Let's Talk: Semi Hydro for Orchids- Intro, Root Adaptation, Overcoming Dry Top Layers, Modifying SH

[@kouprakrisnaabhay3206]

As in anything else, if you do it right and take into consideration all of the variable, it should work. And so far as of 04/19/2021 you got it Annabel. Your orchid collection is to die for. What I recommend viewers to do is to watch and mayby rewatch your videos. They have all the information they need to succeed with your methods. Haven't seen anyone this miticulous in giving everything single bit of information. PH, TDS, temperature, humidity, how, when, where, with, are all in your videos. You've taught me so much and thank you for that.

[@MelissaWalker82]

This topic makes me soooo excited so I think that officially makes me an orchid nerd. Thanks so much for sharing your theories and experiences. I think this is such a valuable discussion for the hobby at large.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

This sort of comment just makes the whole KZbin experience worth it 💗 Thankyou! 😀 Who doesn't love a good orchid nerd session though 😉🤓

[@OrchidNerd]

Great discussion! There are so many things we clearly don't fully understand yet about how orchid roots grow, adapt and respire.

[@agnes-m9m]

This topic is very helpful to me as I just started converting a few of my orchids to semi-hydro.Thank you for all the tips!

[@williamlush9115]

Appreciate the information! I was directed to your channel for advice on Paph repot to semi hydro but can’t seem to find it. Do you have any advice on the topic?

[@andredumas9547]

I found this video very interesting. It is about basics which are the foundation upon which to build a successful s/h system. Thanks for sharing this precious information with us.

[@orchidsgardeninengland1682]

Thanks Annabel, very helpful video. Looking forward to your updating videos.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thanks Margaret! I hope yours are doing well! :-)

[@KP-gw5zv]

for the root adaptation I don't do Semi Hydro with my orchids but I also noticed that the roots did not die when I repotted my catalyea which had lots of roots that were in the air but I put them into bark for growing and i had no dying roots. Love your videos and learning a lot. Thank you.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Yes this is a great point- potting aerial roots is supposed to be bad, right, but I think we all secretly do it and they often don't die... there seems to be alot of information missing from the roots can't adapt theory, I definitely think theres truth to it to a degree but it seems that it isn't a black and white rule... Thankyou, hearing ideas and feedback like yours really makes a big difference and makes the videos feel worthwhile 😀💗

[@TheGrmany69]

Exactly the kind of content I was looking for about orchids, most of people follow what I denominate as a "recipe" instead of going deeper into botany insight, and in fact most speak of gorgeous varieties but doesn't stick to the core concepts. I live in Venezuela and recently walking the Avila mountain I found a ground species that I am very interested on but there is little to no info about these ground orchids... orchids are definitely very hardy plants but little is known.

[@TheGrmany69]

I Venezuela I've seen Catteya grow even on rocks, but most orchids grow on branches and tangling around very high but really thin trunks of trees, most of the time in real shade (dark) environments with lots of cold/fresh humid airflow.

[@TheGrmany69]

Off topic but also interesting: I was reading recently about speech and you were definitely circumstantial not tangential at the end of the video.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thanks for your comment! 😀 It must be amazing to be able to see orchids in their natural habitats! Like you say, it seems orchids are actually very adaptable. If we can get whatever potting media we use to work together with our environment, to provide the right root environment for gas exchange and moisture/nutrient levels, then the actual potting or mounting material could be almost anything it seems. We are told - you have to pot this one in bark, or you have to put moss in with this orchid and you have to really let it dry between watering, but then that doesn't always make sense to me, when they seem to grow well even when you discard some of these rules. I wonder if orchids are actually more thirsty than we believe and some common cultural tips actually starve them 😂 Like you say, in nature that they have lots of humidity, maybe they are even dripped on alot at the morning dew points? And they also have roots constantly exposed to air for gas exchange. So replicating that exactly in the home may be tricky, but if we can get a similar balance, maybe that's enough. I have more questions than answers at this point! But if I hadn't started this channel I probably wouldn't have tried out new media to quite the same extent or documented results, so it's definitely helping my orchids out to question this! 🙂 I walked into the grow room this morning and found new flower spikes on lots of my ascocentrum/rhynchostylis/neofinetia/renanthera hybrids (basically all my mini vandaceous types) , first time they've flowered for me! So everything seems to be enjoying getting more moisture 🙂 And I'm glad I didnt technically go off on a tangent 🙂 Thanks again for your input, it's really interesting to hear a different perspective and how they also grow in nature!

[@TheGrmany69]

