# Clear pots can be bad



## silence882 (Jul 17, 2006)

Now before Heather starts in with the virtues of clear pots, I am talking about only 3 species here. 

I am a huge fan of clear pots, but here's one of my armeniacums:






This also happened to a few other armeniacums and a few micranthums. I've only got one malipoense, but I assume the same thing happens. These 3 species are the only paphs which produce stolons (although others rarely produce elongated rhizomes that mimic stolons). When the stolons that have grown downward see light, they start to develop into plantlets. This can be very bad if it happens halfway down the side of the pot. I would guess that this is an infection waiting to happen as the new plantlet inevitably rots.

I ran out of baskets, but I think I'll move these three parvi species into them and see what happens.

--Stephen


----------



## Marco (Jul 17, 2006)

Well it's good otherwise you wouldn't have gotten to see the plantlets there. Thank goodness for clear pots oke:


----------



## kentuckiense (Jul 17, 2006)

Marco said:


> Well it's good otherwise you wouldn't have gotten to see the plantlets there. Thank goodness for clear pots oke:



The plantlet grew that way because of the light coming through the pot.

Stephen, think the plant will be ok? I've heard they don't like it when stolons get broken.


----------



## silence882 (Jul 17, 2006)

kentuckiense said:


> The plantlet grew that way because of the light coming through the pot.
> 
> Stephen, think the plant will be ok? I've heard they don't like it when stolons get broken.



I left the stolon intact! Hopefully it will grow out the side of the basket and be just fine. I am trying to remain in deep denial about the aggravation that will occur when the plant outgrows its basket.

--Stephen


----------



## Heather (Jul 18, 2006)

That's really interesting. Thanks for the photos....

I will conceded to you on these species. :wink:


----------



## SlipperFan (Jul 18, 2006)

Proves that nothing is good for everything.


----------



## slippertalker (Jul 18, 2006)

Stolons on armeniacum and micranthum will crawl down into the mix whether the pot is clear or not. I've had standard green plastic pots with growths poking through the drainage holes. At least with the plastic pots you can see where they are going!


----------



## DavidH (Jul 18, 2006)

I concur with Slippertalker. I've got about 40 micranthums and 30 armeniacums. I prefer clear pots because then I can at least see the stolons and repot to help them out. Otherwise I've had stolens rot on their own because they couldn't find a way our while in the dark pot.

I also pot in larger, shallower pots for these plants due to the stolon growth. I basically cut a 4 inch pot in half (horizontally)...seems to work well.
-Dave


----------



## gary (Jul 18, 2006)

There is a grower who pots everything in large shallow pots. He talks mesh pots, half fills with packing peanuts then the top half with media. The diameter is always much larger than conventional wisdom would command. And, he is very sucessful with this. In addition, it is almost impossible to over water with this technique.

This strrategy also gives stolons a chance to spead and even come out of the side of the pot. It doesn't work for me, requires to much watering. 

gary


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Jul 18, 2006)

I have had the same problem with parvi's grown in any type of pot, the stolons just grow down...and wide pots never worked out for me. However, as I have said in other posts, I believe that the recent armeniacums and micranthums, that have been seed grown, selected for "ease" of bloom (this is strictly relative when talking about micranthums and armeniacums...) have also been selected, inadvertently, perhaps, for lack of stoloniferous growth. None of my armeniacums or micranthums seem to produce any stolons at all...and these are of recent origin. I do have a malipoense, a division of an old plant collected in the early 80's, that produces nothing but stolons. It would be nice if it would produce a central growth that would get big and bloom....but then again, I would also like to be rich and handsome...alright, just rich............Take care, Eric


----------



## ScottMcC (Jul 19, 2006)

would it be possible to just cut a hole in the side of the pot with a utility knife? then your stolon could get out and say hi, and you wouldn't need to use a basket. 

I have no idea how this would work in reality, but in my head it seems like a great idea.


----------



## Tikva (Jul 19, 2006)

That sounds like a wise idea.... good thinking!

*not that I'M any expert LOL*


----------

