Hydroton/Lecca

[Dmascheck]

How often are you fertilizing and or watering cattleyas in Hydroton or Leca?

[Ray]

Watering should be done when the plant needs it, but as the medium won't decompose, there's really no limit to how often you should do that, and much of that is determined by your growing conditions.

As far as feeding is concerned, it isn't just a matter of "how often", but "how much" is also involved.

I shoot for about 75-125 ppm N applied per week. Divide 8 by the %N on the fertilizer label (to shoot for the middle of that range), and the result is teaspoons-per-gallon to mix, with room to round up or down for measuring convenience.

If you feed once a week, use that amount. If you feed 2x/week, use half, and if every two weeks, use double that, etc.

Personally, I think more dilute/more often is preferred, as when you flood the pot (also recommended), you flush, water, and feed simultaneously.

[Dmascheck]

I’ve noticed years ago bark is terrible! After repotting hundreds in bark, over 95% I repotted had rotten roots in varying degrees. Few really know how to water with bark and then add small vs large plants!

I live on the Gulf Coast 50 mile SW of Houston and my RH runs in the 80’s in the greenhouse!

Just curious how often you can water and I know the smaller plants need more. I’m not hydroponic or even semi! Just straight Hydroton l!

[estación seca]

LECA has substantial air spaces. In your warm conditions you can water daily.

[Dmascheck]

Thank you!

[K-Sci]

I grow in a greenhouse in south central Mississippi where it is in the high 80s and very humid for much of the summer, and winter temperatures require heating the greenhouse the majority of days.

I prefer using very open media and watering more often. Most of my cattleyas are in LECA, large Orchiata, or a mixture of these two with chunk perlite added. I have phalaenopsis, which don't like getting completely dry, in just about any mixture you can think of, including sphagnum.

I water all my orchids in baskets with RO daily. Those in pots I water twice per week. Most phalaenopsis get water every other day or every third day. Those in sphagnum get water when they are almost dry, which can be once per week or even longer.

I use wood baskets, terracotta pots, or clear plastic slotted pots for most orchids. All provide indicators that help prevent the development of sodden bottom media that kills roots when using common bark mixes and unventilated green plastic pots. I hate them.

I fertilizer almost all my orchids once per week with LSU for RO at 1 scoop per gallon. This is on the high side, but the size of fixed interval fertilizer doses depends a lot on the absorbancy of the media. The open medias I prefer don't absorb much of the fertilizer solution, whereas once per week using heavy media like sphagnum is the same as fertilizing at every watering.

-Keith

[Dmascheck]

Is your water that bad? I use well water, but thought about catching rain water and using it. I use a Hozon unit to inject acidified water and or fertilizer. Use an MSU formula, but one grower, Waldor uses Nutricote and I’m thinking about trying some and supplement liquid with it.

I had a 40’ greenhouse to the brim with cattleyas, but one winter propane was costing me $800 a month for heating and I had to pack it in.

Where do you live in Mississippi? I live in Wharton, TX on Caney Creek.

Since I’m semiretired I got back in with a smaller greenhouse.