@@TheOrchidRoom Excellent, and I am very glad to read such lengthy reply. Regarding hydration of the plants, I think it depends on the plant and their natural habitat, most of the ones I've seen are mountain orchids which seem to thrive in a oceanic climate rather than what most people understand as tropical, ie hot humid rain forest type, you see Caracas is a valley inside a mountain chain and this area is more like a boundary for many species, I am yet to see orchids at the peaks of the mountains of the Ávila; another thing is that we also have desert orchids that live in areas that are known to be dry but high in winds from the ocean, those environments are more similar to an Spanish dehesa than a rain forest. Thing is, they may be very adaptable but the range where they can be found will give you a nice understanding of their capabilities... for example, many of the epiphytic species I've seen live side by side or clustered together with bromelia, tillandsia, rhipsalis and ferns, aside moss and liken (very weird and exotic ones) and so in such environment there is no actual totally dry conditions as all these species require of constant water, and bromelia is known for storing large amounts of water . Even in the case of the ground orchid I mentioned, it seemed to be one that thrive in conditions that are always moist and maybe even thrive in such conditions because most of the plant is buried under a layer of dry leaves, such environment can create a micro climate under the leaves and also the creek nearby can infuse the plant with lots of dew - creeks in this area have created little canyons where all the humidity and the air flow is constant, it's basically a tunnel as the tropical trees grow very high and form like a natural green "cathedral"... in fact most of the animals you see there are big land crabs and frogs - also snakes - and these animals require constant humidity. Another thing is the soil, the ground orchid was apparently in a layer of leaves with high tannin content and so supposedly acidic but yet again, the plant itself is on a soil that is highly alkaline, high in calcium and such as the mountain is sedimentary and high on these elements. Same on the epiphytic ones, they live attached to the bark but this is not a corrugated and highly degraded bark, but actually alive, rather they seem to concentrate in areas where other types of plants have retained leaves and dust, creating a highly organic matter that gets moist by the aerial conditions like thick mist and rain, also by evaporation from the bottom of the forest. They also seem symbiotic with lichen and to less extent, moss as these are perfect to catch water in constant and defused quantities, maybe adding to the nutrition of the plant. I also have more questions than answer, orchids are a completely new subject form me. (PD: the ground orchid could also be parasitic of tree roots.)

[@TheGrmany69]

I have an idea you can experiment with: Rockwool as substrate and water with organic fertiliser to add food to the plant; maybe in an aerial set up or attached to a bamboo cane.

[@emilyplantsmusic]

Great video! 🌺 I’m happy to see other growers discussing their personal experience with semi-hydro. I’m a semi-hydro convert as of 1 year ago lol. My orchids never thrived until I put them into semi-hydro. I even put my newly acquired Phal bellina into it with a heating mat under her pot and she took off! Roots look just like yours! Growing right down to the reservoir. I feel like the polychilos Phals love semi-hydro (at least in my environment and with a heating mat to keep roots warm). I’m glad you always make a point in your videos to note that everyone has a different environment and this affects which growing media/method will work best. 😊 Btw I love your yellow Phal with that bright pink lip! Beautiful! 🌸 Happy Growing!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thanks! It's great to hear it's working for you also! I'm always a little wary of recommending it because of how many people seem to have had issues with it, but I think there are ways around them if we work at it :-) And like you, any phal I put in seems to love it, so it is such a joy to grow in. Plus the added bonus of how easy it is and how much less watering and repotting has to be done ;-) The yellow phal is Phal Happy Fan Sir, it's slightly fragrant and just started it's 4th spike to go with the other 3! Only made 2 last year so I'd say it also likes semi-hydro :-D It never had dry top layer issues either, it's still in straight LECA with no mods- some don't seem to care at all while others throw huge tantrums! Difficult to predict sometimes!

[@emilyplantsmusic]

The Orchid Room totally agree! Semi-hydro seems to be a very hate or love topic. Honestly, I put my orchids into it coz I’m lazy and didn’t want to keep watering every other day 😅 that’s so true regarding the ease of repotting. Thanks for telling the yellow Phal’s ID, so great to hear it has 4 spikes! Well done! 🥳😊 Look forward to your future vids ☺️🌺

[@drpk6514]

If you look at the submerged root you can see its covered with algae. Its a wellknown fact about water culturethat the algae produces oxygen which is used by the orchid roots... Maybe as you said the green photosynthetic roots also produce the oxygen it needs, or at least a part of it.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I agree that algae could definitely be beneficial in the reservoir, I know alot of people view it negatively, but I can only see it being detrimental when it all dies, like algal blooms in lakes. But I clean dead algae off when I repot, and have springtails in the pots that seem to clean up dead algae. So it definitely could be helpful in providing oxygen!

[@franmclachlan9120]

I love your series and I learn a lot from you. One thing that puzzles me is we are always warned by many people that S/H alters the pH but we are never given a solution. Is there something we can add to correct the pH level?

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

Lovely video and very informative as always! Thanks for making it. Do you soak the beads over night before repotting in self watering ? Do you prefer self watering or semi hydro? do you let the reservoir gets empty completely before fill it in again? or just fill it weekly?

[@beckyconnor790]

good questions! thanks for asking, I'll just tag along for the answers....giggles😉

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! Thanks :-) Yes for any use of LECA, Pumice or other 'rock type' materials I soak the LECA and do several wash stages. usually a minimum of 3 washes in total. Wash, soak, a few more washes, then use. I test the pH and TDS after this prep method in this semi-hydro discussion video toward the end: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iH2lq42dq5uro7M Pumice is just as dusty as LECA, think it's a rock thing :-) If you don't wash thoroughly that dust just clogs up the reservoir and can also dry the roots, it skews your TDS readings also. Self watering and semi-hydro have different applications for different orchids. Self-watering tends to be a slightly drier/ more aerated environment due to the nature of having the 'floating' inner pot so this may be better for Vandas etc. Self watering also gives you a much larger reservoir, so conversely it's also good for very thirsty orchids that drink their reservoir too quickly. Reservoir never ever goes empty unless by accident during summer- if you were to let it dry between waterings, that isn't semi hydro or self watering. Wicking material will suck moisture when it's dry. Let your LECA dry out completely for too long and what's it going to suck moisture from? The roots.... Not what you want :-)

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

@@TheOrchidRoom Thanks for the thorough reply. Your orchids are growing so lush and happy that it makes me want to convert all of my orchids , though I 've always grown them in organic and like organic. However I think you gave me enough reasons to convert them slowly. Thanks again.

