Betty--yours looks great! And I like your container. Looks like you have drainage all the way down the pot, rather than having a water reservoir at the bottom..is that correct? If so, I may try that with some of the LECA I have on hand.
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Here (hopefully) is a closer look at the new growth/LECA As everyone can see, it's working well for the 65 or so orchids I have in it. The rest...well I just haven't gotten around to it yet... Betty
Betty--yours looks great! And I like your container. Looks like you have drainage all the way down the pot, rather than having a water reservoir at the bottom..is that correct? If so, I may try that with some of the LECA I have on hand.
As has been shown many times among SH forums and blogs, you can make your own SH containers very inexpensively. I use the semi-clear plastic quart containers you get when buying seafood like scallops or coleslaw or potato salad at the deli counter. After eating the food I reuse the containers by drilling three or four holes about 1 to 1.5 inches from the bottom using an electric drill and a quarter inch bit. Voila - a SH container! You could use large yogurt containers, but you can't see through them and they aren't attractive. Actually I put the SH containers inside of a yogurt container when I want to soak the orchid in water or solution twice a week. But I've used all sorts of plastic containers over the years. The principles are the same. Why buy when you can recycle?
betty....your orchid looks great in this leca.
Geoff....can you show the picture of your set up in the tray?.i like to see how much the water+fertilizer for my future plants because i have a lot of regular clear pot to use.thank you in advance.
I've been using containers from the supermarket for a very long time...I don't care about "pretty!" I cut a slit with a heated thin piece of metal, and also make holes on the bottom with a round tool that my husband especially made for this purpose. Most of my orchids are in the large LECA, but occasionally I do use the small ( Sharry Baby ) As I said, I only water once a week...AND re-potting is soooooooooooooo easy! I just pull the orchid out of the too small container, nip off any rotten roots, & put it in a little larger container. Then fill with LECA which has been soaked over night. Simple...and it makes orchid keeping easier for me. Betty
I've had great success with roots in LECA, but so far I haven't gotten a whole lot of flowers. That's likely do to other circumstances though. I have also lost a couple of orchids to s/h but they were overwatered and not given a dry spell as they should have had. I prefer the recycling container idea. Now I just need to order more Chinese!