More semi hydroponic questions

[Joshaeus]

Hi everyone! Long time no post (not that I was ever crazy active to begin with...) ANYHOW, I am interested in trying out some semi hydroponics for my house plants, but since I could not find a general forum for houseplants I came here; thus these will not strictly be orchid questions. Anyhow;

1 - Could semi hydroponics be used for succulents? If so, would there be any differences from growing typical plants in a semi hydroponics setup? (This also applies to epiphytic orchids...any changes?)

2 - For plants that require a dry, cool period to trigger blooming (such as Clivia and Dendrobium kingianum) could I simply put the plants in the fridge at night and put them back in their normal place come daybreak? Or would that be too disruptive for the plant? The difficulty of providing a non-freezing wintering period in a heated apartment has long steered me away from these kinds of plants...

3 - What are some recommended nutrient solutions for the plants? And how much should I dilute the mix indoors?

Thanks I tried reading the most recent posts on this subject, but the posters had different questions from mine.

[Subrosa]

I put a piece of this Huernia zebrina in s/h when I brought it inside at the end of last summer. It rooted immediately but didn't do much growing until the last month or so. This is by far the least rot prone Stapeliad I keep, and I don't know how some of my others would do with constant moisture over the winter such as this one has had. My H. occulata x urceolata rots if I think about sweating while standing next to it over the winter. But it would be a simple matter to let the reservoir dry out and keep it that way until growth resumes. I will be putting pieces of all of mine into s/h this spring.

[Ray]

Personally, I've never grown succulents in S/H culture, but I have a customer in Delaware who wins awards for hers...

I think a refrigerator is just too cool for most plants as a "chilling" tool.

As there is absolutely no nutritional value from LECA, your fertilizer must be complete. Terrestrial tropical plants tend to be a lot less sensitive to fertilizer than orchids, so I'd simply go with half of what they had been getting as a starting point, then be observant.

[Joshaeus]

Thanks Guess I may need to avoid the fridge then.

[Ray]

You comment about chilling clivias is interesting, though.

I have read dozens of articles about how to get them to bloom, and there doesn't appear to be a lot of agreement as to what they keys are.

[Joshaeus]

Originally Posted by Ray

You comment about chilling clivias is interesting, though.

I have read dozens of articles about how to get them to bloom, and there doesn't appear to be a lot of agreement as to what they keys are.

I too have heard a lot of differing suggestions...the general idea, though, is generally little to no water October and November and temps below 50 fahrenheit and above 35 for that same period. Some quick research on their native habitats suggest that the lower temperatures are only achieved at night during the South African winter, so maybe just put the clivia in the warmer parts of the fridge (the door?) at night? I understand that D. kingianum will keep growing to 35 as well...35 is well within (below?) the desired range for a refrigerator. I have a fridge dedicated to aquarium items (brine shrimp eggs, frozen fish food, etc) that could be tweaked to accommodate the plants.

[Ray]

That doesn't fit with my experience.

For one, I grow them in semi-hydro culture, so they've always had lots of water. Secondly, In my greenhouse in PA, they never got colder than 65°, yet always bloomed fine. Here in NC, they are out on a hot deck from April through October - and typically bloom sometimes in that period - and in my house over winter - again, never really cold.

Maybe they're like phals that need a cooler period of a certain magnitude, not absolute temperatures.

[Joshaeus]

Weird! I did read online that different cultivars of D. kingianum have varying needs for dormancy.

[Dollythehun]

Don't put your clivia in the refrigerator, please. Just withhold water over the winter and it should Bloom fine. Maybe you can set it by a cool window or a cool patio door.

I see that you're in New England. You must have central heat. Just turn your heat down at night so that you have a change between daytime and nighttime and put an extra blanket on your bed.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Ray

....

Maybe they're like phals that need a cooler period of a certain magnitude, not absolute temperatures.

You may be right. Makes sense... especially since you haven't found much specific info on them regarding it.