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

@@TheOrchidRoom Hi Anabel, what is the brand of pumice you are using?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

@@marygorchidsmore2058 I definitely agree with going slowly, for me phals and cattleyas are the easiest to convert 😄 if you're trying it over winter definitely helps to put them in a heat mat when you first switch them over. The pumice brand is linked in the description under 'Media' 😄

[@ThePitasha]

Can’t find non-wicking pebbles on Amazon’ link you provided. Are they little gravel pebbles,please? Thank you. You channel is the most informative, please, carry on! It is such help and inspiration!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! You can just google RHS Horticultural grit for the small grade one, they probably changed the supplier or link location on amazon. Or RHS washed gravel for the larger grade. But brand doesnt make any difference, you could use aquarium gravel or any gravel or pebbles, as long as they are smooth and non-porous.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

And thank you, that means alot 🙂

[@michelleandrade1424]

Please can you consider showing us the flushing process and watering process. Thank you 😊

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! Some videos you may find useful: Watering & Fertilising: Short watering routine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqK4k2aGhtSNeLc Long, detailed nutrient mixes, pH adjusting: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmmaXnuZhNqFiqc

[@katessa1376]

Excuse me, what is this yellow phalaenopsis in the background? It's stunning.

[@taraldstein7165]

Interesting! I'd appreciate a video on terrestrial orchids as well :)

[@arlenemiller152]

Do you have to flush the water in the containers occasionally?

[@uguracar49]

Hi.I just recently bought a Phalaenopsis orchid with bloomed flowers that was repotted in bark.Should I repot it to the LECA or should I wait until the flowers wither?I am not sure how well the roots are doing in the bark.What do you suggest. By the way, I learned so much from you :)

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hey! So there are lots of different opinions on this but I'll give you my personal thoughts and what I tend to do. So there are 2 main issues with repotting an orchid while it's flowering. 1) is that the orchid is currently putting its energy into the flowers, so may not be growing actively, and new active growth from root tips is the ideal time to repot as it minimises the transition where some of the old roots may not make the repot, when you have new roots growing in to replace them if something does happen. So once phals are established they can grow roots and flower all at once, but often when they're from a shop they'll just be a bit stressed and flowering without active growth. 2) If there are any buds, they may blast when repotting due to the repot stress where the orchid might lose some of the old roots. Now I tend to ignore both of these things but I just wanted to explain the thoughts behind why it's supposedly bad to repot in bloom. I tend to think, I'd rather get it out of the media it came in, which is usually bark and hassle for me 😉😂 but it's often also breaking down and may have insects. And often there will be a sphagnum plug in the middle which is just horrible to water. And my feeling is, if the flower spike starts to wither or the buds start to blast following a repot, it probably didnt have the best roots anyway, and could do with the flower spike taken off to concentrate on growth. So the fading of the old flowers is just the orchid saying, wait, I need to fix my overall health first. If it were me (and please dont feel like this is the only way to do it!) I would take the orchid out of the pot and look at the roots. If it had a great root system, I'd pop it into semi hydro, then carefully monitor and watch for new root tips. If it didnt have such good roots, I'd probably still put it into sh, you've already got it out of the pot after all. But I'd probably also put the phal onto a heat mat, and be sure to give it a good dose of seaweed regularly with it's nutrient solution. Just my personal thoughts, if you live in a hot climate then maybe disregard the heat mat, I just find it really helps to speed up the transition in cooler climates. Hope that helps 😊

[@uguracar49]

Waow you are so fast.Thanks for your answer.I will repot it to semi-hydro and see what happens :)

[@uguracar49]

@@TheOrchidRoom Unfortunately my orchid's root are rotted.Should I change the medium or my watering frequency in leca?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Old roots may die off in some environments and semi hydro involves a constant reservoir of water so watering frequency isn't really a factor. Is it being kept warm? The next stage is waiting for new roots to form and go down into the LECA as they will be adapted to the new environment 🙂

[@beckyconnor790]

if you are willing to do basically a guide of how to do SH, I do believe I'm willing to try it on a few of my orchids😉 I purchased the leca, but basically chickened out, however my obsession does need some assistance in the watering dept, so I guess I just ran out of excuses to at least try..... I do have a question though, does SH work for seedlings, somehow on my last splurge I ended up with quite a few, between my seedlings and miniature dendrobiums, if I miss a day, I end up with brown leaf tips, and my buds on my mini den blasted😢

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I did a potting of my rhynchostylis retusa into semi hydro recently which basically shows that, and this video covers all the principles... Thats really all there is to how to put an orchid into semi hydro. My current method- put it into a LECA pumice mix, top layer of non wicking pebbles, keep it warm and fertilize weakly with every watering. Use seaweed in the fert mix to help stimulate root growth, that's really it. Semi hydro can work for any orchid, it depends largely on your environment as well as other factors . For me, it's too dry for seedlings, it's trial and error really. I think with pumice it could work for me with seedlings, but I chose Seramis in my recent seedling deflasking and that's working well also :-)

