S/H ultimately not for me
 

After a year of having my phal struggle through S/H, I hate to say that I'm putting it back into coconut chips. I'm not sure why, but the roots which grew into the medium never really enjoyed the environment. They would begin to turn brown and eventually black after a few months and I couldn't figure out the reason for this. I utilized H2O2 and Physan, which may have kept them green for a longer period of time, but ultimately could not save the root. I think this is the best decision though I regret having spent the time and money on a failed experiment.


Well, moving on! I still have plenty of physan and MSU fertilizer left... will this fertilizer be okay to use in this medium? Any idea of what the proper solution mix should be?

I don't have a lot of experience with s/h but last year I put seven phals in it as an experiment. After eight months four of the phals had done almost nothing. A little bit of root growth and almost no leaf growth. Two phals did OK but not great and one of the phals grew very well and is in bud now. I left the successful one in s/h and plan to keep it there as long as it does well. I repotted three of the others in coconut husk chips in clay orchid pots and three in sphagnum in plastic net pots. All the transplants are growing very well in the new environment. I let the plants get almost completely dry between waterings. I plan to transplant once a year because coconut chips and sphagnum retain fertilizer salts. My situation is different than most because I grow outdoors in south Florida. Good luck.

MT - low temperature is probably the biggest obstacle when it comes to phalaenopsis in S/H.

Phals are really "warm to hot" growers, and the evaporative cooling that occurs in the open, airy LECA medium can push the lower limits in the root zone unless you keep them on heat mats or grow more toward the hot end of their preferred temperature range. Your description of the root issues makes me think that's likely in your case.

Don't forget that "semi-hydroponics" is not a complete definition of orchid culture, but is primarily focused on water and nutrient delivery.

Fertilizer choice has little-to nothing to do with the potting medium or culture method. The MSU stuff was not designed specifically for S/H culture, but being a complete package, happens to be good for it.

Ray, you just gave me an idea as to maybe why an oncidium I have in SH does not look happy. A friend gave it to me already potted in leica balls and she kept the other half herself potted in the same way. She says hers is doing well and mine looked happy when I got it a few months ago. But I am seeing a bit of yellowing and worry it will slowly die off. She grows it in her home over winter and mine is in a heated greenhouse. The greenhouse cools to about 55 or 60 at night and warms to 65 -68 in the day. As well, there is a fan blowing near it. Do you think that might be too cold for it? It's quite large, so I was tempted to lift out a portion of it and pot in cedar chips and moss and see which does better. I didn't want to do that in mid winter tho.

I grow in CHC & use MSU type feed and having good results. I feed @ every watering @ about 80 ppm N, I don't flush either. You need to find what ppm N is right for you and your conditions. I was at MSU recommendations of 125 ppm N early on but reduced this as in the UK day length is not that great to suit so is very different growing conditions to say someone growing in Florida.

I grow mostly in bark and sphag and was having trouble getting some phrags to bloom so I reluctantly tried s/h and to my surprise they all reacted very positively. I presently have a Phrag. wallisii (species - 'Dutch Treat x self)that I couldn't do anything with it is starting to bloom after 3 years. Thanks for the supplies Ray.

Thanks, Masdyman. I suppose I'll keep my batch at 50ppm knowing how coconut chips tend to retain so much and I plan on letting my medium almost dry between waterings.

And Ray, I keep my phal on a heating mat 24/7 and regardless of cool winters or very warm Los Angeles Valley summers the roots which grew into the prime agra just wouldn't keep. I decided to go back to coconut after a root, which had grown two inches into the medium started to brown. Another root which had grown three inches into the medium during the summer is almost dead. Kind of a mystery, I guess.

OK, so cooling may not be the issue, buth the fact that they do OK in the summer and not in the winter suggests it has something to do with temperatures.

Taking another tack - How about your watering regimen? Water temperature, frequency, thoroughness, etc.?

I water mine about once a week with rainwater that was collected and sitting in pails in the greenhouse. There is always some water sitting in the tray that it sits on. I don't know much about SH and wasn't sure how much water it should be in.

Ray, the roots within the medium fared no better in the summer than in the winter. They usually begin to fade within a few months of being there.

As for watering regimen, b/c the top dried fairly quickly in my dry apartment I watered every day at a solution of 50ppm. I usually flushed with regular tap water before using the MSU mix, which sat in a gallon jug so the water was room temperature. I don't know of the pH b/c I never had a tool to measure, but I used water filtered with a britta container if that makes any difference. Every couple of weeks I would flush with regular water and use a physan mix to kill any potential bad stuff. Maybe something down there was immune?

