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- Semi-Hydroponic Culture (http://www.orchidboard.com/community/semi-hydroponic-culture/)

- - lava rock? (http://www.orchidboard.com/community/semi-hydroponic-culture/38657-lava-rock.html)

can i use lava rock instead of leca for s/h? it will be for a small catt

i am currently using lava rock for a small catt in s/h and it is working beautifully. you do have to be sure to flush the container regularly because stuff tends to get trapped in the pores and fertilizer and salts will build up in all the cracks and crevices.

cool! because i cant get leca anywhere!

1) You can get LECA from me.
2) Lava rock is OK, but seems to store wastes, ultimately requiring more frequent replacement and repotting that you might like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray (Post 339583)

1) You can get LECA from me.
2) Lava rock is OK, but seems to store wastes, ultimately requiring more frequent replacement and repotting that you might like.

i know i can get it from YOU, but i cant wait until the october show. by the way, i plan on buying a bunch of stuff from you. so i can try this s/h thing out. its for a cattley intermedia var. orlata. it is not fs yet, rather a big seedling. its in small bark and chc. and i found mold on the chc, and some egg like things. they are round and clear. they are a little bigger than the head of a pin. maybe the size of the head of one of those pins that has a colored head. anyways, they look like this http://www.findaspider.org.au/find/s...InsectEggs.jpg

i thought it might be a good time to try s/h as the little guy has lots of active roots, and a new growth

I dont have lots of experience with s/h but I mix lava rocks with my LECA. LECA i am using is very light and floats up when i am flushing, so I "anchor" with lava rock chips. Seems to work fine so far.