[@tinakauder6605]

Dear Annabel, where might I please place a specific question for your suggestion/ observation in a certain vanda and potting options? I ve been considering a change of setup even before I watched your vanda videos, but the "urge" keeps getting stronger with each of your videos🙂

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! You can ask on here or on my instagram ( instagram.com/annabel.minton/ ) Happy to help if I can! :-)

[@cara.inhousegreenplants4648]

I have grown (some) orchids in semi-hydro and I share the same experience. Seems like peebles as a top layer is a good idea.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

I'm in a dry /warm climate and all my orchids suffer from a dry top layer. I'm trying a perlite top layer, as recommended by a grower of Tea Tree Orchids via Google.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Yes, I have used this- ok, accumulates salt and algae very quickly, can also cause rot in seedlings. I use it for a few select cases, but it's application is quite limited in both of my climates I have experience across though. You can find my Perlite characterisation here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHbSXoyFdqyXn5o

[@myataylor4807]

I am learning so much from you!🤓🌺

[@TheOrchidRoom]

💗😀

[@georgepernicano6513]

How often or do you ever change the water?

[@taliafox2564]

Hi great video. Thank you. What kind of phal is that yellow one?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi, It's Phalaenopsis 'Happy Fan Sir'

[@Shuzies]

Watching again learning so much more... How much silica do you use and how often?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! I use it as per manufacturers instructions, which for soft water is 2ml per litre. I use at every watering. You can see me make the mix up in the nutrient video linked in the description for more info 🙂

[@SemihydroponicswithSma]

Hello there. Question : what are you doing about the algae? I am watching all your videos for the last week so I do apologise if you made a video about it already. I didn't finish to watch all your videos. Thank you in advance 🥰

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! So algae isn't really an issue until it starts to die, at that point most of my orchids have grown out of the origonal pot and need a repot anyway. Otherwise I flush through heavily occasionally until the next repot. Since switching to self-watering with solid outer masks that light can't access, algae can't grow anyway 🙂

[@SemihydroponicswithSma]

@@TheOrchidRoom thank you for getting back. I nevered flush in 9 years, but to be fair I don't have transparent pots for any of my plants(except my African violets), but I wanted to try some transparent ones but I am put off by the algae, because as far as I know they will take nutrients from the water. I know is America you can find physan but not in UK...

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I'm in the UK. Algae isn't an issue until it dies. At that point anaerobic bacteria begin to decompose the algae, taking oxygen from the reservoir. You can look up algal blooms in lakes fir a better understanding. Nutrient competition isn't honestly an issue, its very minor. Springtails eat dead algae. I have around 400 orchids so believe me, I don't flush either. Clear inner pot, solid outer pot and there will be no algae at all. I'm pretty against use of preventative algacide like physan, it will throw off the entire good bacteria and fungal balance in the pot.

[@SemihydroponicswithSma]

@@TheOrchidRoom obviously i didn't research enough. I do belive you 100%. I will give it a try, I have 300 plants so I will use some for this..my African violets are in transparent cups but because I keep them under lights they didn't develop any algae, or at least I think that is the cause. Thank you so much for all the info

[@TheOrchidRoom]

If you would like more info, I recently did a semi hydro FAQ. Good luck! I grew my plants exclusively under LEDs for a long time- that doesn't prevent algae, I would say its more to do with the nutrient use by the plant honestly.

[@rubymahajan4235]

Where do u get those tall pots for vandas.

[@jokennedy2943]

I have similar examples to you. Adapting roots, roots in the reservoir, plants that won’t tolerate SH at all.

[@Shuzies]

Hi, I see your using a small river rock for your top layer. Have you ever used a little moss on the top/ This is a fantastic video. Looking forward to more of these..... Ron

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi :-) Thanks! I have tried this actually when I was very first trying to get my Miltoniopsis to adjust to LECA a few years ago (They still refused!). My issues were: 1)Moss drying out really fast on the top layer, even with a thick layer. the dry top layer of LECA just dried the moss out quickly. 2) Moss flaking down through the mix, little bits of moss through the mix and in the reservoir which made it start to decompose. 3) Ultimately, adding organic to inorganic kinda pollutes the inorganic a bit. Inorganic never breaks down or acidifies so doesn't need regular repots. Adding moss means you'll need to unpot and get all the soggy moss flakes out of the mix every now and again and replace the top layer. It's not a bad idea, it's just not for me and I think the top layer of moss actually would need misting to keep it moist so it adds a bit of extra work... anyway, those were my thoughts after trying it for a while. Hope that helps! Happy growing :-)

[@Matilda52]

Dear Annabel, I have watched a few of your very informative videos and am keen to try your semi-hydro method. We do have different supplies here in Australia and I’d just like to check some out with you: 1) It’s very hard to find pumice here in Australia, so would perlite be a suitable substitute? 2) The “non-wicking” gravel/pebbles, you use - are they just normal river pebbles? 3) I am still trying to work out my nutrient mix. We have "Thrive" orchid food (liquid) and "Seasol" seaweed extract. I am thinking I will just make a solution of seaweed and dilute orchid food and use that to top up the reservoir? 4) I have tried your Instagram page, but it says it has been removed. Thanks again

