I just put Den. Aggregatum in S/H, is that a bad idea?

[Berrybee]

Thank you both for sharing your experience. Regarding to the winter rest requirement, I assume I can just stop adding water to the reservoir, and occasionally mist the plant and clay pellet as needed. But I'm not certain if that would work, or if there's any negative to do it this way. If anyone can provide some insight regarding this, that'll be great!

I did see in the sticky thread that many Den. are grown in s/h, but no one mentioned den. Aggregatum this species. Some place I read says it needs to be dried out between watering, and other places do not mention that. So I'm also uncertain about this.

[mtorchid]

Yes, just like any other media, restricting water and providing cooler night temps is the key to getting those buds to bud out.

[BettyE]

I started putting my orchids in S/H, or whatever it is called that Ray sells. I use the course & all of my orchids are doing great! I orginally did this because I'm lazy, & HATE to re-pot. Now, it is sooooooooo much easier. I have about 75 orchids, and all but five are in those brown round balls. ( S/H ) At the end of the Summer, all 75 will be finished! BettyE

[mtorchid]

Betty- Yes, SO much easier! Ray sells PrimeAgra pellets, his analysis of wicking action on his website is very scientific. I've seen pellets locally and I'm tempted to test them against P-A for efficiency, but, as we say out West- "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

[Ray]

Originally Posted by BettyE

I started putting my orchids in S/H, or whatever it is called that Ray sells. I use the course & all of my orchids are doing great! I orginally did this because I'm lazy, & HATE to re-pot. Now, it is sooooooooo much easier. I have about 75 orchids, and all but five are in those brown round balls. ( S/H ) At the end of the Summer, all 75 will be finished! BettyE

Betty, I have to slap you on the wrist for not doing your homework.

Semi-hydroponics is the method of growing plants in single pots, using an inert medium, with a constant nutrient/water supply. It is NOT the medium!

The medium of choice is a lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA), and it is available in several brands.

It is also possible to grow in LECA without the reservoir of liquid, and that is just traditional culture using an inert medium.

And I am NOT the one to ask about dendrobiums. I do not have a single one in my collection.

[Berrybee]

Ray, thanks for your comment and explanation. I'm glad I came across s/h culture and your website before I started growing orchids. Your method makes this hobby much easier to maintain!

[BettyE]

In answer to that " slap on the wrist," I have to say that it's because I'm lazy that I changed to LECA...and for no other reason! However, I DID get an added bonus...the orchids do like it a lot better, & are growing/blooming like crazy! It's also much easier to re-pot ( which I hate to do! ) So...it's a win/win situation for me. BettyE