Help! my Phal fell on the floor AGAIN

[LuizaG]

I have potted already and the end result is a lot heavier than the previous pot so I guess it will not fall so easy now. My first experience with Hydroton is great! It is a lot easier, cleaner and trouble free to repot in comparison to bark.

[Daethen]

Looks good to my untrained eye.

[nenella]

Hi Luiza,
Looking good!
One thing I have picked up is to make sure your existing roots are "above" the 'line of water' or where the holes are so they dont get too damp & rot & have more chance to continue growing.
As for making holes in your tupperware containers here's what I use.. a piece of thick wire from a dry cleaners hanger cut off & stuck into a wine cork....Heat over flame on the cooker, when red pierce the plastic ..
hope this helps!

PS: I have had this since 2004 (as it says on the cork )

[johnblagg]

I have found it hard to keep orchids with very few roots stabil even in Hydrotron at first.I have found realy long twist ties from packaging or the kind you can buy by the roll good to tie them in at first.Otherwise they can shift around in the hydrotron and fall right out too.

[Call_Me_Bob]

i always secure my plants that have few roots. if they wiggle around, the root tips have a better chance of breaking.

i use an old wood burning tool to make my holes

[LuizaG]

Hi help, Nenella and Johnblagg

I used to use a thick-ish metal pin that I used to heat it in a flame and pierce with that but it always leaves ugly black burned plastic around the holes so this time I used my husband's drill. This pot (Tupperware) was a lot thicker than all the other actual flower pots so that's why it was harder to drill but the holes are nice and clean so it was worth it. I am sure it would have been even more difficult and a lot messier with the hot metal pin thing.

In regards of the stability of the plant in the media, I find that because the pot is taller then before and that long root is stretched properly the plant has more stability than before. So far no Hydroton floated in order to disturb the roots as I soaked them a lot. Hope it stays that way, I'll just have to wait and see what happens. And I checked, the root is above the water line. I was careful when I poted to place enough pellets above the holes level before I placed the plant inside.

PS Nenella I simply love the picture of that cat. Is it your cat? She is purely delicious

[nenella]

Cool! let us know how it grows... I have 3 phals in S/H one flowered.. the others grow very slowly but they were babies...-
I know what you mean about the 'black' although I don't think it happens anymore? my pots don't have the soot on them...
The cat ? Thanks ! Yes he's 5 1/2 yrs old - called Sasha - 6Kg, very affectionate acts more like a dog than a cat...