Finding pieces for a more flexible water culture

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Subrosa... Other plants than Phals? And are they actually blooming for you?

V. falcata and Papilionanthe Pink Fairy, both blooming in fwc

[katsucats]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

1) this is a terrible idea
2) as a lazy person, you are taking it to far and in the wrong area

Thank you for your thoughts. I bet to differ. Not all of us want to or even see the need to invest in reverse osmosis filters and dissolved salt meters. As an engineer, my interest is finding the most effective solution for the least time investment.

With that said, are you in the wrong thread, or am I in the wrong forum? Should I take my innovations somewhere else?

---------- Post added at 01:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:57 PM ----------

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

There are many folks who do semihydro that way Katsucat. I think it’s less efficient, and far from easier. Especially if one is lazy.

All my orchids are in SH, and have been for a long, long time. If I had to lift a pot, dump a reservoir, water the inside pot (presumably over a sink?), then reinsert the pot, fill the reservoir for 100 plants every five to seven days, I’d never get much else done. Mine sit in glass containers, hole on side, in a tray. I walk along and water, touching nothing. The excess water drains off from the tray, and I go on about my business.

I choose glass, because I can see the roots, the roots photosynthesize as they do in nature. If you don’t like algae, either occasionally use an aquarium algaecide in your water, or choose opaque pots.

Thank you for your contribution. My system isn't complete, and if I had more time, I'd install a valve or spigot on the outer, but first I'd need to find the components that fit. With two pots, I can change the water levels with respect to the seasons by switching pots, or closing the spigot if I want to submerge the roots in fertilizers for a few hours. Assuming your pots drain over a tray, you'd have to dump your tray into a sink every once in a while anyways. If I'd like, I could dump my reservoir into a tray, and then dump the tray into a sink.

In any case, it's completely fine that you don't agree with my solution. It works well for me, and it's simply the cleanest solution I've found for me, for someone who doesn't have a lot of room to have large trays, with water splashing around, or individual saucers (which is like my pot solution, but less self-contained, and in my opinion, less flexible).

Maybe I should have posted this in the "Advanced" section to discourage newbies from trying it. I should've known newbies would be turned on to more work, or that they would have 100 plants on benches and trays.

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Here's my method for full water culture in pictures:

Yes! That's exactly what I'm looking for. Containers that I can fit net pots on top of. Granted, the pots I like to use are bigger, but it's the same idea.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i am not sure if you chose to ignore the first post where i made a suggestion to assist you or did not see it, and i am not sure why you also ignored the rest of my comment you quoted where, again, i was trying to assist your endeavor.

your initial post was asking for help in finding materials you could use to achieve your goal....I was sharing my opinion about the goal while attempting to still assist you.

if you believe that I am one of the people who has RO system (i use rainwater) or has TDS meters ( I don't) you clearly do not know me and I am not sure why you mention this in your comment to me.


If you wish to continue to grow your orchids like this, please do.
if you wish to grow them by throwing them into a burning barrel, i would not advise it, but suit yourself. Whatever works for you.

[katsucats]

Originally Posted by mofms1

I have seen a FB group where they use Full Water Culture (FWC). They take the orchids (typically phals, but sometimes they do this with others) and place them in vases, bowls, cups, jars, whatever they have handy or choose to use. They make sure hte plants are above the rim (sometimes anchoring them there wich the floral sticks or chopsticks) and then they just let hte roots hang down into the water. That's it. No rocks or anything else, sometimes they let it go for a long period of time with the water only changing it out if it smells. IFertilization seems to be subjective to each person, and algae is often considered beneficial.

Are you talking about doing something like that?

Hi. I petitioned to join the group you mentioned. I'm anchoring my plants in LECA. Eventually they go into net pots, which hang inside another container. The roots grow into the water. I've seen it called Kratky, which is practically what S/H is, in my opinion. I don't dump out the water. Usually the plant drinks it all and I top it back up. I only need to dump out water for new plants whose root systems are not well developed, which I would do once in a month or two. I agree that algae might be beneficial to aeration, but my plants are just around the house, and I prefer the cleanliness. Although it's probably a bit more bothersome (by a tiny sliver) to setup than standard S/H in deli containers, I find the abundance of water and space in the container gives me tons of roots, and up to a month-long buffer before the water dries out (in a bigger pot, not the small ones in my pictures). I could water higher if the plant culture "needs more moisture", or just let it go for longer if it needs to be dry.

For a passive system, nothing could be easier, for me.

---------- Post added at 01:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 PM ----------

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

i am not sure if you chose to ignore the first post where i made a suggestion to assist you or did not see it, and i am not sure why you also ignored the rest of my comment you quoted where, again, i was trying to assist your endeavor.

your initial post was asking for help in finding materials you could use to achieve your goal....I was sharing my opinion about the goal while attempting to still assist you.

if you believe that I am one of the people who has RO system (i use rainwater) or has TDS meters ( I don't) you clearly do not know me and I am not sure why you mention this in your comment to me.