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Perlite is quite soft and will eventually break down over time, but for a while it may have some uses. I use it for some house plants, if you can get a large grade perlite you could probably use it for orchids, but small grade perlite will obviously have less air gaps and probably would only be suitable for fine rooted moisture loving orchids. If you check my media trial videos you'll see it held about 4x the amount of moisture to pumice, so it has quite different properties. Any smooth pebble that isn't porous and can't suck moisture from the roots will be fine, may need to vary the size for different orchids. If you check the recent videos the instagram has been corrected on those. I changed the instagram name. Or just search the orchid room on Instagram.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I can't really comment on the feed without knowing composition. Can you let me know the nutrient breakdown in percentages of thrive? Or link the product?It depends which thrive this is, but there is one that is only NPK, so that may not be suitable long term without additional supplementation. You may want to check Orchie Dee, she has managed to get some complete balanced ferts in Aus, this video around the 5 minute time mark shows her ferts: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaeoiGaafaqehZY This isn't specific to semi hydro, this is something that applies to all orchid care. You want as a minimum, Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium. Those are the major nutrients. I give a breakdown in this video of what rain mix has in it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6mciK2Io7KNo8k . It also contains micronutrients, including Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper etc. I believe a few subs in Aus have got some good, balanced mixes from hydroponic stores. It doesnt have to be specifically for orchids. The main thing when tailoring to orchids is to lower the amount given, but feed frequently, which is something that fits well with semi hydro since it is always there.

[@evarene07]

This hasn’t worked for me thus far here in New York. Unfortunately I’ve lost 4 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️orchids to this method. I’m presently giving it one last shot with a phalaenopsis, as a “tester,” however giving it a very small amount of water at the roots- no LECA...so far, she seems to be “alert and still blooming.” 🤞spraying the aerial roots... my new Vandas I am dunking and letting dry in their baskets...I did just get a new little one that arrived in LECA and I’m terrified ...she’s a Catasetum Melana Davison. So I’ve decided to put her in a self watering pot system ...I hope it was the right decision 🙏🏽

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I'm very sorry to hear that! I have around 400 orchids in various inorganic wicking systems, including semi-hydro and self-watering, with various media including LECA, Lava, pumice, seramis, as well as bonsai medium such as kyodama. There isn't a one size fits all growing method, what works for one orchid type in your environment may not work for another. Sometimes playing around with different materials can help, there are usually ways around most issues if you can keep the warmer growing orchids above 18C. Dry layer fixes, airation fixes etc. It takes trial and error and troubleshooting, as with any medium organic or inorganic. Watering variations are another way you could try to tailor to your environment. I hope it goes well for you.

[@evarene07]

@@TheOrchidRoom thank you for your sweet reply🙂...just unpacking some new “girls & boys” today...keeping your suggestions in mind...especially since here in my area we are in Autumn (55-65* daytime, 55-60* nighttime) and some of my varieties I have to move around to warmer areas in my home...so much research, learning, keeping this info in my “Orchid App” 🙂... however, thankful your channel popped up on my feed☺️...you’re a wealth of genius info!stay healthy, happy🦋...eva

[@juanbarrera3051]

No apologies. You are thorough.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thanks! 🙂

[@mak3myda3]

5:45 I think some variables in a SH setup that I don't hear about often is the sorptivity of various medias, the distance between the top of the reservoir to the top surface of the media, and the exposed surface area of the top. There's a limit to how high up water can be drawn due to gravity, humidity, evaporation, sorptivity, and in the case of LECA, perhaps the number of contact points with the media below it? In theory, a packed sphere would likely only have 1-3 contact points with the spheres below it, which also affects the capillary action. If the reservoir came up to right under the top layer of LECA, I can't imagine that top layer would ever be dry. I'd be curious to see an experiment where a meter tall cylinder with a lid is filled with LECA to see exactly how far up the media can draw water. 15:55 another experiment I'd be interested in seeing is blacking out the reservoir of a root that's grown into the water. Algae die off might affect that experiment though. Also do you find your orchids only grow roots into the reservoir around the edges of clear pots? If they grew into the center they can't photosynthesize. Then again roots could be phototrophic, so the reason there might not be roots in the center of the reservoir is because they simply prefer to grow towards light and not because roots can't survive without photosynthesis

[@MelissaWalker82]

Leroy Chan this was very interesting and I enjoyed your thoughtfulness.

[@o_o8203]

That's why I use a top layer, it allows the LECA to wick moisture all the way to the top. I've been using moss, but I just bought some aquarium river rock to have a completely inorganic medium. I've also had some issues with the moss becoming the new dry top layer and requiring some spraying to maintain moisture.

[@mak3myda3]

@@o_o8203 I'm saying that there's a terminal amount of wicking LECA can do regardless of a top layer or not, and that depends on a lot of factors that i mentioned. Imagine a cylinder of LECA that's five feet tall with a top layer. Would that still wick to the top? Now imagine a cylinder that's three LECA beads tall and the reservoir is two LECA beads tall. Would the top layer still be dry?

