Vandas in semi-hydro?

[daemondamian]

Anyone here growing vandas in semi-hydro like this person is?;
semihydro_culture Photo Gallery by flame747 at pbase.com

[Tindomul]

I will, soon!! Hehe. I'de like to see the setups of anyone here who might be doing this.

[Shadow]

Not me. But thanks for the link. I was wondering if is it possible and I thought to try, because I'm not able to mist them every day and therefore I don't have vandas. Now I'm sure that it is possible!

[daemondamian]

Yeah I always thought vandas would need drying out between waterings. Ray does say that Tolumnias are a no go for semi-hydro because they like to be watered, be a little moist and then totally dry out.. in semi-hydro with constant moisture they couldn't do that..

[Gin]

I would want to know how long they have been s/h , where the person lives (what state) warm ? and if any have bloomed . Another thing the roots can get very long on some of them 6 foot or more , would it require root trimming or a wash tub I know Motes in Fl. trims the roots on ones in baskets or on wires , trimming and putting back into s/h . sounds risky . Just curious . Gin

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by Gin

I would want to know how long they have been s/h , where the person lives (what state) warm ? and if any have bloomed . Another thing the roots can get very long on some of them 6 foot or more , would it require root trimming or a wash tub I know Motes in Fl. trims the roots on ones in baskets or on wires , trimming and putting back into s/h . sounds risky . Just curious . Gin

I had a vanda in a basket with the roots coming out and I had it sitting in my hobby GH. In there I have trays that are plumbed so when I water it trickles out into the garden.

In the trays are seedling trays turned upside down so the plants aren't sitting right on the bottom [and hence n the water at the very bottom of the tray] but the seedling trays left a gap which I filled with hydroton [fired clay balls] and sat plants on top of that.

Anyway the hydroton was wicking up the water and the vandas roots in contact with the hydroton didn't like it one bit I guess because they were permanantly moist..

I'd love to see this guy's setup and these plants in person! And see what's what

[Gin]

Me too Damian .. The pots look too clean for them to of been in them for very long (no algae )
I had a Vanda hanging over a small pond thing in the green house some of the roots got in it they did not like it .
Broms. work good as water catchers
I just have a couple of Phals in s/h but use the hydroton as is for Catts and a couple others . Interesting thought anyway . Gin

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by Gin

Me too Damian .. The pots look too clean for them to of been in them for very long (no algae )
I had a Vanda hanging over a small pond thing in the green house some of the roots got in it they did not like it .
Broms. work good as water catchers
I just have a couple of Phals in s/h but use the hydroton as is for Catts and a couple others . Interesting thought anyway . Gin

I like the idea of having broms under the benches but up north friend says it is a no no because it will hide and encourage pests..?

You have a 'small pond thing' in your GH? Sounds interesting! Any pics?

Yep I use hydroton as part of a standard mix with bark and styrofoam chunks/bits and have a laelia cattleya hybrid in it as well. I also use it for semi-hydro but with my translucent pots that have domes and drainage on the bottoms and the side slits... and sitting in trays or dishes of water or in a tray of hydroton with a few cms of water in it..

I love how easy it is to pot with it.. I hate when a container or pot of it is accidently knocked over and the stuff drops and rolls everywhere all over the floor

[Ray]

A couple of comments.

In my opinion, growing in semi-hydro culture is not a substitute for having adequate humidity.

A semi-converse, however, does seem to hold true: If you have very low humidity, it appears easier to grow those plants that we typically think of as needing drying out in S/H culture. Maybe it's because the gradient is steeper, being dry deeper in the pot.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the "need to dry out" is really a misinterpreted "need for lots of air flow".

Lots of these plants come from regions where there is a LOT of rain for certain periods of the year. During those times, the roots stay saturated literally for months at a time with no issue. (Actually it's not "no issue", it's "thrive" as that's when most of the growing occurs.) So why not in a pot? As long as the medium is sufficiently coarse to provide lots of air flow to the roots, there should be no issue.

[Gin]

I have not had a problem with the Broms, collecting bugs , they might get mosquitos in the cups if outside a little piece of the the mosquito dunks would stop that .
Before the greenhouse the plants were in the house the Broms. sitting in trays under them caught some of the runoff .
I took the pond out it was a half barrel plastic liner .. needed the room G