Glass Jar Orchid Pot

As any Orchid Grower knows, in addition to the leaves, Orchid Roots actually want light as well. Most orchid pots you can purchase (at least near me) are solid ceramic, and if you are lucky they have slits and/or holes on the side for light and ventilation.

I had potted a Maui Plum 'Volcano Queen' Orchid and it came in a very cheap clear plastic pot. I did not have anything better to pot it in at the time, so i potted it in a small terracotta pot with the intention of re-potting it later. Well like most things, life got in the way and it just sat in the terracotta pot doing decent.

It started putting up some new leaves, and then a few days ago I went to water it and it fell right out of the potting mixture and I noticed that almost all of the original roots were almost gone.

I decided I needed to get it into a smaller more size appropriate pot and also something clear.

I decided to take an old Jelly Jar and put some holes in the bottom for good drainage (as orchids don't like to stay wet).

Re-purposing this jar would be perfect for what I needed.

The supplies you will need for this are fairly simple.

-1 Jar (size appropriate to orchid)

-Dremel 663DR 1/4" Diamond Glass Cutting Bit.

You should already have the Orchid and potting medium specific to that style of orchid if you are re-potting the orchid.

Begin drilling your drainage holes with your Dremel (or other rotary tool).

Make sure that you note the max speed in the instructions of 15,000 RPM.
My Dremel is rated from 5,000 to 30,000 RPM, so I had to keep the speed fairly low to not overheat the bit. Also use plenty of the included oil to make sure the bit does not become dull.

After you have finished drilling your holes, wash the jar well with hot water and use a rag (not your hand in case there are glass shards) to help rinse the inside.

As you can see in this picture, the 'clear' plastic cups that orchids come in are not the most visually appealing.