[@MelissaWalker82]

o_o please let us know if it works for you! I use the same kind of aquarium pebbles.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi Leroy, you have some really interesting thoughts here so thanks for sharing them! I think the comment about absorption capacity of different LECA brands is extremely relevant, as well as the shape of the pot and relative size of the reservoir. As it happens, a few weeks ago I bought some 100cm+ tall, 30cm across vases that I found in a discount home store! I drilled reservoir holes in both ready for semi hydro- I bought one to use for my giant aerides lawrenciae in a semi hydro setup, the other was really just because they were a unique size and I knew it would be useful for some big orchid at some point. So one has had the aerides in a few weeks and one is sitting empty. The Aerides is potted in a mix of LECA and pumice, and the mixture seems to be wicking quite high up the pot. I can't see any condensation but the roots are green near the top of the pot. There is no top layer of pebbles at the moment, mostly because the roots around the top of the pot now make fitting more media in awkward, will have another try soon but for now it seems to be doing ok even with uneven air pockets around the top where we have awkward roots. However, the roots in the pot will also be acting as wicks so that could also be helping with water distribution. I could use the empty vase as a test for the LECA wicking capabilities but sometimes it's hard to quantify, as condensation doesn't always appear in the pots sometimes, even when I know the LECA is wet, haven't figured that one out yet. So I've definitely found roots seem to circle the reservoir of semi hydro pots around the edges, but they do lso seem to be able to survive with less light in a moist setting as some of my self-watering pots are inside outer masks. Self-watering not semi-hydro though, so they wont be going right into the reservoir. As a side note, I also notice self watering with inorganic seems to be a slightly drier environment than straight semi-hydro, which could tie in with your suggestion about contact points between each leca bead/pumice piece and the next, but also the contact with the reservoir portion. compared to the more limited contact with a wick string. Like you say, each new piece of wicking media in the chain will in theory be slightly drier than the last, until the wicking capability is less than the evaporation rate.... Back to the point about light, the outer self-watering masks do still let some light in also, the roots are usually a yellow colour toward the centre of the larger pots (so there's probably still a tiny bit of light filtering through gaps in LECA) but I've never fully tested what the roots in the reservoir do in total darkness in semi-hydro. Even my phals that were potted in thick acrylic coloured pots, the roots in the reservoir were still green upon repotting, so some light must be getting to them somehow. Thanks again for your thoughts, it's great to discuss this in more detail! :-)

[@Rlumau]

Awesome video. How long was these orchids been in SH?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I've been growing orchids in SH for nearly 3 years, the orchids shown vary but I tried to pick ones to show that were newer in my collection and I had mentioned or shown before in other videos. For example the bellina red apple was unboxed in an orchid garden haul earlier in the year, on the 7th of August, so 4 months. Lou sneary has been in 2 months, but I knocked it out of the pot a few times which didn't help it, before moving to a safer location :-) The yellow phal, probably nearly 2 years, it has 4 spikes this year :-)

[@Rlumau]

@@TheOrchidRoom thanks. Its good to see some success with SH. I tried different ways, media etc. SH is the only that works for me using Large Lava rocks in a tall glass and seeing lots of new root growth and new spikes. Been doing this for 2 years now with great success. I recently converted tropical types of vandas to SH hopefully this pan out.

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

That yellow phal is a killer! Love the colour! what is it called?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Phalaenopsis Happy Fan Sir 🙂

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

@@TheOrchidRoom What a name! Did you buy it from Suzette(Speciatic)?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

No, orchidgarden, few years ago, its often floating around my videos 🙂 pollenated at the moment, seedpod is almost ready!

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

@@TheOrchidRoom Oh wow, how exciting! What is the other parent?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Violacea alba 🙂

[@jachu1433]

May I know what type of water do you use?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! I use a Zerowater water filter, more info in my video on watering and fertilizing here if you're interested : kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6mciK2Io7KNo8k

[@helenhawkins4054]

Good explanation, helpful.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thanks! :-)

[@sdesai-venyagifts4217]

Can one add marimo moss balls in water to provide the o2? This is full water culture

[@cara.inhousegreenplants4648]

By the way whats the name of that yellow phal? Thanks

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Phalaenopsis Happy Fan Sir :-)

[@Twigarati]

😃👍🏼 nice one 👍🏼 I’m tempted to put my Lou Sneary into the self watering set up, after seeing this ... I’ll wait until spring tho... it’s currently in a plastic basket with lava rock as support, doing well, but would like it to do better ... it’s going to be involving some surgery to get a root out of the hole in the basket it grew through ... of course, it has to be the best root 🤦‍♀️😆

[@beckyconnor790]

hi Nina, just my opinion, but I would cut the plastic b4 I cut a root on purpose, 😊

[@Twigarati]

Becky Connor oh absolutely yes 👍🏼 my only fear is that, I may also cut my finger in the process because it’s in one of those decorative thick plastic baskets which are like faux weave & should in actual fact be used for something decorative indoors 😅 clippers, Stanley knife 🤞🏼🤷‍♀️🤞🏼 it will get interesting ... or not 🙄

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I was shocked at this second Lou Sneary and the sudden massive root surge! I do think they enjoy more moisture. But then we also have my fussy Neofinetia falcata "Kokakuden" x Rhy. coelestis "Ching Hua Blue". Techincally the same cross as a Lou Sneary? But it has other ideas and has spent a year with me torturing it, before it finally gave up the battle and decided to adapt to semi-hydro with pumice! It was an adapt or die moment and it chose life ;-) I can totally relate to the root situation, I broke so many of my Rhy. coelestis roots getting it out of the basket it was in... Made me feel a bit sick. Just as I was levering one root off with a thin flat bit of plastic, I'd move it too suddenly when it freed itself and another would snap off on the other side... But it's now branching so it's ok. But I can appreciate the anxiety and putting off that repot! :-) Maybe in spring? Or is the root in the hole situation getting worse with time?!

