S/H benefits?

[Kelo]

What are the benefits of using the S/H method of watering your plants? It's a method that I may try sometime in the future when I get my greenhouse up but I'd like to know how it benefits the plants first.

[Merlyn]

Go to First Rays; Semi-hydroponics Orchid Plants T5 Lighting

[Kelo]

OK, thank you, Merlyn.

[camille1585]

Beat me to it Chryss, lol

[RosieC]

Yeap, Ray's site has all the info. It's worth reading through everthing from that link to fully understand it.

For me the advantage is that I can water much more often without fear of rotting roots and the plants grow better as a result.

The only caution I would give, is that phals in S/H in the UK have a danger of root rot when the temperature get's too cold. I lost one last year and saved the others by putting them on a heat mat. I only have 3 out of 20 growing that way and one of those is one of my biggest phals. They love it in the summer but not so much in the winter.

The evaporation from the hydroton has a cooling affect that drops the temperature around the root zone lower than your ambient temperature.

I keep my house relatively cool over the winter compared to some people (about 18C-19C when I'm in and cooler overnight and when I'm out). This puts the phals into an almost dormant state and with the even cooler root zone in S/H the roots really struggled.

My Oncidium alliance ones in S/H, my Phrag in S/H and even the previously almost dead Zygo now in S/H all did well over the winter. It was only the phals I had to just keep warm enough.

If you have a warmer winter temperature than me you might not have any problem, but it's just something to keep in mind.

[Kelo]

Thank you, Rosie. I read all of the links and it's easy enough to understand it when you read it all in context. I keep my night temps around 70F to induce double spikes from my phals. I think I'll give this a try with the keikis coming off of my current phals and see how they get on.

BTW, do you know of a lumpwood charcoal supplier? The only one that I could find was How to make Charcoal. I suppose one supplier is enough, eh? LOL

[zxyqu]

Kelo, if you're thinking of putting Phal kieki's in S/H, I'll give you one warning. If cut from the plant and placed in S/H, I've had real trouble, even with a heat mat at getting them established. However, if you can somehow rig a setup to allow the kieki roots to grow into S/H while the kieki is still attached, I've had good success.
And in agreeing with Rosie, my Zygos, Oncs, and Catts love S/H. I've also had trouble getting Phals established in S/H from another media for one reason or another. The heat mat helps, but in my hands it is still hit and miss. Good Luck!

[Eyebabe]

I concur with all of the comments above.

Rosie really hit the nail on the head regarding the phal issue with s/h as I had the exact same experience despite using a seedling mat.

I have two phals in the greenhouse still in s/h doing fine. But in my home, it was disastrous.

I put all of my cattleyas in s/h unless they are seedlings in smaller pots under 4 inches.

I particularly like how CLEAN this media is for my plants. Furthermore, I have a better sense of how healthy the root systems are because I can SEE them.

[Kelo]

Thank you all for the advice. I wonder, though, if a greenhouse environment would be better suited to s/h? Would ambient temps be the key to success with the awkward ones? I keep my kitchen heated to around 80F+ during the day and 69F - 70F at night. Do you think the warmer temps are better for adapting plants to the s/h method?? having asked that my kitchen IS like a greenhouse lol.

[Ray]

They key difference between your home and a greenhouse will be the humidity level, which being higher in the GH, will slow the evaporation rate and the associated cooling effect.