Thinking of using LECA

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

what the hell is a parboiled rice hull???? sounds delicious

Parboiled rice hull is used as an additive in a potting soil mix, and in this case as an additive to hydroponic setup.

Not sure about delicious, but would surely give the recommended daily fiber allotment.

[mofms1]

So where is everyone getting the pots for the LECA s/h set up? Are they all homemade? Do I just pick a container of the correct size and drill some holes in the side a 1/2" up from the bottom?

I'm beginning to think this is a change I should make sooner rather than later if I want to not ruin my Paph Spring Desire. I have it in new bark mix now and am hoping to not make any more changes until the spring when I think it will start growing new roots (I still have to figure out when new root growth happens). But if I get wierd mold issues again or can't get a good watering schedule I might have to do it sooner. I have a bottle of the kelp stuff to help encourage new root growth.

[mofms1]

y'all, I can not figure out for the life of me how to get the pics to show in the proper orientation. But I have one of my newly saved mini phals in s/h with LECA. I soaked the Leca all yesterday and last night, I poured the kelp stuff in with the planted phal and will keep an eye on it over the next few weeks. I ended up using one of those Talenti Gelato containers as a pot. I used a hot nail to put 4 small (that's why I ended up making 4) holes in it.

I gotta say, first impressions, I like how the LECA kept the plant upright and stable. That's one thing I don't like about bark, I've never quite figured out the trick to really getting a phal really steady when I first plant it. Usually, I get everything in there as best I can, then use the stake to keep it upright until it's taken root. Plus I'm not as worried about the base of the leaves as I usually am. I think I'm not as worried b/c the plant is more steady and I didn't have to keep piling medium around it until the base was a little buried. I also like the idea of re-using and not just tossing the container. But if I do s/h for my other orchids, I will still have to track down some larger containers.

[Roberta]

The sideways presentation of photos is a quirk of the forum software, for those that are uploaded directly from phones. If you save the photo to your computer, open it with your photo editor of choice and re-save it, problem solved. But we're all pretty used to looking at the sideways pix. No worries...

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by mofms1

So where is everyone getting the pots for the LECA s/h set up? Are they all homemade? Do I just pick a container of the correct size and drill some holes in the side a 1/2" up from the bottom?

I'm beginning to think this is a change I should make sooner rather than later if I want to not ruin my Paph Spring Desire. I have it in new bark mix now and am hoping to not make any more changes until the spring when I think it will start growing new roots (I still have to figure out when new root growth happens). But if I get wierd mold issues again or can't get a good watering schedule I might have to do it sooner. I have a bottle of the kelp stuff to help encourage new root growth.

Yup. If you grow exclusively indoors it's easy, because plastic containers are durable enough. However if you put them outside the UV will short work of most plastics, which you will likely discover when you pick up a pot and it cracks, dumping leca all over the place. I used to use glass containers, but now use ceramic because it's (usually) easier and faster to drill.

[kvet]

mofms: great reuse for talenti containers I've got a stockpile of them, probably an easy way to get started, awesome! My first to SH went into mason jars, they take to the drill easier than thin glass or possibly ceramic, but the plastic would've been much easier.

[mofms1]

Originally Posted by kvet

mofms: great reuse for talenti containers My first to SH went into mason jars, they take to the drill easier than thin glass or possibly ceramic, but the plastic would've been much easier.

My SO uses the mason jars for canning, pickling, and whatever other storage he wants. So those are pretty much off limits for me.

---------- Post added at 07:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:40 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

The sideways presentation of photos is a quirk of the forum software, for those that are uploaded directly from phones. If you save the photo to your computer, open it with your photo editor of choice and re-save it, problem solved. But we're all pretty used to looking at the sideways pix. No worries...

I've been sending the photos to my computer and uploading from there and they're still going sideways. Oh well, as long as you guys can figure it out, I guess it's not a big deal

---------- Post added at 07:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:42 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Yup. If you grow exclusively indoors it's easy, because plastic containers are durable enough...I used to use glass containers, but now use ceramic because it's (usually) easier and faster to drill.

I have an FDK that I was told could be moved outdoors in the summer. But that's terrestrial so I won't be putting that in LECA. I might look into ceramic for some of the midsize plants I have. I'm not sure how much longer some of these will fit into the Talenti containers if the roots take off

[Ray]

Originally Posted by mofms1

I have an FDK that I was told could be moved outdoors in the summer. But that's terrestrial so I won't be putting that in LECA.

1) They're not truly terrestrial.
2) Terrestrial plants tack to S/H culture much better than slow-growing orchids.

[mofms1]

One of my phal's has started to grow a new leaf and was outgrowing its pot so I thought I'd move it over to s/h.
the other phal is still in bloom so I have a ways to go before I move it, plus I need to get a larger pot for it. But the one I moved was still looking good. Very few roots needed to be trimmed and there were some long ones in there.