Switching to Semi-Hydro: a repotting pictorial

Hcubed: I keep all my phals in s/h. However I keep my bellina in a glass bowl with no drainage due to low humidity, so far it looks like it likes it more that my other phals...
All my other phals I kept in normal pots with side holes and reservoir. However most hated it and lost A LOT of roots. So then I changed over to pots with side holes, but then all the top roots, including the new ones which grow from the crown, dried out.
I was infuriated!!! Finally I realised that if I used normal pots (no extra holes) in cache pots filled with hydroton and water up to where the plant pots could sit on, but not stand IN water, it could be the solution to my problem. AND IT WAS!
Some species seedlings which are more "ecclectic" in matters of moisture and light, I keep them in normal pots with hydroton but in a glass case (former aquarium) with 1cm. of hydroton + bark on the aquarium floor constantly damp. The case has a lid so I can keep it open at times to help air flow. They seem to like it so far,especially my new neofinetia, which I transplanted into s/h as well.

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Gardening under the mediterranean sun

Hm, my phal in S/H just recently died (sadly). It seemed happy for awhile, bloomed and then suddenly died. It was quite disappointed. I think partly my problem is the type of pot I have. The plastic is quite think and seems to insulate too much and thus causes too much condensation with too little airflow.

My paph seems to like it though. 4 new growths chugging along. :-)

I am interested in trying s/h with a paph. I don't know where to get the PrimeAgra. I looked at our local box store yesterday and called my local nursery and neither one has it. Do nurseries usually carry it? Or do I have to get it online? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Andrea

Well, I don't think you absolutely need that specific brand - maybe that is the problem. I would just ask for hydroton rocks/pellets. I certainly got mine at a big box store, but they are a no-name brand and not perfectly round like primeagra is.

Thanks Hcubed, I will ask for hydroton rocks/pellets and see if I can find them.

Andrea

i've taken the plunge! well, one of my catts has at least...
i'm using a tall deli counter container and expanded clay pellets (that's hydroton, right?) i got a massive bag from the hydroponics store where i got all my coco for my veggies, it was the smallest bag they had (only eight bucks so i wasn't complaining...) but since i was only doing one orchid for starters i had plenty leftover so it was pebble tray madness for the rest of my babies!
this noid catt i've used to experiment with is in rough shape, a while back i got this 'great deal' :S on five catts. at that point i'd only had phals so little did i know they were all on their last legs, two promptly died, two have only recently managed to thrive and this one can go either way so if it takes off i'll let S/H take all the credit.
i'll try and take a picture now but i'll hold off posting it until i have an 'after' shot...
the fellow at the hydro store seemed concerned there's no pump involved but i tried to assure him i had gotten this idea from many knowledgable growers. d'you think the pump would help deter the algae tho, or would more air make it worse? i'm not going to bother with it, especially at this stage, just wondering mostly. the algae seems pretty innocuous actually...

I don't think a pump would deter algae growth. Besides, where would you stick a pump on a S/H pot? Algae will grow anywhere there is water, light, and nutrients. If you want to kill the algae, simply block out the light. Although, I've never heard of algae doing any damage to orchids or their roots... I wouldn't worry about it.

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Geoffrey

Other than PA is it any other medium suitable for s/h

The Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate seems to be the best medium for semi - hydroponics so far. It is not going to rot, most of it stays put in the pot and doesn't float away when you soak a potful, the clay pellots wick water up to the area of the roots but still allow plenty of air at the root level. You could try pea gravel as an expirement to see if it allows wicking, but still provides air pockets for the roots.

In the example used in this thread, we used the material which is used in the construction of cinder blocks. The important thing to remember is:
BTW, welcome to OrchidTalk!

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? .