S/H pots

[Ray]

From trial-and-error, I have found that two, 1/4" holes (6mm), placed side-by-side, and as close to each other as possoble without overlapping, is about the optimal configuration.

It is possible that a pellet can shift in the pot and totally block one hole, causing it to slow the drainage to an unacceptable rate. That pellet however, prevents another from blocking the other hole. Put the holes too far apart, and both can become blocked.

For most pots, 1"-1.5" up from the bottom is sufficient; for very large pots (I have some 24" tall and 18" diameter), I have gone as high as 4".

Don't forget that filling the pot rapidly and letting it drain is a flushing mechanism. The idea is to force out the residual contents of the reservoir, pushing it down from the top. If there is one hole, if one is blocked, or they are too small, then instead of getting "plug flow" and getting rid of the reservoir contents, you end up mixing it with the fresh stuff added, giving you a "so-so" chemistry throughout the pot. That, by the way, is one reason I don't particularly like the "plug the holes, then let it drain" technique some use.

If the holes are too big, or there are too many, then your flushing will be superb, but it will be REAL difficult to fill to pot without a fire hose.

[DelawareJim]

Originally Posted by Ray

If the holes are too big, or there are too many, then your flushing will be superb, but it will be REAL difficult to fill to pot without a fire hose.

I can vouch for that. One of the first pots I drilled myself I drilled 4 holes evenly spaced around the circumference (one in each quadrant). Surely, the LECA can't block all 4. It worked awesome outside on the back deck with a 3-gallon watering can. But when I brought it in, I found I had to water in the kitchen sink and no matter how carefully I picked the pot up, one of the holes always "peed" on me to and from the sink or into and out of the bucket to carry it to the sink.

Lesson learned.

Cheers.
Jim

[maverick76]

Hi guys...I'm nearly complete with all my necessary materials to transfer a few of my orchids to S/H...Now its roughly winter time here would I rather wait till Spring as they say and transplant...Since most of the paphs I'll be transferring have established roots...would it matter??? Need some input guys...Thanks!

[camille1585]

Normally you need to time a switch to coincide with brand new roots growing, but that's hard to know on Paphs, and I think I remember reading that Paphs can be transferred anytime, they really don't care. You'll get faster root growth, so faster establishment in S/H when the root zone is warm. Putting the pots on a heat mat usually gives them a giant boost.

[maverick76]

Thanks for that...Another thing is I'm gonna be using Dyna Grow products anybody ever used this one? Its got quite a lot of concentrations and I was wondering does it help to buy different concentrations for differing seasons or just sticking to one...Its kinda tricky for me on this one...Any ideas...

[camille1585]

Dyna Gro makes a lot of things, are you talking about ferts or things like KLN? If you mean fert, you can just buy a good one and stick to it year round

[maverick76]

So its more of a general feed than anything else really...I will try out KLN by Dyna Grow for my S/H and see its more of transplantation purposes...Thanks Camille...by the way how about the heating mat application would that be more of a rotational thing (day/night cycle)?...

[camille1585]

A 'general' fertilizer (either something like MSU or a balanced fert) will work just as well as switching between the supposedly 'growth' and 'blooming' promoting ferts.
KLN is really good to use for a few weeks to stimulate root growth on freshly repotted plants, be they in S/H or normal media.

[Vanda lover]

We don't have any hydroponic shops nearby so I'm using lava rock for s/h. So far it is working great. I switched a paph over to it a couple of months ago and the paph has new growth.