Hydroton Expanded clay pellet uses?

[Cattleya17]

Hey thanks guys! im picking up a bag tomorrow! lots of repotting to do guys! i always fear i picked a pot to small or to big. they say large enough for two years growth. but with my laelia purpurata's whose rhizomes crawl a little ways before they put down roots makes it hard to judge. but so far so good!

[Orchidbyte]

Hello again,

I grow all my Phals. in LECA but in clear plastic pots, I think they like the clear more roots in pot then out.

I have all my Phals Phrags. and Paphs. indoors and grow them all in a rock type mix, for the slipper types I use a hydrotron the is a lot more like rock and comes in different sizes, I get it at the local Hydroponics store.
I find I have the best luck I ever had with slippers, I grow some wet some on the dry side, they always get watered with rain water or filtered water.

My Greeenhouse and all outdoor orchids in pots are in either pure LECA(except for bottom valcanic rock layer), or if they like the top kept moist then a little moss mixed in. I even grow Cymbidiums in a 70-30 mix of LECA and orchid bark with a top dressing of shredded redwood, they seem to grow well for me in this mix.

I grow in all different types of pots and find that it works out very well in all pots, the only thing if the pot only has one hole at bottom like some clay pots, then watch out fo the LECA clogging the hole. Clay will dry out quicker, same day quicker, but solid plastic will stay moist inside for about 2 days depending on heat and air flow.

In all my 30 plus years of growing orchids this is by far the best mix I have ever used for my collection.

[RosieC]

Well having just found a source of Hydroton locally I'm picking up a bag at the weekend and going to try one or two Phals in it. I'm not going to move everything until I've experimented with a couple of cheep NoID Phals I have but we shall see and I'll keep you guys updated.

[peeweelovesbooks]

Hydroton in regular pots (not s/h) has been a godsend for me. I grow 90% of my collection this way. (I"m in florida btw. )

[Connie Star]

I found something yesterday at a pet store called "Hydro Balls." It is a rather small LECA - about 2/3 the size of Ray's Primeagra. I'm thinking of using it in S/H with some 2-3" pots I'll make out of soda bottles. I have some small plants in S/H and they are growing slowly. Of course, I'm new to orchids and maybe I'm not patient enough.
Has anybody tried this product?

[RosieC]

Well I repotted in Hydroton on one of my discount rack NoID phals at the weekend. So far so good and it was VERY easy to repot with... just sort of flowed arround the roots far more easily than bark. Now to see how the Phal does in it.

Sorry Connie, not tried that make as I'm in the UK. I can't get hold of Primeagra either but I think the stuff I'm using is smaller (actually it ranges a lot in size).

[SP2340]

I, too, have all my orchids in Hyrdoton. For the ones like phals and phrags that like more water I mix in some sphag with it. I have a sprinkler that waters them every morning cause the dry out faster.

[Cattleya17]

I know right it was so easy to repot with!!!! i repotted 4 orchids in one day! and it was like a breeze! bark is tough for me cuz the ants always make a nest. also bark is hard to repot with imop.

The hydroton was so simple it went around every single root like a dream! the plant is secure in the pot too! it provides just the right amount of weight on the roots! no cracking! well a little cracking but not as much. it does dry out fast tho. that will take some getting used to. i am so happy because the lava rock i would buy was 3.99 for black rock and 4.99 for red. and if you have a several plants that need repotting think of the cost. one bag is very small so you have to buy multiple to finish the job.

With the hydroton a big bag for only 10.00 i repotted 4 orchids and can finish my collection of 12 when they are ready to repot! so if orchids need repotting every two years thats only 20 bucks over 2 years. compared to if i continued buying the lava rock!

I like the stuff! so far my orchids seem to love it too.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Connie Star

I found something yesterday at a pet store called "Hydro Balls." It is a rather small LECA - about 2/3 the size of Ray's Primeagra. I'm thinking of using it in S/H with some 2-3" pots I'll make out of soda bottles. I have some small plants in S/H and they are growing slowly. Of course, I'm new to orchids and maybe I'm not patient enough.
Has anybody tried this product?

Smaller plants does not mean you want a smaller product! Don't forget that a finer grade of medium results in smaller spaces between the particles, allowing the plants' roots to block them and suffocate themselves.

I move plants straight from flask into coarse grade material.

[tucker85]

I grow all my Cattleyas in clay pots with medium Hydroton. All my plants are doing extremely well in it. I water a little more often than I used to with fir bark. I think that Hydroton takes the fear of overwatering out of the equation. I'm experimenting with Phals in Hydroton in plastic pots, but I haven't been doing it long enough to evaluate the results. Happy growing.