Angraecum in Semi Hydroponics ?

[Halloamey]

Hello all ! I recently acquired a very big Angraecum sesquipedale. Attached is a picture of the plant with a normal 10 cm ball point for a size comparison. My question was is it possible to grow this orchid in SH? Does anyone have any idea about it? I already have an Angraecum sesquipedale in India, but it is growing like my Vandas in a orchid pot with a very airy charcoal coconut husk mixture. It is not very convenient to water this one in my office everyday so I was wondering if I could put it in SH. As you can see it is in a very small pot so probably all the roots are in there. What do you think?

[mauraec]

Amey - we S/H'ed our sequipedale, two didieris, and a magdalenae recently - I don't see any reason they won't do well, particularly when the roots are about to split the pot they're in! I've never seen such a large one with all its roots still neatly inside a relatively tiny pot. S/H will certainly give them some room to breathe and spread out, and there's so much air in between the clay pellets, the plant will like that as well. I say do it!

[paphioboy]

Very large. healthy plant!

[Brutal_Dreamer]

I grow ours on lava rock, Amey. I wonder how it would do in semi-hydro? A beautiful and healthy Angraecum sesquipedale you have, regardless.

cheers,
BD

[Dorsetman]

I have sesqui' in S/H , using 12-14mm Leca ( baked clay pebbles), and it seems quite happy and is growing good new roots.
It has flowered once, with only one flower, but that was a first from flask, and it does not seem to be a very quick growing thing at all for me; I keep thinking I have not got the light right, based on the unusually dark green leaves that these things have, but everthing I read sggests they are not fussy about it.

[mauraec]

Geoff - how long has your sesquipedale been in S/H and about how long was it before you saw new roots starting? I'm still trying to gauge how my different orchid are adjusting to S/H. Most of them were pushing new growth when I first put them in S/H, but sesquipedales are funny things - and I can't tell whether any new growth I see is from the resources in the plant before I changed its medium, or if it's actually adapting to a new medium.

[Dorsetman]

Geoff - how long has your sesquipedale been in S/H and about how long was it before you saw new roots starting? I'm still trying to gauge how my different orchid are adjusting to S/H. Most of them were pushing new growth when I first put them in S/H, but sesquipedales are funny things - and I can't tell whether any new growth I see is from the resources in the plant before I changed its medium, or if it's actually adapting to a new medium.

6-8 months ; maybe 2 moths ; I think if a plant carries on growing after a major change it must like the change ; if it doesn't, new growth stops quite rapidly...

[Halloamey]

Thank you Geoff, Bruce and Maura for the excellent advice, all the supplies for SH ing this one have been bought, and it will be the first thing I do tomorrow. I searched for this also on the internet and saw a huge A. sesquipedale also been grown in SH by Ed Merkle. Just google image search Angraecum sesquipedale semi hydroponic.

[mauraec]

Well, Amey, there you go! Keep us posted.