Pros and cons of lava rock

[nutgirl]

A few years ago I decided to try Vandas after reading the 'Vandas in Vases' article. Initially I had good results with that technique but after a couple of years it was apparent that they were on the decline. Not much root growth and shriveling leaves.


The next summer I tried them bareroot in clay pots and stuck them next to the misters. That got some response, root growth and leaves looked better.
Unfortunately that works only in summer when they are in my greenhouse. Inside my house during winter is dryer plus I don't water them as often as I should.

Last spring I made cedar baskets (not as professional looking as Al's ) and filled them with large lava rock - 2 inch average.


The plants are happily filling the voids and basket openings with roots. More importantly this growth has continued throughout the winter indoors. I soak them every 3 days or so. The cedar stays damp and the rocks hold moisture but there is lots of air circulation.


I don't know what the long term outcome will be but this is the best solution I've found for the Vanda situation.




Maureen

[Vanda lover]

That sounds like a good idea. I tried growing bare root in the house and it just wasn't practical. They would dry out too quickly or if I watered too often when the humidity was high the roots would rot. Our humidity is high during the winter. I found what worked for me was baskets with sphag and charcoal, but lava rock is less messy and doesn't break down. Maybe I'll try that for the next one. I'm used to being able to feel whether they need water, though.

[JMLand]

I've tried bare root for vandas in my greenhouse and they nearly died. Then I tried hydroton. The salt build up nearly killed all the roots. So I switched to lava rock and all the vandas have bounced back and the leaves all look great. I find that as long as I water the vandas in the morning no later than 10 am they all dry out by nightfall or shortly after. I doubt ill use anything else for vandas in the future.

[Vanda lover]

Eventually you may have trouble with the lava rock becoming saturated with salts. Be sure to flush really well with clear water often. I have some plants in s/h in lava rock. they love it but I have to be careful or they show signs of too much salt buildup.

[JMLand]

That's what I've noticed. But the salt build up isn't as bad as it is with hydroton. A good flush is enough for the lava rock but the hydroton just builds up even with a few flushes.

[Vanda lover]

It does work well for s/h too, and it is so much cheaper than Hydroton. It is also easier to get, since it is used a lot in landscaping.

[AnaLuisM]

in regards to vandas in lava rocks; I have a pachara delight potted in lava rocks for about 2 years+ and it has been blooming 3 to 4 times a year as schedule. I water it every 2 or 3 days or whenever it looks like its dry. It grows outside in the floor of my shade house, takes sun from sunrise to about mid day because my shade house has a roof, it only comes in to the house when in bloom
I do have well water so I don't have to worry about chemicals in the water.
I wish I could post pictures in here but after trying several times in the past I gave up, dont want to go through the hassle

[Vanda lover]

I have been thinking about trying vandas in lava rocks but I have them in baskets and wondered if it might be too heavy. I like lava rock because it doesn't break down and I'm pretty sure that bugs don't like it as much as other mediums.

[AnaLuisM]

the pachara delight I have in lava rock its with basket and all. The roots were wrapping around the wood basket but I couldn't keep up with the watering schedule and I wanted to bring the plant in to enjoy its long lasting blooms. I put big lava rocks on the bottom of the pot (biggest on the bag sold at home depot or lowes) then the wood basket and a few more lava rocks around to stabilize it. It has grown a lot ! I can also see new roots growing inside the pot.
It is a big pot. I dont know the exact size but I think its a gallon or close to it. Also, it is a terracotta pot.
Hope this helps.
Overall I'm really happy with lava rocks, I have used it for everything. Phals, Maxillarias, catts, dens and oncidiums. They all grow big roots and strong blooms.

[Vanda lover]

I think that as long as you aren't hanging the basket, lava rock would be excellent. Especially in winter when the roots that are outside the basket always seem to be too dry, even with daily misting,

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials