For the Slipper nuts

[Forrest]

I started repotting my slippers today. Making the shift to SH. I WAY underestimated the amount of media and ran out before I got very far. O well, Ill toss some more in to soak and get the rest next weekend.

Here is the ones that made it in today.

[Forrest]

whoa! big pic! sorry folks.

[Jmoney]

what's that monster on the left?

If I remember to soak s/h pellets overnight, I do (in a hormone solution), but if I didn't soak enough, I just soak more in the hormone solution for a few minutes at most. They hydrate pretty instantaneously.

[Heather]

what's that monster on the left?

Yes, do tell!

They look great! Nice pots! Do you have holes drilled in the pots at all? You have quite the collection, Forrest! Thanks for sharing.

[Forrest]

I soaked them for a week in a KLN solution. I was told that 24 hours is good but a week is better, that they will in fact get more saturation, cant say that I noticed a diference between 24 hours and a week though.

The monster on the left is my orchid zone besseae hybrid, which I still need to call and get the cross on. Very neat plant, large dark red flowers with a yellow throat. I believe I have shown you pics before. Ill see if I can dig one up.

[Forrest]

here is a real washed out pic, its the best I can find atm. colors arent done justice here.

[Paphraguy]

Your plants look very happy and healthy. Thanks for posting! Your bess hybrid looks very big especially right next to the smaller mottled leafed Paphs.

[Heather]

Very nice rosey color (even if washed out - you sort of get the idea.) Isn't that an awfully large plant for something with so much besseae in the bloom? Wonder what the other parent is...sorry, just curious!

[Jmoney]

Looks like it *could* be an Elizabeth Castle (Mem. Dick Clements x Hanne Popow), but of course, it is hard to say for sure since it can be consistent with a bunch of names. The OZ can turn a Z-number into a name pretty quick, though. I saw an EC before that was absolutely monstrous, which is pretty strange since it's 50% besseae and 25% schlimii (both very compact phrags). I guess that shot of sargentianum really beefs up plant size.

I'm not convinced there's much difference in soaking s/h pellets for a minute or a day, except maybe that the pellets are more saturated after a 24h soak. But then again, once you stick it in the pot and the s/h system, the hormone solution is there at the bottom and the wicking action of the pellets will cause that to be brought up the root zone. Hydroton doesn't wick well when dry, but when it's wet, the wicking works much better and most of the pellets will be moist. Hormone solutions also tend to lose their potency after a day or so anyway; I'd rather get the roots soaked into that stuff while it's fresh.

[Heather]

If it is that, that's fabulous! Best of both parents, no? Very nice...