All 'chids' now in S/H

[Ranchnanny]

They are cute aren't they Cheryl?

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Ray

I know for a fact that Hydroton and PrimeAgra are different, but I doubt it's enough of a difference to be concerned about.

Yeah, I've heard the objections to S/H culture from all over, and they boil down to 3 things:

1. "It's not natural." My response is to ask when the last time folks saw an orchid - in nature - growing in coconut husk chips, or on the bark of a cork oak in Portugal? tree fern - maybe. Sphagnum? Bog orchids maybe, but not epiphytes. It's a lame objection.
2. "The medium is too expensive." OK, you gotta buy it up front, but you never have to replace it!!! Add up the costs of replacing your organic media components periodically, and you'll find that it's actually far more expensive. This argument is just plain incorrect.
3. With the watering technique, "I'll spend way too much on fertilizer." OK, I'll admit that once-through watering can appear to be overly expensive, but consider that if you buy a 5# tub of MSU fertilizer (well water version) from me, and use it at the recommended 125 ppm N, you'll pay less than $0.02 per gallon for the solution. You're going to squabble at two cents a gallon after spending how much on plants??? Besides, reuse the runoff on your other plants (not orchids).

And the folks who will tell you that "all that water will cause root rot" simply don't know what they're talking about.

Ray,

I'm new at this S/H culture. What does the term "once through watering mean?"

[snow]

i have changed most of my orchids over to s/h, hydroton, as well, and i would never go back to the old way
i just love it. and i don,t kill any more plants tomorrow i,m repotting an oncidium in s/h for the first time, but i,m sure it will work for it as well
i,m a true believer

[Buds!]

Well said snow! I absolutely agree!
My lastest adventure is putting a Neostylis Lous Sneary in s/h, it seems to like it!

[Ray]

Junebug, I was just struggling for a simple way to describe it. All orchid watering is a "single-pass" effort.

I just meant that with proper S/H culture, you fill the pot to the top with fertilizer solution, then let it drain, seemingly "wasting" that that drained out of the pot.

Folks don't realize that watering a traditional pot of medium is just as wasteful, as we all know just how poorly water-retentive most medium components are, meaning that it just runs through anyway. In fact, if you go back and rewater to ensure saturation, you're actually being more wasteful.

[DelawareJim]

Ranchnanny;

I like your orchidarium. where did it come from. Can you give some specs?

Thanks.
Cheers.
Jim

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Ray

Junebug, I was just struggling for a simple way to describe it. All orchid watering is a "single-pass" effort.

I just meant that with proper S/H culture, you fill the pot to the top with fertilizer solution, then let it drain, seemingly "wasting" that that drained out of the pot.

Folks don't realize that watering a traditional pot of medium is just as wasteful, as we all know just how poorly water-retentive most medium components are, meaning that it just runs through anyway. In fact, if you go back and rewater to ensure saturation, you're actually being more wasteful.

Ray,

Thank you for responding. At the present time I don't have an R/O system and usually use tap, shallow well (has less sulfur than deep well), or rain water. I probably shouldn't be using regular tap at all because the water in my area is heavily treated with chlorine, but I have and it hasn't seemed to do any harm.

Is it o.k., when watering, to dunk the pots in water and then put them in their water reserve water filled tray? It seems as though it would serve the same purpose as running water through out the medium, although there is probably a greater chance for cross contamination. I would also be careful to not dunk the S/H plants in the same water that I use for plants grown in organic material.

Thanks again,

June

[Ranchnanny]

This is for DelawareJim glad you like the Orchidarium I waited a long time for that baby and now I wish I had two . This is the Maui model and you can see it on orchidarium.com

They have several models I would really like the Grand Cayman its the largest. Mine has 3 lights 2 are cool and 1 is warm. You can get the Maui with 2 lights or 3 lights they are 39 Watt biaxial flourescents. Check out the website as it will give you many details.

TTFN - Sheridan

[Ray]

Junie - having an external reservoir is just as god as an internal one, but putting several plants in a single tray is equivalent to dunking them in the same bucket - sharing of pathogens will definitely be in your future.