Ochids roots in LECA

[KC Kam]

Hi All,

I am very new to orchids and was trying to understand more about orchid without killing them.

I filled up LECA into an 4 inch pot and water it in the morning. When im back at night i check out the LECA pot and found out that the top 1inch LECA was dried but the remaining ones below was moist to wet.

If i were to pot orchids in them, there will be gaps in between the LECA for the roots to breath but is it too moist-wet for the orchid?

I believe the next morning, the LECA is still moist to wet. Should i water it or wait till it completely dries?

I dont really understands orchid roots whether they can be in moist condition to which extend, that the reason i asked the 2 questions above.

Please enlighten me.

[katrina]

When the plants are in the pots...the roots will absorb water so some of that moisture you're seeing now would be taken up by the plants.

What kind of orchids are you planning potting in leca? And, are you using clay or plastic pots?

Temps and humidity will also play a big role in how fast the medium dries.

[KC Kam]

Hi Katrina,

I am planning to pot all my orchids (phals, catt, vanda, oncidium, brassavola and dendrobium) whenever possible. The reason is to reduce repotting in the future due to medium breaking down. Im using black plastic pots.

My temperature here is Malaysia is 24-32 celcius and humidity is ard 70%.

[Optimist]

Some orchids love this situation, and others do not. Orchid roots are highly adapted to suck in water from any source. They are often "dry" and cultured in a fairly dry state. Too much water can kill many orchids. You should always allow them to dry out (either arid dry, or slightly damp dry, depending on the orchid). In water culture or semi-hydroponic, some roots go through a situation where they "become" able to handle more water. Often this means the roots that are already there will die off, and new roots will grow.

[estación seca]

Try it with one or two of each kind. I suspect you could water every day. The air spaces between the LECA are large, so there should be plenty of air at the roots.

The Brassavolas and Vandas can grow bare-root for you. Just hang them up with a wire. This is a lot less trouble than growing in pots. You will need to water the Vandas every day when it doesn't rain, and twice a week for the Brassavolas.

[pasdonahue]

Originally Posted by Optimist

Often this means the roots that are already there will die off, and new roots will grow.

if you see roots that have died off in the pot that may have some mold do you ignore it? Or should you re-pot?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by pasdonahue

if you see roots that have died off in the pot that may have some mold do you ignore it? Or should you re-pot?

Like most things in orchid growing, "that depends...".

Personally, if the plant had a lot of roots when moved into S/H culture, and most died in the transition, I'll remove the plant and repot into fresh medium, but most of the time it's not worth doing.