Flower pot design

[BD79]

I am new here, so I hope I get this picture posting thing right. It is an idea I had while working with other plants that I had to transplant frequently. I started getting tired of rootballs breaking off with chunks of soil that fell, stunting or killing my plants. I was showing them to a friend, who's stepmom is an orchid collector. She mentioned that she had the same problem with some of her orchids and that this would be helpful and eliminate the possible loss of plants when transplanting. Let me know what you all think.
The pictures are rough drawings done on auto-cad. They are not the intended colors, and they could be built to look like stones or animals or just about anything else. They are intended to show how it works and what makes it different. I have a provisional patent on it and am persuing manufacturing them as well. That's a whole other topic!

[RoyalOrchids]

Good luck! This might be a good place to have a mini, unofficial focus group. Looks like a neat idea. You may want to make an orchid model that has extra drainage. That's what I look for when I set out to buy pots. Just my

[Ross]

I don't see the need for me personally. Pots are so cheap that for clay pots I just break the pot and use the chunks for drainage. For plastic, I rarely have roots that tight, but if they are I slice the pot apart with a box-cutter knife and throw the pot away. Cleaning used pots is a pain for me anyways. Good luck in your venture, though.

[Des]

Nice idea, But I think pricing would be a problem to overcome.

[BD79]

Thanks for the feedback. The pots, depending on size will actually only run between 2-6 bucks if I do begin to produce them, depending on size. The extra drainage was a good point. Maybe one of the most important details I need to address. I figured if you have to cut 3 or 4 plastic pots a year at 1 or 2 bucks each, you already are saving by re-using these. Keep the comments coming! I like criticism, good or bad.

[Des]

Most Cymbidium growers dump their their used pots as it works out too time consuming and expensive to sterilize them

[caseydoll]

I really like your pot idea! I think it would come in very useful with my houseplants. I have one heck of a time repotting them! I also think extra drainage for orchid pots is a great idea. I look for that too when I purchase them. Very cool!

[Djarum Black]

What a very cool idea! They almost remind me of lego pots with parts snapping on and off.
Now if only there was a pot that told you exactly when to water based on what was in it.

[BD79]

Thanks for everybody's feedback. I am continuing to work on it, hopefully should have something to show for it in a year or so. I am still pretty new to orchids, and learning more daily. I will be lurching around the forum and sucking up as much info as I can.

[stonedragonfarms]

Originally Posted by Des

Most Cymbidium growers dump their their used pots as it works out too time consuming and expensive to sterilize them

Amen to that...it's far easier to buy brand new pots (which are clean and free of old media) than to scrub, wash & dry the old ones...i put the old cymbidium pots to use for a season to start vegetables or tree seedlings, but after that they either get tossed or recycled (if the facility will take them)
$2-6 is a bit much for a plastic pot; most of the gallon sized Scotch pots that I use cost less than a dollar, and last two seasons or more.
Just my two cents
Adam