You win some, you lose some......

Remember how proud I was when I repotted up all my hoyas into pretty little ceramic and terra cotta pots? My "plant OCD" was really raging that day. Well, BAD IDEA!!! Although many of my hoyas are just fine, several of them went into a "failure to thrive" mode. When I pulled them out to see what was going on, I was met with bamboo hoops that were soaking wet on the bottom! YIKES! Drainage, apparantly, was not happening!! So needless to say, I will be repotting BACK INTO PLASTIC POTS, all my hoyas! Geesh.
But if it comes to pretty pots or healthy hoyas, it's no contest!!!

So, anyone have a good supplier of those larger green plastic pots?!?

Chagrined,
Karen

I had loved the look of your ceramic pots when you posted them. And the fact that they were much more stable was a point in their favor also. But I didn't want to re pot my hoyas (my whole maybe two dozen LOL) as I had just gotten them settled into plastic. So I bought ceramic pots that my plastic pots would fit into and set them down inside, the best of both worlds! Maybe you can find plastic pots that will fit right down into all your ceramic ones?? Just a thought.

Here's an example, and when your looking straight on at them you can hardly tell...

~Brenda

This message was edited Oct 7, 2007 4:22 PM

Drill holes in the fancy ceramic ones....they're outside anyways, and you can still have the look and have drainage.

Karen,

I'm so sorry to hear that. It must've taken you so long to repot them and organize them so nicely. Well, at least you are very observant and were able to catch things before it got "bad".

I agree with Brenda's suggestion. Whenever I like a pot that either has no drainage or is glazed ceramic (which I don't like to use on my hoyas), I use them as cache pots. The suggestion of leaving them in the pots they are in now, but drilling more holes, is a MUCH easier solution since you won't have to repot and risk any shock to the plants, but I think in the long run the plants would be happier in plastic. The ceramic cache pots will still help to keep them stable.

Good luck!

Gabi

Karen,
I buy most of my plastic pots from The Greenhouse Megastore. Their prices, even with shipping, usually come out much less then the local Home Depot or Lowes. And they are very quick with shipping. I have also stopped planting anything in glazed ceramic pots. They hold way too much moisture for me and, unfortunately, I've lost a few plants to them as well. Try "The Megastore".
Good Luck - Robin

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/default.asp

Thanks for the ideas - and I will check out the greenhouse megastore!

Karen

I am with three because that is what I did to some of my pots. Drill those holes in them there pots.

Sorry to hear that Karen,instead of repotting them I would have drill holes.

Does anyone know what kind of drill bit to use on ceramic pots? Im not too savey when it comes to mechanics and tools but I know there are different types of bits for different types of drilling. I have some pots that dont have drain holes but would love to use for permanent planting.

DH says they make specific drill bits for ceramics - if you go to Lowe's, Home Depot, or whereever, he says they can show you the ones that can be used. I did drill holes in the bottom of the pots - two in each pot. Was still not enough, apparantly! The ones that seem to be having the most problem with drainage are the roundish-shaped ones. The ones with straighter sides seem ok.
I haven't decided what I'm going to do - drill more holes, or repot them. I'm leaning to repotting - at least the ones in the "rounder" pots. I could then put the plastic pot down inside the ceramic pot like Brenda suggested.....I don't know - but thanks, all, for your help!!

Karen

Doesn't the glazed ceramic hold moisture too long? I like the look, tho. But I stick with plastic or those ugly clay pots. :)

Susan

You just don't water the ceramic ones as often. We got our drill bit at lowe's also.

Karen,

I'm using quite a few of the same pots that you are, and while I love the look, I am having a hard time to know when to water them. I don't really think it is a drainage issue as there are holes in the bottom of the pots. The problem lies in the weight of the planted pots. With plastic there is an intuitive knowledge of when to water by the weight of the pot. After switching to ceramic, I cant' tell just by picking them up - I'm not used to the new weight, and it is completely throwing me off. It is difficult to always tell with a finger when to water, but the weight thing is easiest to tell at least for me. I'm wondering if that is more of what is going on with you as I don't think there is anything wrong with the pots you are using, and they do look very nice in those pots.

Doug

I agree with you all about watering the ceramic pots less. I did splurge (all of about $5) and bought one of those moisture meters. Funny thing is, it would read "dry," so I would water. I think maybe I was measuring the moisture straight down the pot, and, on the rounder pots (pictured in the first post of this thread), the moisture was in the sides....I don't know. So I think I have decided just to repot all the hoyas in the rounder pots into plastic, and set the plastic container inside the pot. The 'straighter' pots, pictured below, seem to be draining ok, so I'll probably leave the hoyas I have in those alone, and just watch for "failure to thrive" symptoms.
I really appreciate everyone's input on this - it's one of the things I like best about this forum - being able to talk things through with you all!

