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05-18-2016, 03:09 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Ohio
Posts: 10,950
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Don't be discouraged. You will get it right.
No, I don't have a greenhouse. When we have a cold night, I have plastic drop cloth and I cover the orchids and most everything else with that...unless it is going to be freezing or below...then I bring them inside. Here in Ohio, we can have all types of weather and, in the beginning, when I grew in bark, I always had to move my orchids out of the rain after a rainy day or two or the roots would rot...very frustrating. I now use orchid bark for the citrus, camellia and other plants, not orchids (along with plenty of sand and perlite to keep a fast-draining medium).
I have been through what you are going through and I do understand how you feel. I did try bark in the beginning and did not do well root-wise and also went through losing most of my collection, once, to Calcium deficiency. Very discouraging. And, now, I just moved nearly all my newer orchids to red lava rock from the LECA I was trying because LECA did not work for me long-term (seemed very promising in the beginning but it moves around too much) and I have some orchids that need to grow roots again.
I prefer red lava rock as it is heavy and doesn't move around when you water. I lost quite a few roots with the LECA so I am no longer a fan of it...except for the Phrag. The lava rock also keeps the orchids from blowing over when there is wind and roots really grip onto it. After a few years, the roots hold the rock in place so that even if you tip over a pot, the rock doesn't move. Pretty nice. For pots, I use basket pots to give the maximum amount of air to the roots. With all of your rain and humidity, I would recommend transferring your orchids to rock and then using the extra calcium to help prevent fungus. No idea why the extra calcium is so effective but it really is. I only tend to lose plants to fungus/bacterial issues when I am lax with the Calcium which I try not to be, now, after having done it in the past.
If you do want to grow indoors, I recommend T5HO lights. I went with four-foot, four lamp Envirogro from Hydrofarm (amazon) and then bought a two foot, two lamp Sunblaze, second hand. I bought a four foot wire shelf set and used S-hooks to attach the lights to the shelves, then lined them with plastic tablecloth to protect the lights. For the Sunblaze, I used an old clothing bar to hang the lights (I use this for the small citrus, camellia, etc.). I bought timers for both so that I didn't need to worry about turning them on or off. There is an adjustment using lights, too. It dries everything very quickly and I lost a bunch of orchids the first year due to a lack of humidity and, probably, being too close to the lights (again, discouraging). Some orchids I grow just hate the lights and do much better in the windows for the winter. One example: I have a Bulbo that, no matter how far it was from the lights, would lose every leaf...two years in a row. It recovered outside in high light the first year and in a window this past winter. This second year, I even made certain there was more humidity. My Vanda falcata and Angraecum didieri seem to do better in the window, too.
Good luck. Just keep asking questions. I know how it feels to be discouraged as I have been through this...a few times. :|
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05-18-2016, 07:24 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Colorado
Age: 44
Posts: 2,586
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Leafmite, I thought red lava rock was the perfect medium for about a year. Roots were all over it. But after that it was clear that orchid roots were starting to be repelled by it, which I can only attribute to mineral buildup(?) I thought I was flushing enough to avoid this but apparently not. I have since switched back to bark and moss in aircone pots, and everything is growing much better.
Just adding a different experience.
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05-18-2016, 07:56 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Ohio
Posts: 10,950
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If you use red lava rock, you need to go light on the fertilizer and flush very well. That is why I use Ironite, Epsom salts and other sources of Calcium and then go pretty light on the MSU. I have had orchids in the same rock quite a few years without issue. The rain really flushes everything in the spring very well, which helps.
The nice thing about bark is that it gets changed just as the bark starts to accumulate stuff. I just cannot grow in bark. The rain really gets the bark quickly here and with cooler temperatures at times, it always spells doom for the roots.
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