Watering and Fertilizing: Semi-Hydroponics (Part Two)

[@mercedessosa2243]

Thank you so much! I learned so much by watching your videos. You explain every step so clearly and simple!

[@agdah]

Thank you so much, Michael. You have helped me save my first orchid. The roots were rotting and it started looking sad. I found your channel and I converted it to SH following your instructions. Today, I noticed a new leaf started to peek out. I’m so happy! I also noticed some salt build up after adding this same nutrient, but now I know what to do. Thanks to you!

[@JaneandEmma]

Hi Michael, I am new to orchid growing and I have been binge-watching your videos. They have been extremely informative and helpful. Thank you!

[@MichaelsOrchids]

Thank you so much for watching Marcey! 💚

[@nenitafranco7003]

My first time to watch semi hydroponic treatment/system!

[@rrk426]

Using your set-up as a guide, I just switched all my orchids to semi-hydroponics this week. I used to use bark medium, but after having multiple plants undergo root rot, I decided I really needed to change what they were potted in. I really hope this technique works for me, because its a much prettier set up overall and makes a lot more sense. Thanks for all your videos! They are always detailed and I have learned a lot, and your advice is backed up with experience and makes sense :)

[@MichaelsOrchids]

I’m so glad you find my videos helpful! Yes, I was in the exact same spot when I started to transition my plants. Just know that things get worse before they get better, but usually you’ll start to see the positive momentum around the 4 month mark!

[@TheAyurvedic]

Rukia DeMar I am about to undergo the same transition. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[@marygroft3790]

Your videos are so wonderfully informative. I’m learning so much. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[@renesonse5794]

Michael - Please clear up a couple of things I'm not clear on. I've recently converted 12 phals to the way you've instructed with drilled glass and leca. How often is the water to be changed as shown here? When the water has dried from the bottom? Weekly?? Astrologically??? lol And did I hear you say in one of your vids that you now put sphagnum moss on top to help keep moisture in? Are the beads/moss to be kept away from the crown and root tops to prevent molding? Thanks!!!

[@samikial]

Hello Michael, I really enjoy your approach. I’m new when it come to orchids and I would like to know where I can get the glass pot?

[@debramoss2267]

Hi, Michael thank you so much for sharing all your wisdom for nurturing our beauties. We distill our own water- the local water is...well you wouldn't want to drink it. As part of that we were told never to store it in plastic as it draws on it harder than ordinary water does and I thought you would want to know this. Happy growing!

[@nataliewright3612]

Hey you are very informative and straightforward. What is better for orchids clay pellets or sphagnum moss?

[@_scarlett_delgado_6037]

Thank you so much for this video. I've been trying to find out all this info and couldn't find it anywhere. You explain things so well!

[@MichaelsOrchids]

Thank you so much for watching Scarlett!

[@TY-ob7fz]

Hi Michael. Thank you for sharing and taking time to put together. Is a good idea to use dropper to control the amounts of fertilizer. Also terrific idea to rinse out system to clear the reservoir.

[@joangertz2392]

Hi Michael, love your system! I keep having algae problems despite using physum mix every month. We live in Florida with LOTS of sunshine.

[@anitalogan5287]

I am from sydney and love your orchids growing method

[@barbaraschneider7584]

How often do you do this process of flushing with water and feeding? I have failed before with Leica and would hate for it to happen again. But you are so informative I think I may give it another go. Look forward to hearing your response 🤔

[@TropicalPlantParty]

As always, excellent video and tips!

[@yukisam1180]

Tropical Plant Party uo99

[@ruthboykin698]

Could you occasionally use dilute tea water to flush out your semihydropontic orchid system?

[@terryklemesrud758]

This was great Michael!! How often do you flush the container and then fertilize? Thanks!!!

[@MichaelsOrchids]

I do this every week!

[@Isabella-nh5dm]

Thankyou Michael. One more step forward for me (surprise surprise I was doing it 'wrong').

[@MichaelsOrchids]

We’re always learning and refining our approach Etta!

[@KrisLikesThis]

I'm not sure if I missed how often you rinse and feed?

[@MichaelsOrchids]

Once a week! Sometimes if things are busy I can go 10-11 days

[@acapazzo]

Hi Michael! I’m so grateful for your videos. I went down a rabbit hole and followed them step by step while trying to rehab my orchid. It’s only been in the semi-hydroponic system for about 3 weeks and it’s doing so good, it’s already growing a new root! I’ve been flushing and watering with the nutrient solution once a week but the nutrient solution is disappearing in less than a week. Should I be watering once the nutrient solution is gone or continue to wait until the week is up?

[@bbghillini1793]

Love your videos and you are so thorough and clear - thank you for your hard work. Just an FYI, the FB group, Florida Orchid Growers, really love Palmer's Orchid Food. I believe Palmer's Orchids could be found via a google search.