If you wish to continue to grow your orchids like this, please do.
if you wish to grow them by throwing them into a burning barrel, i would not advise it, but suit yourself. Whatever works for you.

I did not ignore your suggestion; in fact, I thanked you for it in my first response to you. I'm not sure why you're so offended at someone else growing differently than you. There's plenty of other threads for you to restore your zen. Your hyperbole is a bit silly and uncalled for. I assure you that a barrel full of water is pretty hard to burn.

[katsucats]

I need a pot that's a bit wider than the net pot on the side to avoid disturbing the roots every time I take it out. Not bad, in my opinion, considering I watered it once last month, and 2 months before that.

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by katsucats

Attachment 142664

I need a pot that's a bit wider than the net pot on the side to avoid disturbing the roots every time I take it out. Not bad, in my opinion, considering I watered it once last month, and 2 months before that.

For the 4" net pots I use vases, but I do have a 6" net pot that I use a goldfish bowl for.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by katsucats

I did not ignore your suggestion; in fact, I thanked you for it in my first response to you. I'm not sure why you're so offended at someone else growing differently than you. There's plenty of other threads for you to restore your zen. Your hyperbole is a bit silly and uncalled for. I assure you that a barrel full of water is pretty hard to burn.

offended at someone growing differently than i do???? dude, i have no idea what you are talking about. how do I grow orchids??

i have them inside and out, in pots, baskets and mounted, some in semihydro, some in normal hydro (ebb and flow style setup) and some in dirt, i have a few that are just in free air on a hook. several are in trees and some are in the yard.....

i think we just speak differently and something is getting lost in the internet.

good luck with your plants

[katsucats]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

offended at someone growing differently than i do???? dude, i have no idea what you are talking about. how do I grow orchids??

i have them inside and out, in pots, baskets and mounted, some in semihydro, some in normal hydro (ebb and flow style setup) and some in dirt, i have a few that are just in free air on a hook. several are in trees and some are in the yard.....

i think we just speak differently and something is getting lost in the internet.

good luck with your plants

Thank you, I wish you the same.

---------- Post added at 03:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:02 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Subrosa

For the 4" net pots I use vases, but I do have a 6" net pot that I use a goldfish bowl for.

Brilliant. I'll look into that.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by katsucats

...Assuming your pots drain over a tray, you'd have to dump your tray into a sink every once in a while anyways. If I'd like, I could dump my reservoir into a tray, and then dump the tray into a sink.

In any case, it's completely fine that you don't agree with my solution. It works well for me, and it's simply the cleanest solution I've found for me, for someone who doesn't have a lot of room to have large trays, with water splashing around, or individual saucers (which is like my pot solution, but less self-contained, and in my opinion, less flexible).

Maybe I should have posted this in the "Advanced" section to discourage newbies from trying it. I should've known newbies would be turned on to more work, or that they would have 100 plants on benches and trays.

...

I don't dump trays. The trays have a 1/2" PVC tube in them that can drain the water to a basement floor drain, down into a flower pot when outside, through a hardwood floor to a basement 55 gallon drum, or a floor drain. Perhaps I didn't make that part clear enough.

I think you posted in the correct place, Semi-Hydro Culture. Posting in Advanced doesn't discourage newbies. The "more work" part I still disagree with. And my newbie comment wasn't just related to new orchid growers (who may very well want to try semi-hydro). It also relates to newbies to SH. As info, when I first came to Orchid Board, I was a "newbie" with a couple hundred orchids, looking for information to become a better grower, and meet fellow orchid growers. I had already lurked on this board for years, and started growing in semi-hydro probably five years before I joined.

My way of growing and considering it easier is just like your way of growing and making it easier. An opinion. I was merely pointing out what I see as a flaw in your method of "easier" in my opinion. Then again, if you only have a few plants, it surely isn't a problem for you.

---------- Post added at 08:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------

Originally Posted by katsucats

Attachment 142664

I need a pot that's a bit wider than the net pot on the side to avoid disturbing the roots every time I take it out. Not bad, in my opinion, considering I watered it once last month, and 2 months before that.

Yep, disturbing the roots is a problem. Consider a larger pot (like the deli containers I mentioned). That's why I was asking why you needed a such a tight narrow fit on your pots.

Of course, there's an easy way to solve having to handle your inside net pots...

[katsucats]

Well I couldn't find any deli containers larger than 6". I decided to put smaller plants into standard S/H, and use my more decorative setup on larger plants. The attached photo is a Dendrobium hancockii in a painted net pot over a planter. The spigot on the side allows me to water and let it drain at that level as S/H does, but it also lets me plug the hole, so I can fill it up for nutrients or flushing. There's plenty of air space between the net pot and the planter for aeration and for eventual roots to grow into.