Question on an S/H Pot
 

I have read and understand that there is a reservoir at the bottom of s/h pots with holes a bit higher up to allow for run-off and air circ. But what if I have a plant happy in it current plastic pot (transparent) growing in hydroton but it isn't an s/h pot? Could I potentially set the pot in a tray of water to act as its reservoir (like its humidity tray), make holes higher up so it still gets good air circ and leave the pot in that tray? It seems to me that it is fulfilling the idea of the reservoir but using the entire humidity tray as the reservoir AND for added humidity. your thoughts?

All my chids in s/h are in plasticpots with an outher reservoire filled with water.
This works like a charm :)

Thanks Lene-- do you have extra holes in your pots that are above water? I know holes higher up aren't necessary in terms of drainage but I was thinking some holes would aid in air circulation.

No i dont.
It seems like the shape of the leca allowes enough air all the way down, and the leca have a tendency to dry out a little bit too fast if there is more holes further up.

Here two pics of some of mine current chids in leca, and their pots.(The Cymb in the middle is not in s/h yet, but is standing on dry leca to allow air from the bottom as well)
The biggest Cambria i have (the second chid from the right) have grown roots all the way down in the reservoire, and they are crawling around in the water.:lol:
Its soo mutch fun to show this to all the people around here, that belives orchids should have less then a teaspoon water a week... :biggrin:

Attachment 29294Attachment 29295

Excellent-- thank you Lene. I didn't feel up to getting new pots when the ones i have seen to be perfectly fine to use.

So the roots that have reached into the water and stay there, I take it the roots have the ability to adapt to being so wet all the time? These are fascinating plants.

Yes, they do. :)
As long as they grow down into the water by themselfes, they adapt without any problem.
This Cambria has been in s/h for about a year now, and have bloomed two times, both times with two spikes. And it has grown five new bulbs after the repot.
And now its spiking again, from one of the newest bulbs, not even fully grown.
This is going to be the third blooming since last year spring. :D

Thats awesome! Very good to hear of this success. I have used hydroton (same as LECA as far as I know) on some of my other plants and they thrive in it. My orchids are a relatively new addition to my plant addiction ... sorry... collection and I'm not having luck with the bark mix I have-- so I'd like to move them all to the hydro as I know how to use that stuff well. Thanks for your input.

Pilot,

Just to clarify a bit, the holes in the sidewall of an S/H pot are just for drainage. They play little-to-no role in air circulation. As Lene said, the coarse nature of the medium takes care of that.