Onc. Sharry Baby in water culture

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Soonix

I use a balanced nutrient solution of DynaGrow or MSU fertilizer all the time for most orchids and aim for about 125PPM nitrogen.
This would be close to 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of Tomato Food Miracle Grow, the only commonly available plant food that I know to be similar in trace elements. I dilute my standard solution by a third for Paphs and Ludisia, some oncidiums (Sharry Baby gets full strength ).
I change the solution at least once per week, more often if i have time. If I have to top off liquid to keep the roots covered I use half strength of regular mix.
A few important exceptions: In the winter I starve Nobile type and Australian dendrobiums like Den. kingianum and give them just tap water(I never use pure water alone since the pH is too unstable) from Thanksgiving to the time they show definite signs of flower buds. Otherwise nubbins turn into keikis instead of buds.
I recommend firstrays.com for info on fertilizers. Ray has read some of the research that went into formulating these fertilizers and had the reference for them when I looked.
Algae also consume significant amount of nutrients in the solution depending on their quantitiy. However, when they photosythesize they release oxygen which is good for the roots. So, like with most other conditions for living things, not too much, not too little. I do not know how this would work with your Vanda roots that really are not in solution for long.

I have not grown pure Vandas in water and would consider it very experimental. The Kenneth Bivens has a reputation for being tolerant to wide range of conditions as well as being tough and a good choice as long as the old pb has some potential for new growth. You should see some signs one way or another in a few weeks. It would make good before and after pictures.

The closest in the Vanda alliance that did OK for me was Darwinara Charm. However it, Neo falcata, Catts with heavy walkeriana heritage, Brassavola, Oncid hybrids with heavy onostum, flexuosum and other fibrous or climbing rhizomed types in their heritage grew some decent roots but developed better after I transfered them into S/H or just plain lecca watered by the trial error method.
On the other hand, certain orchids actually grew and bloomed very much faster this way such as Sharry Baby, Cochleantes Amazing, Hawaera, Leptotes bicolor, Rodriguezia venusta, even some Laelocattleas, Richard Mueller Hybrids, and some Potinara. Bromeliads love it and some look beautiful in vases. I had one that produced 8 pups for the first time after 40 years of growing it.

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Sandy

That is a beautiful flower. The leaves look OK on the other picture. I was also wondering how new growth, whatever stage it is now looks and how it is progressing. I find that the condition of new growth is often the best indication which way things are going. With the majority of orchids we grow it is also the best guide to when to transplant using any method.

A lot of my plants that later adjusted very well took a very long time to get used to my conditions. Most of these novelty oncidiums are mass produced in places like Taiwan, grown too fast and forced to bloom too early. To speed things up they are provided very specific conditions for each phase of development that we can not duplicate in the house. So unless you bought from a grower who grows for people interested in keeping their plant even after the pretty centerpiece fades, your plant may have to make a major shift in the way its genetic programs are expressed to cope with a new environment the likes of which it has never seen before. At best- all this takes time.

This is the info sheet for growers I found on the Tolkien clone from the people at Orchidworks who had produced a lot of these seedlings and plugs and sold wholesale to other growers.

Temperature 55 - 85 Degrees Farenheit
Humidity 50% - 80%
Light 2000 - 3000 foot candles
To get info on other plants:
The Orchid Works
They have a handy table for current plant or Click on Plant Archive then: click on your plant Name

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Mayres

I live in the North East and grow in a Sun Room addition that is part of my living space all of which I tried to include in my login name to remind people.

I answered your other questions in the two posts above or the on page 2 under conditions. I try not to repeat myself so people wont stop reading the thread

[Soonix]

Sun RM I went outside last night to check on the Bivens and I is growing a new shoot, no roots yet. But if its growing i take it as a good sign.

Thank you for sharing all the info.

I was planning a new thread about my Nubby but you mentioned it. My nubby/ nobile is in bloom now is there something wrong with her biological clock?

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Soonix

That's good news about the Bivens. I usually make sure that the root area is always covered with solution, even if I have to submerge the old PB a bit. I just keep the old bulb clean with peroxide and scrape it clean if necessary.

About the nobile dend. If it is one of those mongrel hybrids it can flip its genetic deck of cards many ways. I have one that blooms on and off for at least 6 months out of the year.

[Sandy4453]

Sun rm.N.E, thank you for the info on the Tolkien. The condition of the new growth seems to be quite prolific as of late. I'm going to stay on track with the advice given to me on the board just a few days ago and try to get the bulbs plumped and up the watering.

I do hope that you continue to post your progress. I have been really taken in by this thread and your method of growing. I found this all so fascinating. Thank you for this education. I'm just amazed by it all.

Originally Posted by mayres

Fascinating concept

Mike, I thought of you as I was reading Sun rm. N.E.'s thread. I thought you'd be very curious about this and was going to pass on this info to you. I'm glad you saw this fantastic and so curious thread, yourself.

[mayres]

Yes - I'm actually a little overwhelmed by it all - can't quite get my "brain" around it - I think I'll just let it "settle" for awhile.......

[silberhaarig]

It sounds good. How is it done?

Nancy

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Nancy

As you know our choice of how we grow our orchid depends on many things such as what we are able and willing to provide to meet their BASIC needs which can vary greatly among orchids, sometimes contrary to old wives tales and old hubby tales repeated over and over in books. In the 30+ years I have grown orchids I too tried many different methods. I have lost hundreds of orchids and grew and flowered many beautiful ones as well. For various reasons I had to stop growing orchids all together twice.

This time, my goal is not to have any organic rotting media in my house, not have to raise the humidity too high to ruin my walls. I transfer whatever I can into SH or lecca and Epiweb watered the traditional way. I still make exceptions, grow some suspended in the air and dunked in nutrient solution whenever I am able to do so. I no longer want to see plants take years to die so this method puts them to the test.

Water culture was intended as the treatment if a plant looks too infected with rot and does not have a good chance in SH. I can easily see what needs to be treated and how it can cope with wetness. If it thrives, as many have, I then transfer to SH. Of, course there are some exceptions, like this Sharry Baby clone which I have grown many different ways in the past 20+years and found that I prefer it in water culture for the reasons I listed above.

If your plants are thriving currently and you like what you are doing, I see no reason to change. It requires a lot more attention, sometimes daily fill-ups.

If you read my previous posts and still have specific questions I will be glad to try to answer them. I just don't want to bore people and repeat myself.

[silberhaarig]

Thankyou Sun rm. I will look up your previous posts. I have a Sharry Baby that bloomed once and hasn't bloomed since. It refuses to grow,but looks healthy enough. I thought that maybe a different treatment might encourage it a bit.

Nancy