Quick Semi- Hydroponic Course

[SADE2020]

Could anyone care to teach me how to SH?..

I try once with a youtuber instruction video and "glup".... I rooted the entire thing. But I want to try again.

...if is a favorite link with instructions, maybe share it!

[rbarata]

Ray is the expert...

[estación seca]

Go to firstrays.com. He has a detailed explanation there.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Go to firstrays.com. He has a detailed explanation there.

Also, he invented the technique and knows a thing or two!

[SADE2020]

Ohhhh nice!!! Thank you.

And @Ray wow ..great, I am on it already.

[SADE2020]

Hi, I attempt to reach Ray by pm with a few questions...but I would like to comprehend within a general principle what kind of plant developed better in SH in a High humidity environment.

Also, could we review this blog post?
Meaning, what is your opinion of his standpoint

https://herebutnot.com/side-semi-hyd...c-orchid-care/

[Dusty Ol' Man]

In response to the blog, he makes this statement.

Did You Know:*the inventor of the semihydroponic orchid method, doesn’t grow his phals in semihydro? It’s true. His phals are potted in sphagnum moss because he had better success using moss in a cooler more northern climate. If s/h didn’t work for his phals in central USA, how could that be a great choice for people growing phals even further North? Unfortunately, prior to the publication of this article, that information wasn’t disclosed in any of his semihydro ‘how to’ pages.

I thought Ray was the originator of S/H. (Please correct me if I'm wrong). And Ray does NOT live in a dryer, more northerly clime.
The author also said

Semi-Hydro (S/H) or Full-Water Culture (FWC)—what I call, “ALWAYS WET” culture methods—are two ways of growing orchids and plants that are notoriously branded as “the easy way.” In these two growing methods, the roots of the plant continuously sit in a stagnant pool of water.

My s/h pots NEVER contain stagnant water. The water is refreshed every couple days while I'm home. They CAN survive for several days without attention, but that is a rare occurrence.
Consequently, I can't give much credence to his statements. And he offers no method for feedback, so can't be challenged on his positions.

[Shadeflower]

Hey sade,
it's good to see you are doing your own research. Like Justin from herebutnot said you have to see what others have done that have succeeded do.

He mentions Annabel at the orchid room on youtube and her video's are well worth watching. She explains her journey from semi hydro on to self watering pots to avoid a lot of the downsides that Justin mentions in his article about the always wet method.

I think the first 3 downsides he mentions are the most important. He goes on to list about a dozen more further down the article and I couldn't see a single one I disagreed with but he seems to have had a high failure rate and trying to find too many negatives. If you do it right you can get amazing results from self watering pots and some of mine I only need to water once a month (compared to once a day). That is 30 x less watering in practical terms and does make a difference.

His point about PH is something I feel too many people ignore, understandably, people want to try semi hydro and a decent ph meter is expensive so they buy a cheap meter and try anyway but if the ph is not right then plants will stagnate (not grow much) in semi-hydro.

I don't feel like I have lost any of my orchids from keeping them too wet but it can slow down growth keeping an orchid too wet. I have of course lost orchids in semi-hydro, it tends to happen fast because of some underlying infection that then spreads easily in wet conditions. So in those cases is it the semi hydro killing the plant? No, but maybe the plant could have been saved if it hadn't been moved to semi-hydro. That is always the burning question with one that doesn't make it.

If you are going to experiment with semi-hydro I believe you should invest in a decent ph meter because the orchid you are experimenting with is probably worth as much as the ph meter. So if you save on buying one and then lose the orchid that costs as much then you might as well buy the ph meter.

PS: I feel vanda's and angraecums are the trickiest to experiment with, Cattleya's are by far the easiest and phals do ok but if they do not do ok then they can decline before you realize it's too late. I'm still a bit undecided on phals. Cattleya's, oncidiums and any generally wetter growers (with thinner roots) like dendrobiums should do well in semi-hydro

edit: to me an important question should be why even try semi-hydro. If you end up watering every day then it doesn't save any time at all. If like me you use it with self watering pots so that you can let the pot do the watering for you it saves time. If you have 100 orchids to water then it saves a lot of time.

I knew starting the hobby that a lot of people quit after reaching the roughly 10 year mile stone. That is because our collections tend to steadily get bigger, we experiment with more tricky to water orchids and as a result our watering routine gets longer and longer. After 10 years of watering too much it can all get a bit much.

If you have kept a fish tank before you will know they are nice but they are also a lot of work cleaning the water. At some point you ask if it is enjoyment or a chore and I didn't want that happening with the orchid hobby.

Who knows it might still do. I'm edging closer to the mark but thankfully I can say that my watering schedule has after increasing too much briefly gone down to a manageable level again.

[WaterWitchin]

When an individual spends as much time or more critiquing/knocking another's method of growing than spent on what works for that particular individual... It raises my caution flag.

Jason is There, but not HERE where I am. What works for one individual, with their particular methods, quirks, environment, and culture will not work for another unless they adapt those same qualities. Even when growing in the supposed same climate or environment, there are variables.

No, I don't agree with a lot of what HereButNot says. I've read that blog countless times as it comes up here. The minute he indicates SH is an "always wet" environment, I don't have the energy to spare reiterating and picking apart his critiques of what another might or might do. But maybe I should... then I could just do a cut/paste of my opinion when the subject comes up. Goals...

I live in Zone 6a, same as my buddy DollytheHun. We grow and have grown orchids for quite some time, and neither of us would want to grow the same way. I've grown almost exclusively SH for over ten years. I think growing orchids is similar to lifestyle choices. There's more than one way to do it. For me, it's SH.

The longer one grows a certain way, the more familiar they become with that method and how to tweak one's culture for a particular plant's needs. I grew in a mainly bark mix for years. For ME, semi-hydro is easier, quicker, and less time consuming, because I've worked hard at making it less time consuming. I've grown up to 170 +/- orchids both in a mixed bark medium, and in SH. With age and lack of time, I've pared it down to never have 100 at a time, and try to stay around 80.

Quick answer to your question, Sade, "I would like to comprehend within a general principle what kind of plant developed better in SH in a High humidity environment."
Anything you grow will develop better in a higher humidity, and works well with SH.

Now, I'm off to the doctor so he can view his beautiful work on my latest cataract surgery. I'll likely have more opinion later today.

[Clawhammer]

1.) Pour LECA into container with two holes about an inch from the bottom.
2.) Put orchid in there when they are growing new roots.
3.) Water every day.