Phalaenopsis bellina thriving in semi-hydro

[Edew]

Thought I’d share this lovely bloom on my Phal bellina. I am besotted with her fragrance. I’ve probably walked by and sniffed her flower 10+ times each day

[Keysguy]

Pretty flower and very happy looking roots.
Nice job!

[DirtyCoconuts]

exceptional looking plant!

[Token]

Hey Edew, Bellina's are beauties indeed and their fragrance adorable. Yours is looking great.

I am not a fan of semi-hydro though, it prevents air reaching the bottom part of the pot.

Here is a good video to talk about the pro's and cons of water culture, just sharing so you can decide what you want to do long term.

Water culture for Phalenopsis orchids: Is it a good long-term growing method? From my perspective. - YouTube

It's not quite semi hydro but it's the same principle.

[SouthPark]

The colour is outstanding! Very nice photographs of this particular cultivar of phalaenopsis.

[DrDawn]

Beautiful!! Also, I just joined the MOS a few months ago, looking forward to meeting you when this pandemic is over!

[hypostatic]

Ha! Is that just a regular drinking cup? I love it!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Token

I am not a fan of semi-hydro though, it prevents air reaching the bottom part of the pot.

Clearly semi-hydro works very well for many people. The concept is that the container is filled, then drains freely. Which pulls moist air across all the roots. The reason for drain holes in a conventional pot is not to let in air from the bottom (highly inefficient for that...) but to let water drain and pull air behind it - bringing air to the roots, which is the goal for all orchid culture. So if applied correctly, the semi-hydro concept gives orchid roots (throughout the pot) precisely what they want - humid air. The small reservoir at the bottom of the pot just maintains a bit of extra humidity around the roots, especially useful for people who can't water frequently.

If it doesn't work for you, don't use it. But it clearly has worked very well for the OP... that plant has roots that look great, and the flower is the reward. (I wish that the technology existed to share the fragrance... I have to just imagine, and draw on my own memory banks)

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Token

I am not a fan of semi-hydro though, it prevents air reaching the bottom part of the pot.

Nope. This is an uneducated comment by someone who obviously doesn't know of which he speaks (or types).

While you are correct that air does not reach the bottom of the pot, 1) that's because there is a ready supply of nutrient solution there, and 2) it's irrelevant as the plant is not down there, either.

Originally Posted by Token

Here is a good video to talk about the pro's and cons of water culture, just sharing so you can decide what you want to do long term.

Water culture for Phalenopsis orchids: Is it a good long-term growing method? From my perspective. - YouTube

It's not quite semi hydro but it's the same principle.

(Bold is mine, for emphasis) Please don't try to teach what you don't know.

[SouthPark]

If a grower uses a particular technique, and if they're happy with the performance and results, and happy with the method itself - and they can keep the orchid alive pretty much indefinitely, then that's good enough for me.

It's just impolite to say 'not a fan of' (a growing technique) ...... when the topic itself is about the flower, and celebrating the opening of it, and enjoying watching the photos of it.

Token ----- please take the growing method discussion to 'advanced' or 'potting' or something along those lines.