Switching to Semi-Hydro: a repotting pictorial

So what you are saying is when the growing roots reached and get submerged in the resevoir area, everything is still OK ? Just keep on watering to the overflow line ?

Thats my question too. Do the roots keep going, or do they know enough to make a u-turn or to stop?
Or is it that they have such a long root already that they can afford to loose the tip.

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All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

-J.R.R. Tolkien, LOTR, Fellowship of the Ring

With a bark mix, the roots on my phals grow till they hit the bottom of the pot then start to go in circles (aroung the inside of the pot) lying on top of each other. Like looking at a pack of Twizzlers, sideways.

Eventually you will have to up-pot to a larger container, but the roots get plenty of air om S/H and so far so good with our experiment here.

Cheers!
BD

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We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

Bruce and Louis, I'd be interested to know if, when you check the root status next time, you find any very tiny little bugs crawling in the pellets. (I've had such dreadful luck with sh that I've totally given it up after three years.) Of course, I didn't repot unless the plant was growing over the pot sides. That may be a part of the problem. Then there's the algae...nasty stuff! Also, I found the roots kept blocking the drain holes up. And the plants generally just did NOT thrive long term. Oh, lots of roots, that's for sure. Just a general lack of vigor in the plants. And since I'd hoped to eliminate frequent unpotting/repotting with sh...I was disappointed.

This is a very useful thread for those contemplating the switch. A very good idea, guys!

Maggie

Hi Maggie!

Good to see you on-line here again. I will update this thread with more photos of the phal and see what is going on inside the S/H container. I sure hope there will not be bugs. I may not get to it this weekend, but will put it on the todo list.

Cheers!
BD

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We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

Well, hello there to you too! lol

Take a really, really close look. The bugs I find are whitish, almost like lice of some kind. You can barely see them at all! And the drain trays under the sh pots would have little clumps of eensy weensy little winged bugs, too (dead, thanks to physan). Definitely NOT fungus gnats. Sheesh. Still, I thought sh would be a relatively bug free medium. Will be awaiting your findings......

Maggie

Hi Maggie,

I took a look yesterday and could not find the little bugs you mention. I ran water through the container and looked at the run-off and nothing with wings either. I did not un-pot the phal just yet, as I don't have a container to put it into. I want to keep it in s/h since this is the experiment plant. The roots are huge on this plant and have filled the container. It really needs to be put into a larger s/h container. After next weekend, I will have more time to work out there in the GH. I will look through the media when I dump it out and see if I can find the bugs you mention. Until then...


Cheers,
BD

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RVO's OrchidTalk Forums - "Bringing People Together" Help support our Community: Donate or Become an OrchidTalk Subscriber today!
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

Bruce, thanks for looking! I found most of those little critters didn't seem to be doing any harm to the plant...but is curious since the pellets are inorganic and I don't see why they'd even be there.

About your roots...I also found sh grows roots really, really well. However, after 3 years in sh, I think the size of the roots on most had changed. The exception might be phals. For instance, the dens had a pot full of roots. As the roots neared the wetter zone they became thinner, more fragile. Then the new roots forming above the pellets are decidedly larger...that is, until they reached the wet zone. This would lead me to believe it's best to repot more frequently, keeping these roots in the dryer zone. Or just not doing them in sh at all? I also found the catts roots to be very similar...but found more rot on the lower roots. Most of these catt roots didn't even go to the wetter zone.

I have taken some Oncids out of sh and they suffered a huge set back in the root department. Though most are doing well now that new roots have developed in the new mixes.

Anyway, just a few observations to chime with....good luck with your experimenting and thanks again for the bug check!

Maggie

Hi there

I have been reading up a bit on your culture tips and came across this post. So I thought that I would bump it up and ask a question: did you work out whether the direction the plant was facing was having an effect on the growth and healthiness of the plant that was potted up in S/H? This could have an implication for the plants I have in my kitchen, where I know that in the summer they are going to get much more light.

If you can shed some light on this subject I'd love to hear it!

Thanks

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Kerry
Getting obssessed and loving every minute of it....