Be Faithful to Your Roots

[Ray]

Phalaenoptics, I believe you are correct.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i enjoy this thread a lot- i will add that in my limited experience a root has a better chance moving from a wetter potting condition to a dry one rather than the other way. i mean, if i get a plant in wet sphag and i decide i am going to mount it it will likely have all the roots survive and many will grow new roots off the old. ( i do this with every phal i get and they take off no matter the season or their growth phase)

if i get a plant in big bark and think it would be happier in my mix (which has some smaller holes and is generally moister than big bark) those roots will rot almost every time and so i have to time that repot for new roots.

i think that orchids are better at surviving dryness than they are at wetness (both to excess) and so the roots are better in that way too.

i once got a catasetum and it was in dry sphag and in full growth..i put it right into my cata setup and many roots and a pbulb rotted -- i know catasetums and grow them very well( mr modesty LOL), this was the plant getting a culture shock and water let the bad guys in....so even the heartiest orchids are susceptible if you dont take their needs into account

[Ray]

An interesting observation, DC, but in my experience, I’d say that most orchids revel in wetness, once they have the right roots for it, but can tolerate dryness.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Agreed. I was just talking about transitioning from one to another

I think that is why I do not mention SH. It is a weird blend of optimum wetness and dryness. But I have massive die off when adjusting.

All my comments were just about reporting. Not about ideal conditions
I will post a few a few pics tomorrow of some phals that I did the above with.

[SouthPark]

Yep ------ definitely, when going from generally moist (with some dry in-between) to a long term or long-time relatively wet to watery medium (assuming good temperature etc) ----- unadapted existing roots have a fair chance of taking a plunge in health.

I have read or head of people mentioning that roots that are adapted to watery conditions ----- and then going back to regular conditions ----- might not have issues. The reverse is usually not the same though ----- this is what I have heard or read.

It is an interesting and good thread.

Also ----- what I have observed with some of my orchids in scoria set-up (and tropical conditions) --- is that I think the existing roots that make their way right out to the pot extremities - toward the rim - handles both wet and dry quite well. The outskirts of the pot is where I dump lots of water. The scoria gets really drenched and very wet in that region of the pot. I don't know what actually goes on there exactly - but possibly it's a case of the roots growing into that region on its 'own terms'. Or actually - it just had to get out to there eventually hehehe ----- and basically can just handle it. Adapted maybe. But ------ maybe not adapted for under-water environments ----- (the ones I have that is).

[K-Sci]

What properties does LECA have that other open inert media such as lava rock or perlite do not?

How would the orchid know if the water is arriving from the bottom or the top? Shouldn't top-watering LECA give the same results?

K-Sci

[SouthPark]

LECA is mentioned to have wicking properties. So water down below can get transferred upward ----- via capillary action effects, or something like that. I think scoria/lava rock doesn't have that feature. So the LECA can be used for the 'semi-hydroponics' method of watering.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Scoria does it too, SP

The difference, as I understand, is that leca has a more uniform shape and therefore does a better and more efficient job of wicking up as opposed to scoria which can leave big gaps and break the wicking action.

Note. I use both for various reasons and generally both in the same mix.

[SouthPark]

Thanks DC! Good point about the efficiency and the difference in the geometries between the two media types.

[Ray]

I think that the growth of roots to the interior container surface is more related to mechanical stability than the uptake of water.