Plant Phal in Double Containers & in Constant Root Water?

[Higgins23]

Hi there,
I just visited my in-laws & they grow their Phals in a bit of bark medium & then place that container inside a second, glass container w/rocks & about 2 inches of water on the bottom at all times! I've never seen this before. See attached picture. Thoughts? They said the Phals bloom frequently because of this & as you can see, beautiful roots! Wondering if I might give it a try!

[Vanda lover]

I don't understand why the roots don't rot. It makes me want to try this with one of my least favourite phals.

[Higgins23]

Exactly what I was wondering, Vanda Lover! How in the world are the roots so nice and green and not rotting! I'm afraid to give this a try since I just lost 2 phals recently to root issues Learning curve!
Anyone else have input?

[jmmehler]

There is a whole subculture devoted to growing orchids in water. Most involve cutting off all the roots before placing them in the water so that the old roots do not rot and fowl the water, while the new roots develop to that environment.

You can google the topic and see dozens of pictures and testimonials.

I, personally, do not try it.

[Ray]

If the roots grew into the water, they will be fine. If they already existed, and then were submerged in the water, they will eventually suffocate, die, and then rot.

[Leafmite]

I have a few orchids that have sent their roots into the lower depths of the pots and into the water. My Angraecum Mag., a Potinara, and a few others seem to prefer to keep the water close at hand...I mean root.

[NYCorchidman]

This is called semi/hydro culture and very popular, although people who grow orchids this way use inorganic potting mix like clay balls because bark will eventually go bad being constantly wet.

Another important point is that bark is not good at taking up the water from the bottom to the top of the mix as opposed to clay balls.
In this particular case, it works fine because the whole pot is so small even the barks can transfer water all the way up to the surface.

Those roots look new to me. The roots that grow into water are adapted to such environment, so they will not die or rot unless they get hit by some pathogenic organisms.

By the way, growing orchids this way does not make them bloom more often or better.
Phalaenopsis are seasonal bloomer and they take temperature change as a cue to flower.
So go tell educate your in-laws.

[MattWoelfsen]

I did not plan to do "semi-hydro." I had put this large Phalaenopsis plant in a DVD blank disk container, put an inverted ice cream lid underneath the pot to keep the pot close at the top of the container.

My logic was to give the Phal roots humidity, but the plant started sending out roots into the water well. I've kept it this way since January 2014.

[Optimist]

I think if a person keeps the phal roots just over water, then within a year, water roots will set down. If you plunge old roots into the water, they will die and rot, and water roots will develop.