2 Pot System with S/H - How do you set up yours?

[emmajs243]

Ok guys!

I would like to try a Phal in semi-hydro that is doing ok but really is not the happiest or healthiest from her past caretakers. What I would like to accomplish is to have a clear pot where I can view her roots still (since I am less experienced) sitting inside of a regular opaque or colored pot to help prevent algae growth (or at least this is a hope). I guess where I am struggling is I can only find clear pots with the drainage holes in the bottom. Will these still work for my goals? If I put these pots into larger flower pots (to still allow air circulation) would I still drill the two holes into the side of the flower pots? How do you guys set up your two pot systems?
Thanks!

[Ray]

First let me say that you have several things working against your effort:

You are apparently starting with a weak plant. Any transplant is stressful; a transplant into S/H can be even more so.

Unless the plant has new roots emerging from its base, now is not the time to make such a change.

For future reference, a semi-hydro pot is usually a deli container (any plastic container, actually) into which the two holes in the sidewall are drilled. That can be "plopped" into another, opaque pot, if you wish.

[emmajs243]

Big thank you Ray for your response! Let me first clarify, the Phal does have new root growth currently so it isn't like she is in awful shape by any means or like she is an ICU type orchid, she just hasn't been thriving.

Also, as terrible of a person I feel like to say this, it has been advised to me by others to try semi-hydro with Phals because they are very well suited for it and frankly, they are cheaper to replace. Now, to me, losing an orchid is losing an orchid no matter which orchid it might be, it is a pristine creature that should never be destroyed due to carelessness but my bank account wouldn't agree with my arguement most likely.

On that note however, I do have a new Catt that is desperately due for a repotting and has new roots growing from new growth so she does meet the criteria I just was a tad more worried on not throwing too much stress on her all at once since she was just shipped to me from a very different climate!

Thoughts on which you would choose!?
Once again, thank you so much for your time! I have been scouring your webpage and your forum answers and they all have been so helpful!

[Ray]

As we have no idea where you live or your growing conditions, I can only make a general comment: phalaenopsis, generally speaking, are "hot" growers that rarely see below 70F in nature. Fortunately, they can tolerate the cooler temperatures we typically keep in our homes.

The open, airy nature of a semi-hydro medium and pot, when kept in a dry environment, can result in significant evaporative cooling, so if your room temperature is relatively low, the root zone might get too cool, resulting in root death.

That can be overcome by placing the pot on a seedling heat mat, and that is also a great way to accelerate any plant getting established after repotting.

The cattleya is likely less sensitive to the lower temperature, but it's still a consideration.

[emmajs243]

Oh Ray! What I love most about this message is in my vast research I actually saw you recommend a seedling heat mat to someone else so when I was ordering all my supplies from Amazon, I went ahead and ordered in a few of those. I figured multiple medium sizes will be nicer then one big one. For now at least...Since I quarantine, when I get new orchids I figure everyone can have their own mat but still be separated.

I am in Idaho! Which normally means cold and dry however we actually have had nice humidity in the 55-70% range so far this winter. I will definitely have to keep an eye on that though. I do keep my orchids in the warmest rooms in my house however. Since it's an older house I only have heaters in the two bedrooms and the rest of the house gets heated by those heaters so the bedrooms are often nice and toasty while the areas I'm at the most are more at my temp preference. Of course once again, I will definitely need to watch humidity with the heaters running around them!