Rand Air Cone pot

[Stone]

Just curious why there "no good" for paph or phrags? Yes, I do know how they work as I have tomatoes growing in abed made with air cones. Orchid roots aren't air pruned like veggies or trees. Whats the difference between a basket and a pot with holes in the side and bottom? A draw back I see is that it may be difficult to remove the plant but all you have to do is unscrew the pot and remove the cones.

Well I've never used them, but I'm just guessing that if a paph root enters one of those cones there is no way back and it will stop growing. Also because paph roots have a very hard time branching or are unable to branch, thats it for that particular root.
I've been trying a few paphs in basket pots and so far I have been able to track the root progress and when they reach the side they seem to avoid comming out and continue downwards possibly sensing greater humidity on the inside? I know Masdevallia growers are having good results with them and that could be due to the evaporative cooling effect.

Mike

 

[Tintin]

I just got three different sizes of airpota but the 4" seems to be counterfeit. It has no Rand's name printed on the side. Does yours have it?

 

[Ray]

I just got three different sizes of airpota but the 4" seems to be counterfeit. It has no Rand's name printed on the side. Does yours have it?

I think it's extremely unlikely there are "counterfeit" Air-Cone pots on the market - it's just too expensive and unprofitable to do so. They're not a huge consumer product, after all.

Jan and Ulla Jurrisen, who were the original owners of Kelley's Korner Orchid Supplies, bought the Rand's Air-Cone molds, and to the best of my knowledge, still own them and have the pots made for distribution.

Metal molds used for the forming of both plastic and glass objects wear over time and have to be reworked, if not replaced, and it's no-doubt cheaper not to have them engraved. I have some of their pots from back when I resold them, and they don't have any markings, either.

 

[Paphluvr]

I just got three different sizes of airpota but the 4" seems to be counterfeit. It has no Rand's name printed on the side. Does yours have it?

My Rand's Aircone Pots (that I've had for quite a while) do not have his name on them. The things last forever, my only complaint being that they are slippery compared to other pots. Need to be careful when handling plants potted in them.

 

[Tintin]

My Rand's Aircone Pots (that I've had for quite a while) do not have his name on them. The things last forever, my only complaint being that they are slippery compared to other pots. Need to be careful when handling plants potted in them.

Weird because 3" and 6" pots do have the name on the side.

 

[Ray]

Weird because 3" and 6" pots do have the name on the side.

Maybe not THAT weird.

In the few years I carried them, I sold some 6000 Air-cone pots. The 4" and 5" sizes were the biggest sellers, constituting about 50% of the sales, and if sales in general followed that pattern, it would makes sense that their molds might have to be reworked or replaced, when the others didn't.

Then again, maybe your source just had some older pots on hand. I have noticed that the "no name" versions are somewhat thinner-walled, too. A money-saving move, no doubt.

 

[Tintin]

Maybe not THAT weird.

In the few years I carried them, I sold some 6000 Air-cone pots. The 4" and 5" sizes were the biggest sellers, constituting about 50% of the sales, and if sales in general followed that pattern, it would makes sense that their molds might have to be reworked or replaced, when the others didn't.

Then again, maybe your source just had some older pots on hand. I have noticed that the "no name" versions are somewhat thinner-walled, too. A money-saving move, no doubt.

What types of orchids do you think these pots are especially good for?

 

[Ray]

Any and all. In cases where I don’t have one handy, or need one of a larger size, I create my own by inverting a net pot in the bottom.

 

[Cklinger]

What types of orchids do you think these pots are especially good for?

I only use air cone pots for Paphs, but like Ray said, I’m sure they’re good for all types of orchids. I just prefer them so that I can visibly see when to water, and when using the same mix, pots of the same size typically need to watered at the same time (in my case at least).

 

[southernbelle]

I started with Rand’s aircone and gave them up at the next repot. The only negative was they are thick plastic and I could not get the plants out even after soaking. I had to use my husband’s tin snips to cut them off!! I have arthritis in my hands from all my years pruning hybrid tea roses. So, it was very hard on my hands to cut through the thick plastic. Bummer because they have great qualities. I do use clear plastic exclusively, as I need to see, as well as feel, when it’s time to water.

 

[Sky7Bear]

I grow almost exclusively Semi-hydroponically, so I do not use these. BUT, I do place an inverted small empty plastic net pot at the bottom of each pot, as I think most orchids prefer some air at the roots, which is the whole purpose of the air cone pot. However, the underlying principle is what matters, and in some ways we've forgotten this in the past century. I find that each genus has a different "ideal" balance between air and water at the roots, and often "too wet" really means "give me more air down there if you want to give me as much water as I can really use." Organic media, of course, rot over time and so this ratio changes (which is one reason I do S/H). But going back further we see a lot of use of shallow, clay, "orchid pots" in use even with organic media. And guess what, it really was all about the principle mentioned above. Cal Orchid achieves the same thing with clay pots with an empty bottom using moss. Other growers allow plants to dry out between waterings, and this is likely what they are achieving, possibly without knowing it. I even have some of the "drier" lot (Vandas and possibly Tolumnias) with the plant in an empty plastic net pot inside a larger pot with moss (or S/H) between the inside and outside pots. Air humidity is also a factor in achieving the right balance.

 

[Tintin]

I grow almost exclusively Semi-hydroponically, so I do not use these. BUT, I do place an inverted small empty plastic net pot at the bottom of each pot, as I think most orchids prefer some air at the roots, which is the whole purpose of the air cone pot. However, the underlying principle is what matters, and in some ways we've forgotten this in the past century. I find that each genus has a different "ideal" balance between air and water at the roots, and often "too wet" really means "give me more air down there if you want to give me as much water as I can really use." Organic media, of course, rot over time and so this ratio changes (which is one reason I do S/H). But going back further we see a lot of use of shallow, clay, "orchid pots" in use even with organic media. And guess what, it really was all about the principle mentioned above. Cal Orchid achieves the same thing with clay pots with an empty bottom using moss. Other growers allow plants to dry out between waterings, and this is likely what they are achieving, possibly without knowing it. I even have some of the "drier" lot (Vandas and possibly Tolumnias) with the plant in an empty plastic net pot inside a larger pot with moss (or S/H) between the inside and outside pots. Air humidity is also a factor in achieving the right balance.

I am not sure what "Cal Orchid achieves the same thing with clay pots with an empty bottom using moss." looks like. Wouldn't moss make it more wet overall?

 

[Sky7Bear]

He packs the moss very tightly, and that combined with air at the bottom of the pot and the clay itself causes relatively fast drying, but I think the air is the important element rather than the drying, which is just another way to get air to the roots. Our plastic pots kill a lot of plants.