S/H pots
 

Hi guys! Got a couple of questions for you: I'm new to S/H and would gradually convert one plant at a time...First is where do I find S/H pots especially here in the UK...these are the ones with the 2/3 holes at the side of the pot near the bottom...its quite difficult to find suppliers here in the UK compared to the US...and lastly in potting medium I've heard about Prime Agra really doing good but its quite expensive shipping from the US....so here in Europe its the Grow Rokz or Hydrokorrels...anybody used these so far...please do give me some input before I buy some stuff...Thanks!!!:biggrin:

You can always get Ray to ship you some pots.

Otherwise, you can make your own pots with a drill and the right sized bit.

As for media, hydroton (hortag/lytag) works fairly well and should be quite easy to find over there.

I'm sure more experienced SH growers will chip in :)

Hi! Thanks...Yup that's right I emailed Ray about it actually...it'll cost me quite a bit I have to say...regarding the medium Hydroton doesn't really have a "good press" here but saying that its available on the internet...

You can pretty much use any leca that you can find locally. Of course they may not have the wonderful wicking power of primeagra, but it'll work. The stuff I use doesn't wick all that well, but the plants are doing fine so far, especially after adding a layer of sphag on the surface.
As for pots, you don't really need the custom made pots. You can convert soda bottles into pots, or even better, find some 32oz deli containers (like this for example: www.ebay.co.uk ) that you can put some holes into. That's what I do, and deli containers make nice pots!

Camille thats a great idea...actually I also was thinking about plastic 2L bottles recycle them as well...good for me and good for the enviroenment!!! win-win situation...Thanks!

Hi,There is no place for me to buy it locally either BUT the pet stores do cary small bags of clay pellets. The pellets are all the same size but the plants do just fine in it. Be sure and rinse it first.

Jean

I'm kind of annoyed that the packaging shop here closed before I cottoned on to the idea of using deli-type containers for orchids. :/

Maverick - as your humidity level is reasonable, the wicking rate of your specific medium will be less of an issue.

vjo - all the same size is good (assuming they're not too small), as that provides the maximum open volume.

Hi Ray! Regarding humdity level most of my plants are actually on windowsill...I live in a flat (apartment) and although most of it is away from my radiator except for one...My relative humidity is about 40-50% which is not bad considering its now winter time here...well all windows closed and everything...so that's a bit of a worry for me as well I should have good ciculation at hand...

---------- Post added at 05:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 PM ----------

And another question is I'm doing holes for my containers for my S/H. What should be the sizes of those 2 holes??? Or should be just 2 holes...and since it is near the bottom, how far is it should be from the base? Any inputs greatly appreciated!!!

Mavrick,The holes are there to make sure there is not too much water in the pot. You can make them any size as long as the medium cant fall out. I usually put them about 3/4 of an inch from the bottom....Jean