Karen

The consensus on other forums and from buyer feedback on Amazon is that those cheap moisture meters are about worthless. You would be much better off to insert a toothpick into the soil to see if it is damp rather than to rely on one of those. A professional soil moisture meter costs between $100 and $300, and even at those prices, it takes a fair amount of skill to operate it properly.

Well, good to know! The soil did feel dry to the touch, but, when I got close to the sides of the pots, it was definitely too wet. In fact, I repotted one hoya into plastic, lightly watered (I had repotted in dry soil), and set the plastic pot back into the round ceramic pot. I had other hoyas to water, so after watering, I checked the repotted hoya, and lo and behold, the hoya was sitting in water INSIDE the ceramic pot - despite two good sized holes that had been drilled in the bottom. The water "got stuck" around the bottom curve of the pot. Needless to say, I have repotted all the hoyas that were in these round pots into plastic!! Again, thanks for all your help, and for that info on the cheap moisture meter, Doug!

Karen

I don't know, Doug ... my cheapo moisture meter works really well for me, however, I usually measure multiple places in the soil of any given pot, just to make sure.

I typically measure the soil next to the edge of the pot, exactly in the middle, and some random other place in the soil. If the meter consistently reads dry, I water. If it is inconsistent, I wait a couple of days before watering. I personally have found the meter to be very useful so long as I don't just use one reading from one spot in the soil.

Ann

Ann,

Maybe on any given day the manufacturer puts out some good moisture meters and some bad ones, and you were one of the lucky ones to get a good one. On Amazon, one customer said that they had a good one once, and every other one they bought after that was bad. Also, a common problem is that in very lose mixes with chunks of perlite and bark they worked particularly poorly.

Doug

Another idea is to tip a plant out of the pot gently...It doesn't kill the plant and gives you a good idea. However...you are going to have MORE moisture in the plants with fewer roots...'all the better to rot you with, my dear'. I am increasing my perlite in the bottom of the pots by a lot!!!!!

Carol

Speaking of perlite....does anyone have a source for the really big, coarse perlite? Like the big kids use?

Karen

Karen,

If you ever find that perlite let me know as well. I have been searching for a long time. I believe that the perlite that we are looking for is #4 coarse, but I have been unsuccessful in locating it either on line, or locally. I take that back I did find one place, but you had to buy a minimum of a pallet. Every time that I buy the stuff that says it is coarse it is still too fine.

Doug

Karen,
I buy my coarse perlite from Crystal River Orchid Supplies here in Florida. I don't know if your freight charge to Illinois would make it cost prohibitive to order from them. They are very quick with shipping and very easy to deal with. I would think they could give you an idea of freight first so you would know if it is worth your while. Here's a link:

http://orchidsupplies.com/cgi-bin/orchidsupplies/orchid314/catalog?VRjzu57R;;24


This message was edited Oct 9, 2007 2:50 PM

Ooh, I was just going to ask about terra cotta pots. Seems as though I've had moisture problems with my Hoyas since repotting them all in terra cotta.

There are huge, gaping holes in the bottom so it's not drainage. But here's my theory, when I water them, the terra cotta pot soaks up the moisture and then somehow, magically, makes the soil remain too damp for too long. One of my pots even had some white mold growing on the outside!

Before going back to plastic, I'm going to keep trying a bit more with my new pots. I'm going to water just a wee little bit and at shorter intervals, so that the pot doesn't soak up the water.

You can kinda see a few of my terra cotta plants in the background. That is, if you can see past my handsome boys, lol.

I have the opposite problem with terra cotta pots. I think they generally make the mix dry out too fast. They just suck the moisture right out of the soil and add it to the air just like a humidifier wick.

I get my #4 perlite from Robert's Flower Supply, shipping is fast and not very expensive.

http://www.orchidmix.com/cat2.htm

Blessings,
Awanda

Thanks, Awanda! I'll check it out!


Karen

Yay...I am so glad you guys are getting the big perlite. I don't use #4....but I use #3 in the bottom of my plant pots...and I use the #2 for propagating. Just when I get my systems to the place where they work...I am retiring!!!! Isn't that what life is all about?

Carol

Carol, you're retiring-from growing hoyas???????????????

Carol,

My heart just sunk when I read that! Say it ain't so....PLEASE!!

OMG...and I haven't got to place an order for my wishlist yet!!!!!!
Noooooooooooo.......

Do we have time for one more order?

Jeri