Antique Georgia Red Clay Pots

Antique Orchid Pots

A seriously rare and fun find! As you may already know most of the orchid pots you find at big box stores are not even clay anymore and orchids THRIVE in clay pots.  All serious orchid collectors know that clay pots "breath" and allow the flow of air/moisture through the porous surface. Orchid roots really thrive in these conditions.  Real clay orchid pots are getting VERY hard to find, but we scored the mother lode and we are going to share some with you!

Most of these pots are made from Georgia red clay and are believed to have been thrown at Hewell's Pottery, Gillsville, GA (Established in 1850).  We were told some may be as old as 80 years and others only half that. These pots were hand thrown and no two are the same!  I mean they are the same size, but it's so cool to see the craftsmanship in each one. Also, remember they may have lime deposits, they may not (easy to get rid of) or they may have some uniqueness.  They are hand thrown and were used! Please do not buy if you are looking for new pots. 

You should ALWAYS clean and sterilize any pot before reusing it.  We have given these pots a 48 hour bath in industrial grade bleach. They were then given a 48 hour leaching period to make sure no bleach remains and then sun baked. This should be sufficient to kill most pathogens.  However, some folks like to go a step further and oven bake them. If that is you... in an oven, gradually (can crack if you go to fast) raise temperature to 500F (raise to 200 F then at 10 minute intervals raise temperature in steps of 50 degrees, stop at 500F, allow pots to cool in oven overnight.