Is S/H right for me?

[bganzer]

Still consider myself very new to orchids, as I have only started seriously collecting since Mother's Day. That being said, I think I have a pretty ggod start, with a lot of variety. Just today I came across the S/H threads, as I have spent most of my forum time in the beginner forums. I have had some problems that I believe I have narrowed to problems with my watering/Fertilizing, http://www.orchidboard.com/community...need-help.html and I am wondering if switching to S/H might help my problems.
I would love to have a system where I could water all my plants about the same time.

I live in ND and the winters here are cool to say the least, so I would probably need to wait till spring and new root growth starts, to avoid killing plants with too cool roots. So this may be a very premature thread posting as it would be 6 months or more before I could switch, but it doesn't hurt to get some more info from all you great orchid growers.

This is the list of orchids that I have. If you have opinions on whether these are good cantidates for S/H growing I would appreciate it.

NoID Phal. ?? (All White Blossoms)
Encyclia ionophlebia (syn. Prosthechea)
Onc. Genting Angel X Onc. Barbie Patches
Den. Samarai x Den. Blue Sparkle
C. Horace 'Maxima' AM/AOS x Blc. Xanthette 'Chartreuse'
Blc. Haiku Dawn x Pot. (Waianae Legacy x Waianae Majestic)
Den. spectabile x sib
Gram. rumphianum
Phal. (Jackie Debonis x Fantastic Lip) x Phal. (Tropical Fantasy x Exotic Sands)
Angcm. sesquipedale x Angcm. sesquipedale var. bosseri
Psh. Exotic Leprechaun
Blc. Haiku Dawn 'Sunshine and Raspberries'
Bepi. Femme Fatale 'BJ' AM/AOS
Arpophyllum giganteum
Den. Wonder Nishii x Den. spectabile

I have been told that the Onc. that I have is a Tolumnia cross, and I think on 1st rays site it is recommended not to try S/H with those, but what do you think about the rest.

[Ray]

With the exception of tolumnias, almost any orchid can be grown in semi-hydro culture.

However, if you feel your conditions would lead to the root zone being too cool over winter, waiting for warmer weather does nothing to solve the problem you've postponed until next winter - unless you do something to remedy that situation, such as using heat mats under them.

By the way, now that you've given the full name, I see you have a label error: There is no hybrid of Psychopsis (Psh) Exotic Leprechaun, but there is Prosthechea (Prc) Exotic's Leprechaun.

[bganzer]

Thanks Ray, I will have to consider this. And you are absolutely right about the label mistake. It is actually mislabeled on the Exotic Orchids of Maui website, so I always assumed that was correct. However the tag in my plant is Prc Exotic's Leprechaun. Thanks.

[bganzer]

around what temp does the root mass need to be at to avoid the root damage. I grow indoors, and i suppose i keep our house in the mid to upper 60's in the winter. Would this be too cool? Will this be too cool in bark also?

[Bud]

80F is ideal for orchids...not too hot and not too cold...but 60 at night indoors is tolerable for any orchid in winter as long as its not damp( bacteria, fungi and algae can grow)...in daytime when the sun shines the 60F indoors will rise 10 degrees warmer

[Ray]

A minimum of 60 might not be too bad, but if your air is dry, evaporative cooling might push it lower. Most plants will be OK with that, but phals and other "hot" growers may not like it. Ideally, they should not go below 70 - I'd even say 75 or so for bellina - so putting a heating pad under them is a savior.

[RosieC]

My house is kept between 60 and 68 during the winter (68 when I'm awake and in, can get down to 60 at night and when I'm out) and I've found that phals in S/H struggle with that.

Last year I lost one and I believe it was the roots getting too cold that was the problem. When I realised what was happening I put the other S/H phals (whose roots were also showing signs of struggling) on a heat mat which is on a timer which comes on for 2-3 hours at a time which a break of a couple of hours between each time it's on.

My Oncs in S/H were happy with those sort of temps and didn't need any extra heating, it was the phals that seemed to suffer.

[QueenJewels]

If this helps at all- I live even further north in Saskatchewan and live in a heritage building with water rad heat- so cold, dry climate. I have all my orchids in s/h or mounted in a terrarium and they are all thriving- a few different phals, oncs and dens, cattlya and gongora in s/h. I transplanted each one into s/h the minute I got the new plant home- in all seasons- as my orchids seem to do much better in s/h than other potting mediums. I plant them all in plastic containers suitable for the size of the plant and the smaller ones I keep in glass vases, the larger one are set in ceramic bowls. Haven't lost an orchid since I discovered s/h and probably will never grow any other way ( except my terrarium orchids- same principals apply though so... )

[Bud]

I agree with Ray, a heat pad sure helps especially with evaporation of water and humidity...winter indoors can be very dry...