I think everyone would agree that's a bad idea. Roots need drainage and air. I am not certain if the roots need "light", but they do like to have air.

If your focus is to grow a healthy orchid for the long term don't use glass. Orchids can live to be very old if properly cared for. And one slip and you have caused a giant problem. No matter how careful probably in a year or 2, if lucky and good, it would get too much sooner or later. Orchids are tuff so it would be a slow death.

Grow orchids for flowers not pots. Even the plants are not much to look at out of bloom. There are some plants by themselves are nice but there are many ugly orchid plants with very impressive flowers. Once they flower most of the time I don't notice the plant when in bloom. And as an orchid ages many will make the pot invisible. Grow for flowers or find a different plant that likes a glass pot...

double posted

This post was edited by shavedmonkey on Tue, Dec 2, 14 at 14:32

Nick is running an experiment on growing phals in 30-40 different medias. I believe one of the methods is a vase filled with water. I've also heard of others being successful with orchids in water filled vases (usually vandas). Phals are pretty tough, you might be surprised about what they can and can't take.

Also, people grow orchids in small terrariums, basically the same thing. If you get too much water, just dump it out somehow.

I'd give it a shot, but not because the roots like light, but for the aesthetics of it all.

Good luck,

Bob

Then glass might work...

I agree with Shaved. What is the point? When a orchid is not flowering, its not an attractive plant. Most only flower once a year. That would leave a lot of months with an ugly plant in a pretty vase.

There are better choices...

Jane

Even if the edges of the media or the top dry out the deep center will likely always be moist or wet...chances ore definitely higher of the plant dying of root rot in my opinion.

I grow my phals in glass vases with no holes, but I grow mine with no soil so it's more like a mounted orchid in a glass vase. It's been a year since I first tried this and my phals are growing great. I water once a week and just dump out the water after a half hour soak. I use the flower stalk to tie to a bamboo stick to provide stability and in some i have used the bark of an old tree for the roots to attach to. Jack

I purchased a Vanda by Silver Vase that is grown in a large glass vase/vessel. The rots are in a tiny pot but spill over to the bottom of the vase.
I only bought this Vanda to try my luck at keeping it alive and fingers crossed get it to re-bloom.
Directions say - pour water into vase twice per week, let sit for 1/2 hour then drain.
DO NOT TAKE PLANT OUT OF VASE.

I don't like pouring the water in - it's very hard to tell where the crown is and I'm afraid it will get hit with incoming or outgoing water.

I live in PA - so,this time of year I do not have great natural light, nor do I have high humidity. I will probably not be successful - but, time will tell.

If anyone has some suggestions to help me keep this Vanda going, I'd appreciate them.....

Jack, Do you mist the roots at all or do you only soak the roots once a week? Thanks

Jeannie, they like tons of light. Your best hope is to use lights. You can take it out of the glass pot and hang it somewhere. They like their roots in the air. But with low humidity and low light, I doubt you'll get flowers. Maybe in summer you can hang it from a tree or porch where it can get light and humidity.

Good luck,
Jane

Jeannie,

If it were me, I'd follow the directions (until the plant told me otherwise) and put that puppy in the brightest spot you can find.

I'm a big fan of LED over CFL (more light/less wattage/less heat), if you can rig up something to put a 18-27 watt LED (actual wattage not equivalent) flood over it, that would be plenty of light. If you look back on old threads, Jane had a nice looking octopus lamp set-up with CFLs, if you put 10-15 watt LED floods in those instead, that should provide enough light. I use brooder lamp fixtures for my LEDs that are as ugly as heck, but then I grow in a spare bedroom and looks are not that important. If you happen to look for these LEDs, they are the PAR30 and PAR38 types.

I grow several mini-vandas, but most of mine are under flouros during the winter, as I can get them very close to the plants and they do OK. They continue growing but don't develop spikes usually until I put them outside for the summer, although I have bloomed a few under these conditions too.

Good luck,

Bob

This post was edited by westoh on Fri, Dec 5, 14 at 12:44

azredsand, I mist (daily) the roots of a couple of my newer ones that have small roots systems. My established Phals get soaked once a week. Jack

Jeannie,

I live in NJ so I probably have the same conditions as you.

I have a Vanda tricolor and coerulea , both in baskets. I grow indoors in winter and outdoors spring and summer.

I think they manage to get enough light in the summer to flower indoors in the the fall, then they rest a bit until spring.

In the winter I water them twice a week with a pump sprayer, during the summer I can hit them with the hose every day or 2 depending on the weather.

Here is a better shot of the coerulea. I put the basket in a large broken pot I had to use as a back splash to catch the over spray. I'm also trying to grow some tillandsias on the baskets to dress them up a bit.

So if your Vanda flowers in the fall/ winter it should be OK with less light and water over winter indoors. You will have to put it outside in summer so I don't think the glass will work.

Tanks you so much folks. I had mine outside in the summer (not in glass pots) but had some problems with leafs turning brown. What is the best spot outside in the summer? Shaded (morning sun only) and shielded from rain as the heart can'r have standing water? Is that correct.
I have been succesful in getting spikes in a glas pot during these past two month in PA. But I have the perfect enviroment, lots of light in a sun room and controlled temps during the winter. As soon as the spike has a certain height, I place tem in the living room (warmer) but still with lots of light and not direct sunlight. Will try to figure out how to post some pictures. Hennie

I would grow most of those varieties of a piece or cork or directly on a tree where they grow well in their natural environment. short of that a shallow pot as t he roots will venture out of the pot anyway. roots dont need light but they do go green with light, they need air and water but not water logged.they will die if waterlogged and go brown. roots are like sponges. they will absorb al the water they can so water daily is not essential in winter but it is in summer, although your plant needs to be dry by nightfall other wise you will get fungal infections

The glass pot experiment was not a success, I lost two. Have all taken them out of the glass pots, bought glass drill bits, drilled holes in the bottom of the glass pots and planted them back. Placed them from my colder sunroom back into the living room and I think I see the tip of a spike in one of them. I feel I'm on the way back. When I'm home I also spray them a couple of times a day.

There are some people in my Orchid Society that grow paphiopedilums in s/h with great success. After I saw those I searched the internet and found a person that has been growing phalaenopsis in s/h media in glass containers for a while. She said she waters once a week by drenching them for 20-30 minutes and then pooring the water out. That way the roots get plenty of moisture and air.

I just see the problem in draining the water without spilling the pebbles.

I transplanted a few of my new orchid divisions in s/h but into regular plant pots or self-made pots from clear food containers with poked in holes on the sides near the bottom to create a small water reservoir. So far with good success but I already experienced the pebble spilling problem when I knocked a plant over...