Shortly after we got married twenty four years ago, Laura and I bought
two plants at Frank's which we thought might be orchids. We also bought
a Sunset guide about growing orchids. The book told us that one was a
Cymbidium and the other was a Phalaenopsis. We soon discovered that the
subject of growing orchids was so vast and so strange that it still
holds our interest. Over the years this interest has lead us into many
other adventures. One is traveling all around to world to see orchids
growing 'in situ', and sometimes collecting a few to bring home. A
different spin off is the subject of this article.
Laura had always been curious about ceramics. We talked about it and
decided that it would be fun to make some pots for our little
collection. We took a night course in ceramics at our local Middle
School. Wriggling one's fingers in the mud turned out to be very
therapeutic. Laura liked casting so she bought some flower pot molds and
a few vase molds. I liked hand building and throwing on a potters
wheel. Before very long, we had a potters wheel, a kiln, a house full of
flower pots and vases, and a really dirty enclosed back porch.
If you or I were to design a pot for a particular orchid, we would have
several variables with which to work. Earthenware and terra cotta are
usually soft and porous. They will wick the water away from the roots,
and dry out more quickly. There is much evaporation, so they will show
salt build up where the evaporation takes place. Stoneware, including
porcelain, is not porous and will hold water like plastic. They can be
made smooth enough that the orchid roots will not grip them really
tightly. Orchid roots literally fuse to some earthenwares. Glazes are
used to seal porous ceramic surfaces as well as for decoration. Here is
how I apply these ideas to designing pots.
Dendrobiums like lots of air on their roots. During the growing season
they like lots of water but cannot stand being wet for long. They are
often tall and fall over a lot if the roots are properly crowded into a
small pot. Sounds like an earthenware job. An appropriate sized pot is
created with a very thick base. Lots of holes are drilled into the
bottom half of the pot for drainage and air movement. The inner lip and
the outer top half of the pot are glazed to force the evaporation to the
lower parts where the salt will not be so obvious. I like to use a
rather dull crystalline glaze overlaid with splashes of a very bright
complementary glaze.
If they run together, the pot often looks very nice. Cymbidiums like to
keep their roots slightly moist. They need depth, and like their
pseudobulbs to be crowded in the pot. I have heard that people in the
far east grow them in drain pipes. They also get large and spread widely
relative to the pot size required. I use stoneware for these. One way
or another I create a tall narrow pot with a thick base for stability
and lots of drain holes. The pot diameter must be continually expanding
upwards so that it will be possible to remove the very hard and solid
Cymbidium root balls for repotting. Stoneware glazes are only used for
decoration, so they are not necessary. I like to use white or clear
glazes over splashes of metal oxides. These pots always look like
marriage between information and ignorance. They run from the sublime
to the ridiculous. It is fortunate that the Cymbidiums do not care.
Many orchids frequently fall over, so how about a pot with some flying
buttresses. Seat the buttresses in a little saucer to catch excess
water. Raise the pot itself high enough above the saucer for easy
cleaning. How about this idea? Many Angraecums like to be mounted, and
also like to stay moist. How about a stoneware reservoir to fit partway
around a piece of grape vine. The vine is fastened in place with hot
glue. A piece of capillary cloth is used to lead water from the
reservoir to the vine just above the orchid. I have made several of
these, and they have not worked. One problem is that there is a lot of
evaporation and salts build up.
If this sounds like fun to you, I do recommend a continuing education
course. It should cover the properties of clay bodies, hand building,
pinch pots, throwing(potters wheel), glazing, the firing cycle, and
toxicity of some ceramic materials. Most ceramic stores offer classes
which are oriented to the products which they sell. They would also
know about clubs which relate to the ceramic arts.
Duane M. Duman