[QUOTE=Dail;254989]
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyfishdoc
I have repotted all my orchids into semi hydroponics this month....I am amazed and absolutely sold on hyroponics!!!!![/U][/U][/I] /QUOTE]
Hi Jerry:
I'm happy you are having such good results. I too am sold on hydroponics BUT only from what I see in the literature. I have tried this method twice but I haven't caught the hang of it.
Would it be too time consuming for you to describe exactly how you went about setting up your plants using the semi - hydroponics method? If I can master this, I think my plants would actually speak and thank me for a better life!
Best of luck,
Dail
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I bought this oncidium 2 days ago. It was packed in moss. I watered it when I got it home, and this morning I had a hard time popping it out of the pot.
The first picture is the pot as i got it. In the next you can see the roots tightly bound by the moss.
I removed the moss, trimmed up dead roots and removed the remainder of the organic material. I did not try to trim each root individually, but did remove the mass of bad roots.
Then I tried the pots on for size. I personally do not like small pots (plants). They dry out too fast for me to keep a handle on. I like the larger pots. I think this onc could go in either size pot, but I chose the larger due to the growth ability of the bulbs, rather than to fit the roots in tightly.
I put in LECA pellets (two 24 hour soaks and one 8 hour KLN soak) an inch or so above the drain holes. then I put in the plant and placed pellets in. You can see it 3/4 done with some roots showing. I filled it up, tapping the pot along the way to settle the pellets, and then I pulled the plant up to the height I wanted. I topped off the pellets where needed.
The final step, plug the hoes with a finger or 2, fill with the KLN solution, let drain, and bring upstairs.
I hope this is clear. This may not be the ideal time or to see a plant with adequate root growth, but in my eyes, if a plant will struggle and put out roots, it will do it in LECA also. The roots I have here are still good, as I saw the plant perk up after the initial watering (2 days ago).
I also bought 2 paphs in flower, that have no new roots, but good roots. I think I will wait a few weeks before I repot, but that could change (I hate to stress my plants, and non semihydroponics in my hands is stress on the orchid)