[@Twigarati]

The Orchid Room the root has grown through the slit in the faux weave and gotten quite long ... push comes to shove, I’m going cut around the weave through other squares and just leave the root with its little plastic ‘hoodie as is and pot it up that way ... it’s doing well, but anything I can adapt to self watering is a bonus. I’m not using any heat mats for my orchids this year. I want to test them for what they can do without heatmats. So, that’s why I keep saying spring. Which, in my eyes, can’t come soon enough 😊

[@rubymahajan4235]

Love ur yellow phal

[@kenjiro2676]

Can you make an entire video exclusively for lithophytic orchids in semi hydro?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion! It's the same thing, they just often adapt quicker 🙂

[@overhillndalewithjo9723]

I see that you're using pumice in your pots. I'm unable to get it here in the states and Amazon won't ship to the states. I'm currently using a layer of aquarium rock on top of my leca and it seems to be working fine. How important is it to use pumice as well?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

The states as in America? One of my friends recently ordered some pumice from Amazon US? Unless it's state specific, I have no idea. I've been growing for a couple of years with LECA alone and it's just fine for many orchids, the pumice just seems to have a slight advantage in moisture retention and also how many air pockets it has. If you're using a top layer of the gravel anyway I think that really helps with the dry top layer, so pumice probably not essential, I just really like it 😊

[@TheOrchidRoom]

This is the one my friend showed me when we were discussing similar options to the lava lite brand I use, that were available in the US : www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Jack-Horticultural-Pumice-Amendment/dp/B00H302Z3K It seemed to have good reviews, be the correct sort of size and not too expensive. Unfortunately they sent me a screenshot from their amazon but I cant actually access details from the UK as it doesn't ship to here, so I hope the link is working ok.

[@orchidgarden3124]

I am in US and bought it off Amazon. ‘Gardening Pumice Soil Amendment 1/2 inch screened, 8 quarts’ sold by seller called Gantessa. I paid 18.99 for 8 quarts. There were other brands and sellers too, but I wanted the bigger pieces. Check again on Amazon.

[@overhillndalewithjo9723]

@@TheOrchidRoom Thank you for replying. I'm not going to worry then if I can't find the pumice as my plants seem to be doing fine right now.

[@overhillndalewithjo9723]

@@orchidgarden3124 thank you. I'll look for it . . .

[@RhI3Ma]

how would we fertilise in this case?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

In semi-hydro? I have a few videos on how I fertilise in semi-hydro and self-watering if you're interested 🙂

[@RhI3Ma]

@@TheOrchidRoom sure thank you! New orchid grower here and you only raised the excitement 😁😁

[@TheOrchidRoom]

No problem! So this video is comprehensive but also quite long, so you may want to skim through it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmmaXnuZhNqFiqc , I also have a quicker one here on how I physically water, it's older but still how I water them all: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqK4k2aGhtSNeLc essentially fertilise every watering and the occasional flush of the top with pure water. Hope that helps!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I also fertilise higher in summer and lower in winter. I should really do a winter care video 🤔

[@rj613th]

nivce tips i subscribed

[@catm4393]

Why not mix Leca with bark?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I dont see any benefit to doing so? Bark has to be my least favourite media, sticks to roots, doesn't wick and would disrupt the wicking efficiency of leca in a semi hydroponic system. It is organic so it would break down, which would happen faster if kept constantly moist. It would acidify the media and make a yearly repot necessary, with a major plus point of inorganic media being that it completely eliminates the need for repots until orchids have grown out of their current pots. This is all in relation to semi hydroponic setups of course, LECA can be used in bark and moss mixes for a normal organic potting setup without issue. But that isn't what we are talking about here...?

[@drawingwithwafae]

