Backwards SH?

[Rivka]

are you concerned with build up of the dissolved solids from the tap water?
i had been reading here and elsewhere that they would just pug up the pores of the pot at some point not to mention burn the roots. since there is really no way to soak them off or replace the media like you would do with repotting a more traditional S/H, it seems one of the big concerns. a member of my orchid club has done similar growing and he doesn't any more because he says after about 2 years for him, nearly everything takes a turn for the worse and never recovers. he agrees that pure water would be the only fix for this and he was not set up for that.

i got a rain water catch system in larger part as prep for my "reverse s/h" that im gathering the parts for. for me that seems like the best option.
your thoughts?

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by Rivka

are you concerned with build up of the dissolved solids from the tap water?
i had been reading here and elsewhere that they would just pug up the pores of the pot at some point not to mention burn the roots. since there is really no way to soak them off or replace the media like you would do with repotting a more traditional S/H, it seems one of the big concerns. a member of my orchid club has done similar growing and he doesn't any more because he says after about 2 years for him, nearly everything takes a turn for the worse and never recovers. he agrees that pure water would be the only fix for this and he was not set up for that.

i got a rain water catch system in larger part as prep for my "reverse s/h" that im gathering the parts for. for me that seems like the best option.
your thoughts?

Thanks for letting me know about your friends experience. I may run into the same problem. Right now I'm just experimenting and I'll see what the results are. I grow outdoors in South Florida so when it rains the pot gets soaked with rainwater. When it doesn't rain I just fill it with the hose as I water my other orchids. I'll keep your friends experience in mind if I start to see any problems. I plan to post results on this thread as I go along.