Either way, I still have plenty of PA so maybe I'll try it again someday if I ever get another plant.

The Brita likely did nothing of any value for your orchids - remove a little chlorine, maybe, but nothing that would have an impact on pH.

Physan every couple of weeks? I think you poisoned them!

Really?? I used a weak dilution, and would usually flush and then go back to the fertilizer mix after a day or so. I thought this was okay. How often should physan be utilized?

I use it no more frequently than every 6- to 8 weeks, and flush immediately after use.

Wow. I had no idea, duly noted. Thanks, Ray.

I've not done too well with phals in S/H either. Mine do seem to have taken root, and I keep them on a seedling mat. Part of the problem may be that I have small 'chids (Phal stuartiana and schilleriana) in medium size Leca and a 3.5" pot. I have an experiment going with 2 Schilliana seedlins, potted at the same time one in S/H one in garden store orchid mix. Neither one is doing especially well- may be my water- too hard. I'm not abandoning the experiment yet, just not putting anything else into S/H yet.

I have a mixed collection of orchids. Some in s/h, some in bark, some in..... and the list goes on. Potting medium has to not just work for the plant but for the individual. We all desire the same results: healthy blooming orchids. So for that, it takes a bit of experimenting and growing. With each type of medium there will be gains and losses and we all learn.

Years ago I grew most everything in osmunda. For those on here familiar with osmunda, going to little clay balls to replace it would have been ludicrous back in 'them days'. But here we are! And folks who have grown orchids the greater part of their life are no different than the newbies - they try new mediums to see how things grow and experience the same ups and downs. All part of everyones growing (plants and people!).

I know very little about the dynamics of S/H or water culture, but other people's experiences seem to indicate that it can work well for certain plants, but is definitely (even considering possible lapses or mistakes) not for others. Experimentation and observation seem to be the only means of knowing what works and what does not work. I do applaud those at least willing to try. AL

Actually Al, I'll expand your statement a bit: "it can work well for certain plants under one individual's conditions, but is definitely (even considering possible lapses or mistakes) not for others."

I, for example, cannot grow dendrobiums that way, while many others view that as "easy".

I have killed every vandaceous plant I have tried, while I just got an email from someone the other day extolling the virtues of it for their culture.

What it comes down to is that "semi-hydroponics" really only defines the use of an inert medium and its delivery of water and nutrient to the plants, while there is a great deal more than that needed to define "orchid culture".

Your points Ray are well taken and from everything I have read, oh so true. AL

It's sad to hear some on the forum not have much luck with s/h. I live in Colorado and it is painfully dry here sometimes because of our arid climate and the fact that the partial pressure at our altitude equals exceptionally low humidity throughout much of the year. For me, s/h is God-sent. I grow nearly every single phal I own in s/h. The few exceptions are those simply waiting to start new root growth before putting them INTO s/h. I have several vandaceous orchids and for those, the vase works best for me-- easy to just fill it up and let it soak half the day and then empty it so they can dry out the second half (yeah...half the day in water!!!!! But the plants LOVE it here because when the water is emptied, it takes a few short hours to dry the roots.).

Anyway, like Ray said, it is whether or not this method will work for you under your conditions-- for me, its perfect.

Currently blooming is my first orchid and phal and s/h plant... its a NOID but I call it Monster because of its size-- over two feet across, with, well...many blooms.

http://ryans.smugmug.com/Nature/Amar...93_qURaP-M.jpg

Ray its interesting that you haven't had much luck with dends in s/h. I have but one and it seems to really take to it-- though I do admit, when I put it in a much larger pot, it struggled a bit-- but it is blooming for me now with new growths.

The fact that I am not a fan of dendrobiums probably plays a role in my lack of diligence trying...

I grew with sh for a few years and found that some orchids love it and others don't. Phals have a hard time penetrating it with their roots. I also found that the surface of the balls would dry out too much before it ran out of water. I was always misting the surface. The other drawback I found is that if you happen to tip the container over, you are chasing balls all over the house!

I think you're painting with too broad of a brush, and are discounting how many factors affect one's success with any technique.

That may be your experience, but I see no issues with that whatsoever. I just spent an hour on the phone with a grower in Michigan who calls me every month or two to expound on how much better his phals do in S/H than they have ever done using other culture techniques.

In the first place, it is not particularly advisable to wait for the reservoir to dry between waterings, and that experience immediately points to poor humidity, which has absolutely nothing to do with the pot design or potting medium, which is what defines S/H. (It also may explain why the phal roots didn't penetrate the medium - it was simply too dry on top - under your conditions.)

I cannot argue with that, but cleaning up spilled bark-based mix ain't no picnic, either.