Quick Semi- Hydroponic Course

[Shadeflower]

sade I'm curious what your problem with MissOrchidgirld is.
I know lots dislike her which I cannot understand.
Yeah she spreads a bit of false information from time to time but who here knows everything about orchids?
She doesn't, sometimes she likes to believe too much that she does but that is probably because imo so many people are even less clueless.
She was a beginner not too long ago, started being a good grower after using the same fertilzier as you
and documented her journey, good and bad for all to see.
At least she lets people learn and make their own coclusions too.
Too many people have completely wrong beliefs when it comes to growing orchids.
She has some too but overall she taught me a fair bit. I'd like to understand what she has done wrong to make you feel that way.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

Yeah she spreads a bit of false information

I think you answered your own question

[WaterWitchin]

I water similarly to the way Bill does. I fill to top of pot while water is meanwhile running out reservoir holes, straight RO. Mid-week I use RO plus fertilizer and whatever (Kelpmax once a month, biological couple times a month) and fill pots one to two or so inches above reservoir only and excess running out.

It saves money on the additions to the RO, plus still gets the job done. Economically, for me, it works well, and the plants don't appear to care. I used to completely flush twice a week, but started doing it this way about six or more years ago, and haven't noticed a difference other than in my wallet.

---------- Post added at 08:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 AM ----------

Here we go again. In my opinion Miss Orchid Girl has developed a presence on YouTube, makes money at it, and markets herself very well. She gives some good advice and some poor advice, in my opinion. Her way of growing, and her opinions, are just that... opinions.

It's up to each individual to take another's opinions and utilize them or not. Whether one speaks well or makes an entertaining video is a different subject and in the eye of the beholder. "Good" or "bad" advice is subjective to the individual grower.

Overall, let's not get sidetracked by yet another Miss Orchid Girl conversation here. That's a conversation best left to already existing threads, or a different thread which would belong in Orchid Lounge.

[SADE2020]

Hi Shade... I'll replay to your question were Mss Moderator Girl is indicating ..Miss Orchid Girl

[SADE2020]

Hi!!! Good afternoons or morning ..depending were you are!

I am now flying to Dom Reo so I am going to be surrender by Orchids that I CAN'T BRING HOME

OK, so back then topic... is this SH as well ? What I mean is that if works as well. For me is working great in 2 plants I just placed like that to be quick. If there is any CONS please let me know, if is normal as well..let me know too

SADE SemiHydro fast conversión. (2) - YouTube

[WaterWitchin]

Missing picture?

[Ray]

Looks like S/H using an external reservoir, rather than an internal one.

My only question concerns the medium - they look like non-porous rocks, rather than LECA, which will wick better.

[Dusty Ol' Man]

This looks very much like what I have done with an oncidium. I didn't have a proper setup for this plant so I took a regular orchid pot, filled the bottom third with rock wool cubes, filled the rest with leca, and set the whole thing in an external reservoir. It seems to be working.

[TZ-Someplace]

For anyone who wants to grow using SH on a table top or shelving without moving the plants to water here is the way I made draining trays. Before I sold them off, the plastic, tubing and adhesive was still good/flexible after ten years sitting/abandoned in direct afternoon window sun from a west facing sliding door. The sun made buckets and white lids sitting on the trays crumble to the touch. The thinner more flexible type deli containers also did OK in the sun, the thicker ones did not.

Sterilite type sweater box
1/2" tubing
Plumber's Goop type adhesive
1" PVC pipe
Egg crate light diffuser panel
zip ties
Drill spade bit 1/2" or equivalent.
Bucket

Snap through the egg crate panel to shape and fit inside the box using a needle nose pliers (sawing is not as clean as snapping through each bit).

Cut the PVC to form two rails the length of the panel and zip tie to the panel 1/4 of the width from the sides to form a raised floor for the box. If the rails are much closer to the sides you get a bow in the center. Adjust as needed for the weight of your pots on either side of the rails.

Drill a hole with a spade bit as low as possible and NEXT to the corner of the box. You want the tubing to lay flat in the side trough for 5-6 inches. A hole centered on the corner doesn't work. The adhesive needs the length inside for leverage so the tubing doesn't pull up from the strain of the tube outside the box. Use a scrubby pad or fine sand paper etc to roughen the plastic and tubing. Wash with warm soapy water or other to prep the surface for the adhesive.

Cut the tubing long enough to hang down into a 5 gallon bucket (longer is better so you can use the tray later on a higher shelf). You can hook the tube over the side of the box and tuck it under the panel when not being used.

Make sure you use adhesive on both sides of the hole to waterproof the area, and let everything dry/cure well before using. The Goop will fill in an oversize hole from screw ups.

My watering can of choice was a 1-2 gallon plastic watering can with the rose end removed and an arm's length of garden hose stuck on the end secured with a hose clamp. It could reach in among the plants and pour water in fast enough to fill the SH containers. I covered my pots with foil to cut down on fungus gnats/algae, which also slowed drainage in the pots for (I believe) better salt flushing and water absorption into higher pellets. I usually only did fill flushing on fertilizer day. When the pots just needed water I used a pump sprayer to wet the medium and fill the reservoir.

I basically did the same thing in the greenhouse with corrugated plastic roofing panels hung under the benches so the fertilizer drained into buckets and could be dumped outside on the landscaping. I bet the university grounds crew thought they were the best tree planters ever.

[WaterWitchin]

Wasn't seeing picture on cell phone. Now I can. I adjusted the hyperlink so it doesn't mess with the thread responses after it.

Yeah, SH with an outer reservoir. Fine as long as you still flush instead of top up. And as Bill says...if that's just rock it won't wick like LECA. Can't really tell what it is from the picture.