.
Perhaps for this reason, the clay orchid pot usually comes with just one drainage hole, which is normally located at the bottom of the pot. Though in a few instances you will also find clay pots that have more than a few drainage holes and which are specially designed to suit particular kinds of orchids. In fact, choosing a clay container is certainly a good idea if you are thinking about growing epiphytic orchids that are drought tolerant because then there is no risk of unnecessary water logging spoiling the growing medium.
The clay orchid pot is also well suited for growing a Cymbidium orchid which is known to spread wide as it grows and which requires greater depth so as to accommodate its longer roots. In fact, the roots can even grow up to a meter in length which is when you will be forced to use an especially large sized pot.
When the roots are allowed to grow freely it ensures that the orchid is able to store more water and nutrients that in turn will help ensure growth of superior quality flowers. On the other hand varieties of orchids such as Ludisia and the Anoectochilus need more shallow pots.
Regardless of whether you opt for a clay orchid pot or a plastic pot, or even a basket pot, you will have many options to choose from. What is important is that you match your orchid to the right kind of pot, which can be ceramic, plastic, basket or clay.
The plastic-orchid pot is lighter in weight than the clay orchid pot and it also comes with more drainage holes. It is ideally suited for growing orchids indoors. There are other characteristics of the plastic pot that you will do well to learn about, though one that has a thicker wall is always a good option.
