Vandas in semi-hydro?

[Country Gramma]

I put a pup of Neostylis Lou Sneary "blue Bird" into S/H and it's starting (just) to grow roots. I'll put it's mother in when it's done blooming .

Got tons more getting ready to go in...just waiting for Ray to start shipping again since I need more PA.

My Phals are putting out new small new roots and look like they're going to be fine.

My Asco will go in as soon as I see the tinyiest root asw it does not like my conditions at all.

Karen

[fallingstar435]

I have a bunch of my catts and phals in s/h and they are doing superb! But I didnt use the pots with the water resivor in the bottom. I used the origional clay pots I used the bark mix in. And put a small piece of mesh at the bottom to hold the s/h if the hole was large enough to let the s/h escape. And the pots are sitting in the plant saucers you get for like 30 cents to put pots in so as to not leave water on tables and such. Then I put water in the saucer and it slowly wicks in from the bottom and also the sides of the clay pots. So not only do the plants get watered but also extra humidity at the same time. I will post pictures soon to show what I mean. I have 3 of my phals in spike right now that were moved to s/h about 6 months ago and they are growing like weeds.

[Country Gramma]

Got my shipment from Ray (thanks Ray) and spent the day repotting. Put the larger plant of Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Blue Bird' into S/H. Will keep you posted.

Karen

[Ray]

Originally Posted by fallingstar435

I have a bunch of my catts and phals in s/h and they are doing superb! But I didnt use the pots with the water resivor in the bottom. I used the origional clay pots I used the bark mix in. And put a small piece of mesh at the bottom to hold the s/h if the hole was large enough to let the s/h escape....

"S/H" - semi-hydroponics - is the entire culture technique, not the medium!

[fernando saavedra]

HOLA, CUANDO HACE CALOR, PUEDE SER ESTE METODO EN INVIERNO NO.YO LAS TENGO CON UN FRASCO COLGADO EN UNA RAIZ DENTRO DEL FRASCO, CADA TRES DIAS CAMBIO LA RAIZ.

FERNANDO
SANTA FE ARGENTINA

[Rex Anglorum]

Originally Posted by fallingstar435

I have a bunch of my catts and phals in s/h and they are doing superb! But I didnt use the pots with the water resivor in the bottom. I used the origional clay pots I used the bark mix in. And put a small piece of mesh at the bottom to hold the s/h if the hole was large enough to let the s/h escape. And the pots are sitting in the plant saucers you get for like 30 cents to put pots in so as to not leave water on tables and such. Then I put water in the saucer and it slowly wicks in from the bottom and also the sides of the clay pots. So not only do the plants get watered but also extra humidity at the same time. I will post pictures soon to show what I mean. I have 3 of my phals in spike right now that were moved to s/h about 6 months ago and they are growing like weeds.

While not true s/h, your method interests me. I like the idea of the moist clay pot providing an additional large permanent humidity source. I use some clay pots, but they usually dry out between waterings and certainly do not permanently sit in a saucer of water. This brings me to a question: while the cooling effect of evaporation might be helpful for cooler-growing orchids, how do your warmth-loving orchids take the constant added coolness around their root zones? Is this an issue for you? I know that constant evaporation from the s/h medium itself will cool the pot, but I'm afraid that having the pot itself act as a large continuous heat sink might be overkill without a heating mat.

All the best,
C.J.

[cambridgestephen]

Originally Posted by Ray

A couple of comments.

In my opinion, growing in semi-hydro culture is not a substitute for having adequate humidity.

A semi-converse, however, does seem to hold true: If you have very low humidity, it appears easier to grow those plants that we typically think of as needing drying out in S/H culture. Maybe it's because the gradient is steeper, being dry deeper in the pot.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the "need to dry out" is really a misinterpreted "need for lots of air flow".

Lots of these plants come from regions where there is a LOT of rain for certain periods of the year. During those times, the roots stay saturated literally for months at a time with no issue. (Actually it's not "no issue", it's "thrive" as that's when most of the growing occurs.) So why not in a pot? As long as the medium is sufficiently coarse to provide lots of air flow to the roots, there should be no issue.

I grow vandas a bit like this in my house at 55% humidity with central heating and a wood stove. You can often kill off alot of roots trying to adapt them from arial roots unless you keep the media very very dry and you will usually only manage to keep the thicker roots. It is easier to use top cuttings with thick stubby roots or baby vandas leaving the roots to grow into the beads by themselves as these survive better as are thick and don't rot. The best way of doing it is to use a plastic basket as an insert in the clear pot and fill that with beads which leaves an air space underneath and down the sides inside the pot. Sometimes I put some moss in the space in the bottom of the pot to catch the drips and to then give up its moisture into the basket and beads inside the pot. The roots can then if they want grow out of the beads into the space outside the basket inside the pot.

[cambridgestephen]

[Country Gramma]

Cambridgestephen,
I am very interested in your Vanda planting technique.

How long do you let the stubby roots get before you top the plant and put into the beads? How many roots should be growing ?

I have an Asco that's lost many bottom leaves and has a long bare section. Now it's putting out two thick roots right below the good leaves. One is about 1"+ and the other is about 1/2".

How far below these should I cut it and how long do you think I should let them get before I go ahead and do this?

Thanks so much for telling us about what you do.

[cambridgestephen]

Originally Posted by Country Gramma

Cambridgestephen,
I am very interested in your Vanda planting technique.

How long do you let the stubby roots get before you top the plant and put into the beads? How many roots should be growing ?

I have an Asco that's lost many bottom leaves and has a long bare section. Now it's putting out two thick roots right below the good leaves. One is about 1"+ and the other is about 1/2".

How far below these should I cut it and how long do you think I should let them get before I go ahead and do this?

Thanks so much for telling us about what you do.

Hi,
You need 2 roots about 1 1/2" long from different nodes, the important bit is to cut it with at least a couple of leaves/nodes under the bottom root, you can always prune the root but don't peel the stem. You can then plant the stub of the plant in the clay beads with the roots exposed, but touching the beads and mist them daily. Hopefully the roots will detect the moisture and grow/cling to the beads. You can then remove some of the beads to encourage roots downwards and keeping them in the light so the clorophyle will provide energy for root growth. They wont rot this way and will be naturally attracted into the moisture, but as the roots know they have to behave in a semie terrestrial fashion, they will be thick and shouldnt rot like thin aerial roots. An important thing to remember is that if vanda roots are kept too wet, they will not form new root buds, in which case it is better to concentrate on watering the leaves and leaving the media drier until root buds form, there is no golden rule except drier is better, it is very easy to rot vanda roots or inhibit root tip formation, but be carefull not to rot the leaves...