# Crocking pots



## Stone (Feb 1, 2012)

How do you guys feel about crocking at the bottom of pots? I know its often said that the capillary action is disrupted but after darinage, the capillary action is disrupted anyway when water reaches the bottom of the pot unless it's sitting on a bed of sand or something.


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## Rick (Feb 1, 2012)

Are you referring to adding broken pot, large gravel, styro peanuts or other large chunky stuff in the bottom of a pot?

I do this a lot. Mainly for Catts. I thought the main thing was to reduce the amount of water retentive mix relative to the width of the pot.

Catts are epiphytes like most other orchids so unless you want them in baskets or mounted, I think it helps to avoid a big pile of rotten mix in a big deep pot to fill half of it up with peanuts or busted pot since the plant would normally use a lot of space horizontally rather than vertically.


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## Stone (Feb 1, 2012)

I agree. But I'm also doing it with paphs. They don't seem to mind Those styro peanuts are great but I cant find them


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Feb 1, 2012)

I normally don't do it, but sometimes I have to put a small root system into a large pot, so I use the crocks to take up space.


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## keithrs (Feb 2, 2012)

I do it.... I'll add broken pot, crushed rock, or LECA to the bottom and also to the mix. I tend to overwater, So this helps dry the pots out faster. 

I was converting all my Catts. over to LECA but I ended up with pots that stayed too moist over the winter so back to large crushed rock.


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## Brabantia (Feb 2, 2012)

I add a mix made of coarse bark (10 /15 mm) and expanded polystyrene (10/15 mm also) at the bottom of the pot.The plants are cultivate on a plastic coated trellis. I like a good air circulation through the substrate. Sometimes I made on the lateral face of the pot (at 1 or 2 cm from the bottom) a few holes (5 mm diam.).


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## Shiva (Feb 2, 2012)

I use medium sized stones in the bottom only to prevent the fine mix I use to flow out the drainage holes.


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## TyroneGenade (Feb 2, 2012)

In light of the success I've had growing Paph thaianum in plain crushed brick I have repotted all my Paphs into crush brick. The post is essentially crock. They are watered every second day and sprayed every day and look happy. The brick holds moisture which I think the critical attribute. The roots remain aerated but at the same time they are in a humid atmosphere.

The only Paphs I haven't transplanted are my complex Paphs as they seem to like loamy substrates. I am doing experiments and will probably transplant them next season. I'm busy transplanting a lot of my other orchids (Dendrobiums, Catts, Masdevallia) into crushed brick (the Masdies stand in water). So far so good.


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## Bob in Albany N.Y. (Feb 2, 2012)

More than a year ago I started putting shipping peanuts in the bottom of many of my paphs. The smaller the root system the more peanuts I use. Then the following year, the roots have grown longer and I use less peanuts or even none at all. With me the root sysmtem tells me what to do. I used to have many rotted roots and now don't even though I am watering them the same way that I used to.


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## Stone (Feb 2, 2012)

TyroneGenade said:


> In light of the success I've had growing Paph thaianum in plain crushed brick I have repotted all my Paphs into crush brick. The post is essentially crock. They are watered every second day and sprayed every day and look happy. The brick holds moisture which I think the critical attribute. The roots remain aerated but at the same time they are in a humid atmosphere.
> 
> The only Paphs I haven't transplanted are my complex Paphs as they seem to like loamy substrates. I am doing experiments and will probably transplant them next season. I'm busy transplanting a lot of my other orchids (Dendrobiums, Catts, Masdevallia) into crushed brick (the Masdies stand in water). So far so good.



Hi Tyrone, What's the ph of your crushed brick? I tried some a few years back for planting succulents but found it was extremly alkaline, I think about 9.5! so results were no good.

It's strange that so many plants that you would think need alkaline conditions just do very poorly with high ph in a pot. Things like Ariocarpus cacti which grow in pure limestone chips in mexico or a chinese pine which grows in cracks in the limestone ''bamboo shoot'' mountains all performe better in an acid media. But I'm off on a tangent once again 

Rick, I think you mentioned you were growing a bellatulum in limestone chips/sphag mix and doing well? how is the sphag. affecting the hardness/ph of the medium water? or conversly, is the limestone overiding the acidity of the moss? Also what is your stone/moss ratio. I have a compot of bellatulums which were doing ''just ok'' in standard mix (bark,,volc. stone, chc, etc.) until I put them in a 70%-30% volc. rock/sphag moss mix and their color and vigour have improved remarkably. I can only put it down to greater acidity? The stone ahve ph of 7 and the moss 5.

Mike


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## abax (Feb 3, 2012)

I have a concrete gh floor. What on earth would I do with
all the broken clay pots if I didn't put them in the bottom of
pots???!!!! :>)


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## abax (Feb 3, 2012)

Oh, forgot to mention, Office Depot has huge bags of styro
peanuts for sale.


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## eggshells (Feb 6, 2012)

Usually the post office have it for sale. 

I use lava rock or hydroton and using them has drainage.


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## keithrs (Feb 6, 2012)

Crushed granite works well too.... The only problem I have is that slugs and earwigs tend to hide in the crocking.


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## goldenrose (Feb 6, 2012)

I have a garbage can full of styro peanuts & they're FREE, wish some of you were closer!


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Feb 6, 2012)

Styro peanuts are great for providing drainage for rhodies and azalea's when they are grown in heavy soil.


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## Stone (Feb 7, 2012)

Another observation: If you have plenty of large holes at the bottom and lower side of the pot and you want quicker drying of the mix, you can use absorbtive crocking in the bottom such as diatomite, porus rock or similar and this will continue to draw moisture from your mix where evaporation will remove it.


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## vinhpicohp (Feb 29, 2012)

Why can we not use the foam as dunnage materials at pot bottom? It does not absorb water and keep your pot free from water stagnated.


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## Ozpaph (Mar 1, 2012)

vinhpicohp said:


> Why can we not use the foam as dunnage materials at pot bottom? It does not absorb water and keep your pot free from water stagnated.



Those above referring to 'peanut' or 'styro' are talking about 'foam' - styrofoam. It works well but is an environmental nasty.


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## vinhpicohp (Mar 1, 2012)

Ozpaph said:


> Those above referring to 'peanut' or 'styro' are talking about 'foam' - styrofoam. It works well but is an environmental nasty.



Well! Thank you!


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