[@trishal2223]

Thanks Michael. That’s very helpful. One thing I’ve noticed with my orchids since I’ve transitioned them into semi hydro is that they do very well ie lots of new roots. But quite a few of them (mainly the phalaenopsis not other types) grow a new tiny leaf quite quickly then a second new leaf before the first is mature. I put this down to adjusting to the new medium. My champion phal with this phenomenon has 4 new leaves but at least each is slightly larger than the last. They are all otherwise looking very healthy. Have you seen this?

[@MichaelsOrchids]

Yes, this is super common. As the plant transitions, the leaf size becomes much smaller. Once fully established, the leaves start to grow at their old size. It’s nothing to panic about!

[@norisdagostino2977]

I just repotted my first miltoniopsis in semi hydro after watching your videos. Your clear concise description gave me confidence to try it. How do these roots differ or adapt from other orchids? Good luck in LA!

[@MichaelsOrchids]

Hi Noris! They are more thin an fragile than obtuse roots, I’d say that’s the biggest distinction!

[@stuartkaufman6131]

At the end you poured in fertilized water to top of reservoir... or top of the vase??

[@Gospelmama1940]

Question: if you will be away from home for more than a week, do you have someone come in and tend to your plants or is it safe to leave them without watering for more than a week?

[@dorindakay5069]

I really enjoy your orchid info I,m a real novice orchid person, I,m really thinking about using S/H but looking at this video this appears to be getting way to complicated, we have Well water nothing added to it we live in a forest. I just want to be able to enjoy my orchids with not a lot of stress what do I really need to do?

[@ethelrizarri2614]

Very informative video. Thank. I will do it

[@ryanmetzler2211]

Hi Michael, I can't tell what your setup is for air flow, but from my experience if you have great air flow in the room where you grow your orchids then it should help with the accidental water in the crown or on a new growth that would normally cause rot. Ever since I added 2 more fans in the same room as the orchids, I haven't seen a single thing of rot on anything. I even will dunk my Vandas in a whole pot of water over night and have never had any rotting issues with them either. Hope this helps! :-)

[@ira_oPelargonium]

Hi )) Im curious what is the purpose of planting orchids a little lower than the edge of the pot... Possibly it helps with extra humidity... but is it really comfortable while watering? what is the main idea? Just going to transfer my orchids into semi-hydro... I have just find your channel and watching videos one by one ))))

[@MichaelsOrchids]

Hi Ira! It does help with ambient humidity, but usually I do it because I can’t find the perfect size pot and want the roots closer to the water reservoir. I hope that helps!

[@donnacone4714]

Wow so much to learn 😳 how long has it been since you started growing Orchids? You have great videos to learn how for sure! I’ll just keep watching your videos to learn. Watching u videos I can see why my orchids die. Thank you you have spent lots of time learning reading testing! 🌞 🌱

[@Micho55]

what's the type of orchid you watered that had really wide and angled leaves?

[@norablackwell5737]

Hi Michael, Always learning from your videos. How often do you fill your water reservoir? Thanks, Nora

[@mssharong1]

Hi Michael, wondering if you have ever used melted snow or rain water for your orchids??? I'm in CT, and have been boiling snow down and am seeing great results with my orchids in terms of new roof growth, new leaves, and spikes...seems like they are loving it but wondered if you would recommend against it for any reason??

[@wadesirekis8153]

There shouldn't be anything wrong with that. When I lived somewhere where it snowed I'd use icicles for drinks instead of tap water ice. It is pure water except for maybe what was in the air.

[@tishsmiddy71]

Thank you Michael 😊

[@KrisLikesThis]

That actually cleared up a couple of questions from a previous video of yours. Spot on! Keep up the good lectures, Michael! (and what about a video of your mother's plants?).

[@MichaelsOrchids]

I’m working on it! Haha, my mom wants her home spotless before she consents to a video and i have to help her tidy if I want the video. She’s a very smart woman that way, LOL!

[@KrisLikesThis]

Michael's Orchids Yay! I know I'm not the only one!

[@sherrywalker4619]

U r always helpful!

[@nataliablumke5608]

Hi Michael. What if my tap water is over 500?

[@MichaelsOrchids]

That’s not ideal, but (in my experience) as long and you’re filling the water reservoir with dilute nutrient solution, it’s okay.

[@konstantinachatzinikolaou7589]

Very helpful thank you

[@astridrapp9673]

Time for a new toolkit update?

