New to s/h, questions

[Rhynno]

Hi everyone,

I recently converted many of my orchids to s/h (some of my smaller rescue NOID phals were in trouble and my newly repotted zygos were complaining). So I repotted a bunch! Some phals, paphs, zygos, epis and one newly purchased oncidium (although it could be an odontioda or Odontocidium?? I really can't tell. The blooms are larger than the dancing ladies, pink and speckled. I cut off the spike when I repotted).

I'm still nervous that the top of the medium seems a bit dry (which worries me a bit for the small phals that don't have deep roots (but have plenty of new growth). I've heard that just because it looks dry doesn't mean that it is =/. Has anyone else had this issue and has it worked out ok?

Also, the tiny oncidium was just two wrinkly bulbs which broke apart in my hands. Now I've got them in fairly small pots (still s/h) with not many roots (none were actively growing). Any tips for how to help these little guys out in S/H?

Also, some of my huge phals got repotted into large rectangular containers (lol, I couldn't find anything else). Has anyone had problems with overpotting in this media? I recall Ray's website saying it wouldn't case problems though.

Thanks very much!

Ryan

Oh! I also chucked two carnivorous plants into s/h . I'm curious to see if the butterwort and the sarracenia will grow ok.

The oncidium (or whatever it is haha) looks kinda like this Orchid Web: Odontocidium Margaret Holm 'Alpine'. I'll see if I can post a picture of the bloom spike (I know that this isn't the right place to post ID's but I figured why not while I've got the s/h questions going in case someone who read this post recognized it ).

[Zoi2]

If your leca is drying out too quickly on the top you may want to water more frequently, mist the top or increase your humidity.
You might want to try water culture on the oncidium until you get new root growth.
I have a couple of phals and catts that are a bit overpotted in s/h and I've not found it to be a problem.
Joann

[Rhynno]

Thanks Joanne ,

I'm not sure what to do with water culture. Just set it in shallow water and change it every other day or so?

The top seems to go bone dry within hours =/. I'll try misting it every morning and see if it help. Thanks!

Oh! here are the pictures of the blooms.

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/2711/img00377.jpg

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/1731/img00378.jpg

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[Nico]

The good news with s/h is that you can water the plants without over-watering. I have just one catt in s/h for 6 months and is doing very well: lots of roots and new growths. At the beginning I watered frequently but I let just a drop of water in the reservoir in order to help the plant to adapt. This is me, I can't follow strict rules with orchids. I just let the plant to "tell" me what to do.

[Zoi2]

There is a lot of info on the OB about water culture you can look up if you're interested.
I usually use a wine glass for my onc in water culture. Just put the plant in the glass and fill with fertilized, KLN (root hormone) water to the top of the root mass. I keep mine on west window sills until the roots are about 2-3 inches then pot in s/h. I usually change the water once a week. I don't pay any attention to the algae that grows.
By the way, your blooms are lovely.
Joann

[Ray]

Put the plants on heat pads to get them to root more quickly.

Thanks Ross for that idea, not me.

[bdelfiero]

I Have never done this but I know someone who puts moss (Very Small Amount)on the top of the LECA and have success with it, specially if the LECA dries quickly.

[Rhynno]

I'm a little nervous to put moss on the top. Can't the moss get into the hydroton over time?

Heating pads are a great idea. I haven't seen them around though. I'll have to look for something in my apartment that stays warm-ish during the day that I can set them on. For the time being I have one of them inside a damp fishtank that I use for propagating violets for the added humidity and the other out on the countertop (what little roots they have seem to be staying damp).

That's interesting about water culture. I'll have to try it and see how it goes for me !

I'm debating about throwing a dendrobium phalaenopsis into s/h. It has been pretty much dormant since I rescued it from wallmart (in moss with no drainage holes) a few months ago. It lost a few leaves after the repot into bark but the only activity I've seen since is one small new root growing over the top of the medium within the last three weeks. Do they have a hard time in s/h if they're not starting to grow new roots?

Thanks again!

Ryan

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Rhynno

I'm debating about throwing a dendrobium phalaenopsis into s/h. It has been pretty much dormant since I rescued it from wallmart (in moss with no drainage holes) a few months ago. It lost a few leaves after the repot into bark but the only activity I've seen since is one small new root growing over the top of the medium within the last three weeks. Do they have a hard time in s/h if they're not starting to grow new roots?

YES!

[phearamedusa]

Originally Posted by Rhynno

Heating pads are a great idea. I haven't seen them around though. I'll have to look for something in my apartment that stays warm-ish during the day that I can set them on.

Look for a propagation mat, or seedling heat mats. They raise the temp under the pots by 10 to 20 degrees depending on who its made by. If you have a heat pad for sore muscles that could work in a pinch for a short period of time. I wouldn't leave it unattended for long periods, if I went with this one, as they really aren't made for this purpose.