From my perspective, the most important quality of a pot is its ability to manage air and water around my root system. I am an epiphytic plant by nature, which means my ancestors grew on trees, not in dense, soggy ground. My delicate, fibrous roots absolutely despise sitting in water. They need access to oxygen as much as they need moisture. A pot that is too large for my size is a death sentence. It holds excess soil, which stays wet for far too long, creating a suffocating, cold environment that will cause my roots to rot, turning them brown and mushy. This is my biggest fear. A pot that is just a little snug, about one-third the diameter of my leaf span, is perfect. It makes me feel secure and encourages me to bloom, rather than wasting energy trying to fill a vast space with roots.
The substance you choose for my container directly influences my comfort. I have preferences, you see. Porous terracotta or clay pots are excellent choices. They allow air and water to pass through their walls, which helps the soil dry out more evenly and prevents waterlogging. This breathability mimics the airy environment of my natural habitat. However, they do dry out faster, so you must be vigilant about my watering schedule. Glazed ceramic or plastic pots are non-porous and retain moisture for much longer. This can be beneficial if you tend to underwater, but it requires a much lighter touch with the watering can and a soil mix that is exceptionally well-draining to compensate.
This is not a suggestion; it is a requirement for my survival. My pot must have drainage holes in the bottom. Without them, water has no escape route. Every time you water me, the excess will pool at the bottom of the pot, creating a miniature swamp that will inevitably lead to the root rot I mentioned. Even if you water sparingly, salts from fertilizers will build up in the soil without being flushed out, which can chemically burn my roots. A saucer placed underneath my pot is essential to catch the runoff, but you must always empty it after watering. Never let me sit in the standing water that has drained out.
Some of your kind provide specially designed self-watering pots. From my root's viewpoint, these can be quite clever. They typically work by allowing me to draw water up from a reservoir through a wick or through the soil itself as I need it. This provides a consistent level of moisture and can prevent the cycles of drought and flood that occur with irregular manual watering. However, it is crucial that these systems are used with a very light, soilless potting mix. Using a dense, moisture-retentive soil in a self-watering pot would again create those soggy conditions I find so intolerable. It is a good option, but only with the right growing medium.
