New in Semi Hydro

[danielaonofre]

Hi all,

I just changed all my orchids to S/ H, I think I did in the worst timing did't know I have to wait for new roots growing, the reason I change them all was because I travel for 3 months for work the person who helped me watering my orchids did the following:
For the first month she watered them every other day, (not following instructions) after that she realized she did wrong and she stopped watering them for 2 months:
Results 1 Phal with 2 aereal roots wrinkled and no roots, all the leaves dehydrated
2 nd 4 aereal roots no base roots
2 phals good root system don't know how they survived but all the bark was decomposed
1 Paph good conditions 1 long root some parts decomposed 1 new root bark decomposed
1 phrag just bought it awful bark and in moss the roots were around a sponge

My concerns are the next ones
1 and 2nd phals I re hydrated with the tea bag method they are doing great 1 is already giving new roots in 6 days but the other one hydrated no new roots I placed them in leca on top to see the roots I am not leaving the reserve of water until they have more roots

The other phals 1 have been in bloom for 2 years an 8 months pretty strong root system she has her own cycle 2 new flowers a leaf and 2 roots every 2 months she is growing a new spike also, should I cut the blooms, for her to settle quickly

The other phal has a good root system haven't bloomed for me in 5 years totally my fault it was my first orchid and she had 2 accidents 1 the pot felt down she breaked and I reported her in soil (shame on me) she was rootless in 1 week almost died, then I reported again and she start settling down, right now she has great roots, but when I changed to leca didn't see new grow

My paph I am really nervous about her, she is going to bloom about next week or so, when I re potted a new spout separated from the mother she had 4 little roots growing, the big one had 3 roots one was rotting by the bottom and the other 2 were in great conditions I trimmed the rotted part put her cinnamon and reported, now one of the little leaves is getting yellowish , my question here is how deep should I place her to receive moist

Phrag is loving it in a week I have watered her twice one of the older roots is going right through the reserve of water (should I worry depot her in a taller container.

Thanks in advance for your comments

[Ray]

As long as they are kept warm, the phalaenopsis should come along fine.

Paphs, in my experience, can be moved to semi-hydroponics at any time.

All plants grown in S/H culture will put their roots into the reservoir, and as they grew into it, it is fine. If you potted it with the root submerged, they will suffocate, but roots that grow into it "tailor" themselves to function well submerged.

[danielaonofre]

Thanks Ray, and the one that is in bloom should I let her with the blooms and the new stem?

[Ray]

Why not?

As to the Paph potting depth - the innermost/ lowest part of the leaves should be just above-, and not in contact with the potting medium.

[danielaonofre]

I thought the transition will be better if AI cut away, I will be happy to leave it love my flowers. I will plant them like that I will put her a little bit higher then I thought I plant her too deep

[Ray]

When I move plants into S/H, or have divided one so am repotting the divisions, I do the following:

1. Put enough LECA in the pot to 1/2"-1" above the holes in the sidewall.
2. Place the roots on top of the LECA, with the base of the plant about an inch BELOW its final depth.
3. Fill the pot with LECA to slightly higher than the final desired depth (you'll get a feel for this with practice)
4. Grasp the plant and gently pull it upward to the final planting depth.
5. Firmly but gently rap the side of the pot a bit to make sure the pellets fill any large voids that might have been created by the roots, and add more LECA pellets as needed.
6. Water it in, and you're done!

[danielaonofre]

Thanks Ray, I'll do it like that, thanks for the advice til now they are ok just potted one of the phals that was sick surprisingly today I found that she is putting 4 new roots on the base over the leca and one is going into the leca so I will pot her so she can adapt to the constant moisture with the new roots.

[orchidphile]

In my experience, the instruction to wait for new roots is a little overdone. Although this is the ideal time to start semihydro, I've had success doing it almost any time, even with some cattleyas that had no roots at all. The one time I try to avoid is summer, when the high temperatures and rapid evaporation can make it a little rougher for plants that need lots of moisture around their roots.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by orchidphile

In my experience, the instruction to wait for new roots is a little overdone. Although this is the ideal time to start semihydro, I've had success doing it almost any time, even with some cattleyas that had no roots at all. The one time I try to avoid is summer, when the high temperatures and rapid evaporation can make it a little rougher for plants that need lots of moisture around their roots.

You are correct. I have always stated that to be the "ideal" time to repot, but we do need to understand that we cannot always wait for ideal situations when dealing with our plants.

When transplanting at less-than-ideal times, if you can keep the humidity maximized around the plant, and keep it warm and shady, you have the best chance of total recovery.

[danielaonofre]

Hi!!!

Thanks for all the tips with S/H, my orchids simply love it, all of them are giving me lots of new growth, the ones that I thought wouldn't survive are getting better even one of them is growing a spike, my paphs simply love it they are in bloom now and my phrag is amazing she is the one that love S/H the most. I really loved this grow method. Until now everything is going great. New Leaves, flowers and a whole new root system growing all over.