Modified Semi-Hydroponic Culture

[Ray]

Being the inventor of the culture technique for orchids, over time, I have moved pretty much all of my tropical houseplants into S/H culture, as well, but I have modified the approach slightly.

Some of the plants are in the "Leni" or Luwassa", 3-component hydro pots (solid outer pot that creates the reservoir, mesh culture pot that contains the LECA and plant, and a float gauge that keeps you apprised of the water depth in the reservoir), except I have removed the gauge, replacing it with a "watering globe". I have also converted other decorative outer pots to this by merely hot-gluing a piece of PVC pipe to the inner wall before filling with medium. I have also drilled a single 1/4" hole just above my maximum water line, so I can occasionally put the pots in the sink and just run water through them for flushing.

Not only is the watering globe a good visual indicator of the need to water, it extends the time frame between waterings significantly!

[Leafmite]

What houseplants do you grow this way? It looks like a great idea!

[Ray]

Well, that's an aglaonema (aka "Chinese evergreen"), but I also have dracaenas, sphathyphyllums and ficus. Anything can be grown that way, really.

Here's a diagram of how the setup works. The key is to have the bottom of the water globe stem be just below the level of the flushing hole. Often, the taper in the stem does that by itself, but I've also used rubber washers on the stem, or even a binder clip, to set the level.

[Luizacft]

Ray, what happens when the orchids root touch the water? Are they able to cope with that? I ser advantages to it, but does this work for humid environments?


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[Leafmite]

Ray, that is really neat!

[Windwaker]

I am extremely interested, but I can't see the diagram.

Is anyone else able to see it? What am I doing wrong?

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by Windwaker

I am extremely interested, but I can't see the diagram.

Is anyone else able to see it? What am I doing wrong?

I see it fine. It might be some combination of your viewing device plus the software. Try again later?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Luizacft

Ray, what happens when the orchids root touch the water? Are they able to cope with that? I ser advantages to it, but does this work for humid environments?

If the plant is potted with its roots in the water reservoir, they will suffocate, die, and rot.

If, on the other hand, it was potted above the reservoir, then grew down into it, those submerged roots will be optimized for that and do great. Just about any plant I've ever grown in S/H culture do put their roots down there.

Higher humidity actually makes the method better, as it slows the evaporation of water from the pot, reducing mineral buildup, and making it easier to flush the system clean.

[Luizacft]

Thank you for the answer, Ray. So, new roots adapt. Got it. and is it suit for any orchid? Or there are genera which we should avoid using that method? Do you have a link for me to read about it? Otherwise, I'll probably make a lot more questions.


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[Windwaker]

This is awesome, Ray. I am soaking media and just starting the process of converting several houseplants. This definitely sounds like a fun setup to try. Reducing the need to water as often would be great.