Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca
Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.

Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca
Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
  #1  
Old 04-22-2024, 12:05 PM
Grawski Grawski is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 17
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca
Default Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca

After much research on the Tolumnia environmental prefereces, I have decided to experiment potting my Tolumnias with Dry Leca in a net pot. If I used saturated Leca, I believe the pots might not dry out fast enough to suit the plant's needs. The net pots are 2-3/4" (7 cm) diameter at the top. The Leca is very small, averaging 3/8" (1 cm). I watered all the bare root plants this morning, and will not wet the Leca until tomorrow morning. I have not decided on the watering technique. I could submerge the bottom half of the pot, or I could pour from above. I'd like to attempt not wetting the crown. I'm open to comments. I'm sure they'll be interesting. Thanks
Attached Thumbnails
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca-tolumnia-dry-leca-2-jpg   Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca-tolumnia-dry-leca-1-jpg  
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 04-22-2024, 12:24 PM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 18,464
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca Male
Default

I've seen this used. It works if your humidity is fairly high. It's OK to completely soak the entire plant and pot at the same time. Don't worry about getting water in the crown. It will evaporate quickly.
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 04-22-2024, 12:33 PM
Grawski Grawski is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 17
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca
Default

Thanks for the comment. My initial thought was that the pots might stay too wet, but Leca balls really absorb anything they touch. I might have gone too far in the "dry quickly" direction. My humidity is NOT high, and I run small fans constantly. The plants are indoors year round.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 04-22-2024, 01:25 PM
Ray's Avatar
Ray Ray is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: May 2005
Member of:AOS
Location: Oak Island NC
Posts: 15,065
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca Male
Default

In their natural habitat, they live on thin twigs of shrubs on the windward side of Caribbean islands. They experience frequent rains and are almost immediately blown dry by gentle, warm breezes.

The closer you can get to that, the better.
__________________
Ray Barkalow, Orchid Iconoclast
FIRSTRAYS.COM
Try Kelpak - you won't be sorry!
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 04-22-2024, 01:30 PM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 18,464
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca Male
Default

It's hard to grow Tolumnias without high humidity. The people I know who succeeded with this method had a humid greenhouse. Another friend with humidity in the 40% range didn't succeed with this method. He couldn't keep them hydrated because the LECA sucks away the moisture. Consider getting a humidifer.
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 04-22-2024, 02:15 PM
FranningtonBear FranningtonBear is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Nov 2023
Zone: 9a
Location: Cheltenham, UK
Posts: 150
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca
Default

Pictured is how I grow my (only) Tolumnia. I maintain humidity by soaking the outer basket weekly and misting the bare roots daily. This plant lives on a west facing windowsill with supplemental grow lights.

Last edited by FranningtonBear; 04-22-2024 at 02:18 PM.. Reason: Can’t post pictures!!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 04-22-2024, 02:59 PM
Grawski Grawski is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 17
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca
Default

Thanks everybody, for you insightful comments. It appears that my challenge will be providing higher humidity and, all the while, not keeping them wet. Was Leca the wrong choice? I thought it was suitable due to it's fast drying, but it will probably dessicate these delicate plants. I'm not opposed to switching media. Would coarse perlite be a better option than Leca? It may sound like I'm grasping at straws here, but this is the gallery of experienced growers. The internet is a poor theater in which to learn about these issues.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 04-22-2024, 03:25 PM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 18,464
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca Male
Default

The problem is low humidity, not medium. I don't know whether you've read this before:
Darryl Venables on Tolumnia - DVOS September 2018
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes RJSquirrel liked this post
  #9  
Old 04-22-2024, 03:43 PM
jtrmd jtrmd is offline
Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2024
Member of:AOS
Location: Cleveland, Ohio USA
Posts: 78
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca Male
Default

I was only able to successfully grow these mounted on cork. The humidity was always high and watered daily in the summer.
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes Grawski liked this post
  #10  
Old 04-24-2024, 02:56 AM
dbarron dbarron is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Feb 2015
Zone: 7a
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 709
Tolumnia in Net Pots with DRY Leca Male
Default

I have success in at least that they live and bloom in successive years. I grow them in net pots with no media and water them daily with a brief immersion. However, my house is typically around 50-60% rh from all the plants in it (I assume).
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 2 Likes
Likes Grawski, RJSquirrel liked this post
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
dry, leca, net, pots, tolumnia


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Ochids roots in LECA KC Kam Semi-Hydroponic Culture 6 06-29-2018 09:51 AM
Looking for s/h pots Barbie_J Semi-Hydroponic Culture 6 08-30-2016 10:46 PM
Wintering and dormancy with S-H/LECA culture daddydoall Semi-Hydroponic Culture 19 02-08-2016 12:53 AM
Orchid pots with holes or without holes manisha Beginner Discussion 6 04-02-2014 02:09 PM
Tolumnia mounting vs. empty clay pots Paul Mc Beginner Discussion 3 06-12-2011 11:34 AM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:00 PM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.