Bravo je me ss abonné +1 👏🏻👏🏻🌸

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

I'm going to disagree on the importance of a wet/dry cycle. There are orchids, especially some Dendrobiums, in which the wet/dry cycle (especially a rapid cycle) affects the way that the plant grows. I happen to have two Den Jaquelyn Thomas (gouldii x biggibum) that started as nearly identical plants. One was kept potted in bark, the other was mounted to a tree. The next new growth on the mounted plant was much taller and thicker than that of the potted plant as was the subsequent growth. It wasn't until I repotted the potted plant into lava rock that it produced growths of the same size and thickness of the mounted plant. Additionally, my C. labiata, when grown in a pot with bark, always produced growths that were "floppy" and required staking until they were mature and hardened to remain upright. Grown mounted, this is not a problem, the growths are rigid and upright on their own.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I've never observed this but its interesting to hear about! Disagreeing is fine, it's how we learn 😉 How boring would the world be if we all agreed? 😄 Science and research certainly wouldn't have got very far. I would argue I can only generalise this to the orchids I actually grow- I grow very few dendrobiums and I grow solely in 'rock type' media for most orchids... there may be specific cases where wet dry cycles are very important and I think this is of particular importance in organic media. Wet dry cycle just means more efficient gas exchange right? So maybe those dendrobiums come from climates where they have exceptional oxygenation around the root zone and dry very quickly? Or could wet dry cycle also act as seasonal markers that are vital for some types of dendrobium but not others? Also tolumnias are great examples of this, the only time I have ever had success with tolumnias was keeping them on a heat mat with tiny pots filled with moss that dried within a day.... I think on the other hand wet dry is also vital for people growing in organic media for most orchid types, but it doesn't explain why semi hydroponics works so well in some cases.... any other ideas you have on this always welcome, I'm here to learn 😄 I just personally, for the orchids I grow (which is already a biased selection) notice improved growth without the wet dry cycle in inorganic media for a large percentage of orchids 😄 Also I get alot of questions thinking all my orchids will soon die because I don't let them dry out, so I really wanted to try and explain that side 😉

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

@@TheOrchidRoom I actually don't think root oxygenation has anything to do with the observed differences in growth. My hypothesis is that the fast wet/dry affects how water and nutrients are utilized in producing the growths, with a tighter cell structure in the fast wet/dry environment. Think about an Oncidium, if they are not given adequate moisture when growing, they will often get the accordion leaves which (presumably) is the result of differential cell growth. It doesn't explain why the Dendrobiums produced much larger growths, unless it is an adaptation to allow for more water and nutrient storage. Every Dendrobium I have that is in a fast/wet dry environment (either mounted or in non-water retentive media) has exhibited this behavior of growth. My entire ansomum collection is due for repotting this spring, all are potted in bark. I don't feel that the plants have grown canes as large as they should while I have had them. I'm going to pot some in sphagnum and mount the others to see if there is any observable difference between wet/dry and cane length they produce next year. I have my suspicions, as the plant that is in the smallest pot, which would have dried the fastest, produced the largest and thickest growth of the bunch despite being the youngest plant. Now, Tolumnias, I have seen a lot of people attempt to grow them in s/h, I have yet to see one be successful. I honestly think this is more a function of the leca than the growing method. Even when used as a "dry" medium (meaning no reservoir), Tolumnia roots just fail in leca. This can't be due to air exchange, as the plants require frequent watering so the oxygen turnover is high. It can be due to root dessication, from the leca wicking water from the thin roots, however. In my observation, though, some orchid roots just don't tolerate leca as a medium, while almost any orchid can be grown successfully in sphagnum (especially in hot climates).

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I really can't comment on the type of dendrobiums you grow, although you raise interesting points... Maybe this type of deciduous or semi deciduous dendrobiums are a different set of rules? Or are you talking about hot growing year round watering dens also? I don't really grow any of the deciduous or cooler growing/ winter resting types, so have little experience to draw on with them... As I've mentioned for many environments LECA doesn't work for all orchids, but since I've introduced pumice and the top layer I've found ways around this. I feel pumice is actually a much better media...My personal observations are that, for the orchids that I grow, they grow much more rapidly and much larger in constantly moist systems. I have used self watering with sphagnum and sphagnum bark mixes previously and this works excellently to mimic semi hydro without the use of leca for oncidiums. But the expense and yearly repots make this prohibitive for me, which is why I began looking for inorganic alternatives. I can't stand bark as a sole media... Personal preferences. Dry LECA is a very damaging environment for roots in my particular set of growing conditions...

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

@@TheOrchidRoom The Dens that I currently have with a fast wet/dry are all continuous growers. My anosmums are winter resters but need a lot of water during the growing season which is why I have kept them potted. But looking at other growers in Florida that have theirs mounted, theirs produce much larger canes. I have enough of them that I can afford to experiment with growing some in sphagnum and mounting others to see if there is a difference in cane length between more moist or fast wet/dry, they can certainly do better than they are currently. I find it endlessly fascinating how different growing methods work in different environments. For s/h, it seems to work best within a certain temperature range, too hot or cold and it doesn't work. I had 0% success with Vandas, Catts and Dens in it, my Oncids grew OK but comparatively far better in sphagnum (more new growths, more blooms that last longer). Most growers in Florida opt for fast drying media (lava rock, chunk charcoal or very large bark) or mounting orchids that want a fast wet/dry. You would think with our summer heat that more water would be better but, IME, this isn't the case. Somewhat ironically, Oncidiums grow exceptionally well when mounted, despite drying very quickly here; but, they always have to be tied to the mount or they can get ripped off by the strong winds (80-100+ KPH) during summer storms. I'm personally not a huge fan of bark by itself but a few of my plants really like it. The Grammatophyllums and Vandas really take to it so that is what they get. Given that I don't have a lot of either, I can just give them Orchiata without breaking the bank and it lasts a good while.

[@orchidgarden3124]

Michael McCarthy in my environment (Michigan) almost no orchid grows well in pure sphagnum. Too cool for too much of the year. Sphag. drys out too slowly in the dark cold winter months, even with very conservative watering. The best media I have found so far for catt types, and some phals and dendrobiums is lava rock with a thin top dressing of sphag. I am going to further expand the use of this media to other types slowly as an experiment.