tried s/h?

[juneeb]

Thinking about trying s/h and looking for input.

1. Is it expensive for all the materials to start?

2. What are my options for medium? Can I use packing popcorn?

3. How often do I water?

4. Is regular orchid fertilizer ok to use? 20-20-20

My phals are struggling and I'm trying anything.

THanks

[Bird Song Farm]

Hi June,
Welcome to the OB, you will like it here, lots of friendly folks.
Here is a site that will help you with your S/H project.
Good luck and keep us posted on how you do.
Al
How to pot an Orchid using the Semi-Hydroponic method.

[orchidsamore]

Hydroponic rock is expanded clay product. It will absorb and wick water up from a reservoir below the pot. Most brands of hydro can only retain about 8% water so the water level stays very consistent without any of the roots being immersed in water.

Peanuts will not work since they do not wick water.

S/H works very well with Phals since they do not like to dry out and inconsistent watering leads to rotten roots in other mediums.

[Libo]

The healthier the plant, the more smooth the transition it will be. I have moved around 60 plants to S/H, only lost 2 or 3 and all of them are not healthy to begin with. One thing I have noticed is that even though the old roots will die, if you just leave them there, they seems to have the function to draw the solution up from the bottom and nurture the new root growth to keep them from dry out. So it is wicking the solution just like the LECA does and it does even a better job. Anyway, just my opinion.

[billc]

Hi juneeb, I think that before you need to address your 4 questions, you really need to deal with your last statement "My phals are struggling and I'm trying anything".
S/H is just another to grow your plants. It's not a magic cure-all. I'm guessing you're fairly new to growing phals, and you need to get your basic culture squared away. If you take struggling plants and move them to S/H, you'll still have struggling plants.
Before moving to S/H, let's get the basic culture squared away. Here's a link to FirstRays that gives a great overview. First Rays' Free Info
Good culture produces good roots. Good roots produce healthy plants. Healthy plants produce beautiful flowers.
Beautiful flowers are the reason we grow orchids.

Bill

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by billc

Good culture produces good roots. Good roots produce healthy plants. Healthy plants produce beautiful flowers.
Beautiful flowers are the reason we grow orchids.

Very well said, and so so true!