[@KamaileXo]

hi Michael! I am so so glad I found your channel. It was actually Danni's video that sent me over here. But I do have a couple of issues that are really stressing me out. Mostly water. I have very hard water, about 480 or so. My pH seemed to be okay, but the hardness was through the roof. So we've got a water softening system but sadly, I didn't get an R/O. Now I am thinking that I need to figure something out because I can't keep buying bottles and bottles of water. So if I'm doing cleaning and rinsing of the plants and flushing out the old salt formations with my softened water, do you think that would hurt anything? I would really love to be able to use the spray on my sink faucet to help facilitate these types of activities. also, I was so glad to see a zygopetalum in your collection living a semi hydro happy life. I want to do mine that way too but I was so scared because I thought it wouldn't work. Secondly, are there orchids that are definitely not candidates for this type of medium? I assumed Vanda orchids, but are there any others that I need to very much keep away from semi hydroponics? Thank you so much for these videos you are saving my life except for the fact that I am losing sleep because I can't stop watching your videos. LOL

[@FITZIEBLUE]

does it matter what zone you're in ? We're Zone 6 and it gets Frigid in January and we've got lots of dry heat pumping into the environment....one of my orchid loving daughters is in mid Florida...January is quite different for her

[@MichaelsOrchids]

If you’re in a drier environment, you may have to refresh the water reservoir more frequently. Otherwise should be the same!

[@bumgards]

Michael. Thank you so much for imparting all of your knowledge on cultivating orchids. So my question is when do you incorporate KelpMax into your feeding. Do you use at the same time as fertilizer? If not how often do you use it? That would be a great video. Thanks again..

[@MichaelsOrchids]

I can’t believe I left that out of the conversation altogether! I’ll habe to make another video, but I use kelpmax as a treatment once a month, at the dosage recommended in conjunction with my nutrient solution. It’s just important to flush the container the following week so TDS in the reservoir doesn’t creep up too high!

[@johnmickel2330]

thanks for your work.Have your tried a Bulbophylum >

[@MichaelsOrchids]

I have! Numbers 19-20 in my collection are bulbos, they tend to pout for a long time when converted, but once they get going they do very well!

[@IDEAHC]

Great 🤩😘😘😘

[@edlouandlily]

I noticed a little build up of algae on your pots. How do you avoid or get rid of it? Thanks!!!

[@chumleyk]

A little? That's a lot and it looks disgusting.

[@leonnaweber4165]

Algae is good you fools 😱

[@ethelrizarri2614]

Why michael you only fertilize the other side of the pots and very little is that so not too much ok

[@esgiegee9576]

Luv your shirt

[@janefromtennessee]

Wish it was simple. No. other things. Just fertilizer and how. I'm older, I can't deal with all the ph and such. Mine survive but I need just easy way for this. Thanks though.

[@lindasalgado8848]

Directions on watering is 2-3 ice cubes

[@tortuga7044]

Don't put ice cubes on your orchids.

[@OrchidudeBcn]

Hi Michael, happy new year. I'm not understanding your logic with regards to pH levels in your watering solution. The whole point is to water your orchids with a solution at the correct pH levels at the time you're watering. The fact that the pH after a week is around 7-7.5, which is neutral, is completely normal and, honestly, quite irrelevant...that's why you're flushing it. If you don't like the pH to get so high then flush after 3-4 days, but the objective is not to have your pH at the "sweet spot" after a week, but rather at the time you water. Otherwise, not only are you putting your plants at risk for things such as root burn or burning new root tips by watering with such an acidic solution, but they won't be absorbing the nutrients you're providing at those levels either. That is my concern with your method and, in turn, the fact that other people are "enlightened" by it as well. This is not a personal attack and I apologize if it comes across as harsh or crass in any way. I just don't like the spread of misinformation, albeit unintended. Have a great weekend, and please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this. Thanks and happy growing ;)

[@MichaelsOrchids]

Hi Ben, I appreciate the open dialogue and don’t feel attacked at all! I always like having an open discourse about these things because I am constantly refining my approach and learning. That being said, I have never encountered root burn using this method, and find that my pH will jump up as quickly as 15 minutes after watering, not in 7 days. And since I provide them a constant feed, I try to account for that rapid shift in pH. Before, when i was following the directions portioning instructions on the Dyna-Gro exactly, my nutrient solution ended at a low MUCH lower pH, and still with no outward signs of damage to my plants. That being said, i am only ever speaking from my experience and perspective, it is never my intention to spread misinformation. I validate that your methods may be different from mine, but the tactics I’m using have yielded positive results for me. Happy New Year to you, I hope this clarifies things a bit.

[@thedignator]

Hey guys! I'm not a famous youtuber but I am a orchidaddict and growing in leca. I also was worried about the PH in leca reservoirs so I've read loads of info about it (mostly from marihuana growers online). What I"ve read is that the PH in the reservoir is the most important, not the PH you put into the vase. I was doing some testing and indeed, the PH climbs up very rapidly! So I did the exact same thing Michael did, using a lower PH (I even use 4 sometimes) so when the PH climbs, it also goes into the 5.5-6.5. Eventually, after a week the PH range is about 7.7 to 8.5. I think this PH swing will even be beneficial because the orchid can use all the micro and macro's because of the PH range the water has over a couple of days. Sorry for this long novel :) Happy growing y'all! I

[@blueskies6475]

Omg, why don't they call these plants snowflakes!!