two phalaenopsis in hydroponic

[giuseppeorchids]

hello, I've got these phalaenopsis (one of these is a mini-phal)
their roots aren't very well, in particular the mini-phal
so I've decided to try a hydroponic



Did I do everything right? I hope they catch new roots
thanks

[jhiland]

I'm in no means an expert, but this is what I'd recommend:

1.) Trim away dead roots. They are no longer functioning for the plant, and they are only going to decay/rot. Healthy roots will be firm and gray/green (not flat, brown, or mushy)

2.) Switching to S/H should be done when new root growth is occurring unless you have aerial roots. The current roots won't transition well to S/H. I can't offer any advice on how to promote new root growth though.

I apologize if you considered the above factors, it's hard to see the root systems in the photos. I can say I've never lost a plant in S/H, so it appears to be more forgiving than other medium

[giuseppeorchids]

Hello jhiland
There aren't any dead roots, the brown/black roots are only "dirty" of water salt, because I can't use demineralized water...
Hydroponic is the last attempt, I also try to put them on a little trunk (for a year) the big one was growing and has also flourished (until a month ago) but some roots have rotted the mini-phal instead has never grew very much, so I try hydroponic for both

sorry for my horrible english

[fishmom]

I'm new on this board, but I have had several phals in S/H for the last few years.

Looking at your picture, the plant on the left appears to be in a LECA medium, which should wick the moisture up to the roots without rotting them. I assume that you are keeping water in the outside pot, which will act as the reservoir of water for the plant. If the plant were mine, I would probably add a bit of LECA around the exposed roots, but if the plant has several healthy roots covered by the medium, it should be fine.

The plant on the right appears to be planted in a bark mixture. This is not a good idea for S/H, the bark will rot quickly with the constant moisture, and the roots will rot also. You need to use LECA, as you did with the other plant. If the exposed roots are really alive (i.e. firm) then I would put them into the LECA so that they can take advantage of the source of moisture.

Ray, a poster here, has a website called Firstrays.com. Have you read the material there? He has a wealth of information that can help you.

Good luck!

[giuseppeorchids]

fishmon, tha plant on the rigth is in leca, but I put some bark because I haven't got enought leca
if the bark in not good, what can I add? Something similar to leca?

[fishmom]

I'm not sure what is available in Italy, but in the US LECA is widely available in hydroponic shops. I don't know what would be a substitute, as plain lava rock does not have the same wicking action that makes the semi-hydroponic system work so well.

There is an article on this forum about semi-hydroponic culture, in the "Articles" section of the forum. I tried to link to it, but apparently I am not permitted to do that. It has good pictures though, and might give you some help also.

[giuseppeorchids]

So I think I have to buy leca... ok

[kindrag23]

ummm try ebay or amazon? Thats where I order mine from to mix in with my regular mix to help keep my mix from impacting.

Hey your English is good, I can understand you very well.

[giuseppeorchids]

I think I can buy leca in a garden center, but I didn't want to ask my parents

thanks for english, but I alwais fear of making mistakes

[Island Girl]

Eh, even us English speakers make mistakes! I can understand your english perfectly well. It's a heck of a lot better than my italian heheh