Several questions about s/h

[kur1j]

So I have several phals i’m moving to S/H. They all have good root systems and new roots coming in.

Everything I’ve read says that you should keep about 1” of water in the reservoir. Is there a rule of thumb for how much water you should keep in the reservoir for the size of the pot and the type of orchid?

How can you tell what size of pot to put different orchids in? I know cattleyas like to have small containers. But in s/h what defines it to be too large or too small? I have a super small cattleya that has like 2 leaves and basically one root that’s forming.

Is it possible to grow a vanda in s/h? From what I’ve read people typically dunk vandas in a bucket of water for 15min every day in their baskets but need like 70-80% humidity which my house certainly isnt.

[fooferdoggie]

the pot size does not really matter in S/H how much water would depend on how far the roots are from the bottom. but I don't usually have that much most of the time.

[kur1j]

Originally Posted by fooferdoggie

the pot size does not really matter in S/H how much water would depend on how far the roots are from the bottom. but I don't usually have that much most of the time.

So how far away from the water should the roots be? When I pot the plants I put the first layer of the LECA to where the water line would be. Put the roots in (if they have any) and then fill it up with LECA to the top. I tap the contain to try and get the LECA to fill the gaps and that’s about it.

[fooferdoggie]

As far as you can is what I do so want we level is not a big deal I overfill the pot to help hold the plant in since the top layer does not really get wet. The most important thing is flushing them out to Lee s the salts down.

[estación seca]

The roots grow down to where they're happy. Because there's a lot of air space between the clay balls, roots won't suffocate, so you can put a small plant into a large S/H container. You have to be sure to water a plant with short roots frequently before its roots grow down to the wet zone.

[camille1585]

I can't find the information on Ray's site, but I think that the 2 drainage holes are always 1 inch from the bottom of the pot, no matter what size pot, so the reservoir height stays the same.

[Ray]

The height of the holes in the pot sidewall is more-or-less arbitrary, but in a pot that is under about 6"-8" diameter, I found that 1"-1.5" is a good level. For larger pots, I usually make it deeper.

There isn't nothing "magic" about the holes or the water depth. A deeper reservoir holds more water, so can wick it up for a longer period of time, and shortens the distance to the top of the LECA, which can keep it moister, higher, if your RH is too low. (Semi-hydro culture does NOT substitute for adequate humidity. If your RH is low, do something to correct that.)

When you pot up a plant, make sure the roots are NOT reaching into the reservoir. They will grow there, but inserting them will lead to suffocation.

Water the plant frequently. How much water is in the reservoir is a minor point. What it's chemistry is (think about plant exudates) is a significant point. Fresher is better.