Dendros just sulking

[Snowden]

Hey Terri...

My plants are outside and I typically water every other day (if it hasn't rained) and, no, the reservoirs are not empty when I do. When the temps are over 85 as they were during our heat wave a week or so ago, I water every day. It's basically a quick watering - just enough until the water starts draining from the weep holes. I also flush out the containers every 1 - 2 weeks.

But remember -I have been growing orchids for about 12 years and still consider myself a newbie. And even though I did my homework and researched everything about S/H extensively, I am basically new to this type of growing. I'm sure there are plenty others here with much more experience.

I would also like to add that nothing got moved over to S/H that wasn't actively growing (with the exception of one plant - a den farmeri), and their roots were meticulously cleaned and trimmed of anything that was remotely dead or rotten before transplanting. I have lost a couple of leaves here and there, but that was to be expected. Other than that, everything is putting up new growths except for the den farmeri, which had been stalled for the past three years while it was in bark, and a zygo, which had dropped all of its leaves while I was away during the winter. The zygo had begun to put up a new growth this spring before moving to S/H, but it hasn't grown at all since. The good news is that neither plant is declining, either.

Hope this helps.

[DelawareJim]

Originally Posted by Ray

I'm sorry, but there are some significant points being missed in this discussion.

"Semi-hydroponics" does not define your entire set of conditions, and many of them play a far more significant role in orchid-growing success. As those are more variable than clay balls and constant moisture, I'd suggest that they are playing a bigger role in individuals' success or failure to grow a type of plant.

There are lots of folks successfully growing dendrobiums in S/H culture, and from my own perspective, oncidium intergenerics grow better that way than any other.

About the only plants that I have not heard of anyone growing them successfully in semi-hydroponics are tolumnias.

Ray;

You're right, I should have given more parameters.

Okay all, here's the challenge.

In addition to the S/H info provided at the start of this thread...

The plants are in my east facing bathroom window. Temps are upper 60's during the day and mid 60's at night during the winter and ambient air temps during the summer when I keep the window open. The plants get about 4-5 hours of sun each morning.

I don't know what the humidity parameters are. They are typical closed-house winter levels during the cold months, most likely in the 30-40 percent range, and typical outdoor humidty levels during the warmer months when I have the window open.

I know the S/H pots are over sized for the plants. I have them in quart sized deli containers slipped into a second quart container so I can raise the reservoir level due to the size of the Keikis.

Finally, the mother plants these came from are also in east facing windows near the kitchen directly below my bathroom. The mother plants are growing in fir bark and coir chunk, also fertilized with the same MSU fertilizer and otherwise treated exactly the same. As larger plants they are performing much better than the Keikis in S/H.

Cheers.
Jim

[ruthann]

How root bound does one let orchids get? Dens & phals in S/H before repotting?

[quiltergal]

Thanks so much for the info Snowden. So is your reasoning that evaporation at the top of the pot on hot days is more rapid than the wicking action of the LECA, therefore 2-3 waterings a week keeps the roots in the upper level of the pot happier? Did that even make sense? Gah! Not enough sleep last night.

[Snowden]

Terri...

To be perfectly honest, I am a creature of habit. I am still using the same summer watering frequency as when all of my plants were in bark, of which I still have a lot of, not to mention mounted and hanging plants. So, in essence, I am not treating them any different (now, during the summer) than I did before. This will probably change in the fall after I bring them all indoors where I will only water when the reservoir is low - just as I would reduce watering for plants in bark at the same time. Understand?

I find that my leca does not dry out, except for the very top layer, and is wicking nicely. I'm not sure if this is good practice or not, and I hope that someone will correct me if it isn't, but after I clean my leca, I let it sit in a covered bucket full of water until I'm ready to use it. When I'm ready, it's ready. All I do is rinse with clean water and use it.

Oh... and Jim... sorry about the slight hijack. Hopefully Ray will have your answers for you, but it sounds like they should be pretty happy in those conditions. Maybe try increasing the light? Put them close to a southern window, perhaps? It's worth a try.

[pedidiva]

I am glad to see this thread. I recently repotted some dendrobiums a phal type NOID to S/H. They have new growths. I expect them to take some time to "adapt", I am cautiously optimistic that they will do well.

I have transferred a Beallara (sp), a Psychopsis, some phals, & some oncidiums to S/H & they are doing well.

Pedi

[AHAB]

Try bottom heat with newly repotted plants and or plants that are sulking.

[RJSquirrel]

you need some heat on them babies..upper 60s during the day? You should force that up to the mid 80s. IMO the LECA is cold all the time and your plants are faked into being dormant. Its too cold for the roots to want to do anything. You have put it to sleep. Wake it up and more light more heat more air. You have to make them FEEL alive not just be alive. Your plants sit there bec they dont know what to do.