[jerrymeola]

I grow most of my orchids commercially in hydroponic stones but most without the water tray that makes it true hydroponics.

This is because of the very heavy rainfalls I have in SW Florida.

I love the loose nature of the stones and the fact that they never deteriorate.

I do raise Phalaenopsis in hydro with a water saucer and love the results.

The advantage of hydroponics is even watering by the absorption of the stones. That makes it good for plants like Phals that like to be evenly moist.

A second advantage is that when using a clay pot and saucer you can see the degree of water in the pot by the color of the pot. Clay darkens when wet and lightens as it dries.

I do not especially like Oncidium types in hydro as the thin roots do not touch enough stones when first placed in the pot. If you want to try it use the smaller size stones.

Cattleya need to dry completely when grown this way but it is easy to do by waiting a few days after the pot looks totally dry. The roots easily push through the stones and grow very easy.

The biggest disadvantage of hydro is that newly planted orchids have a difficult time staying in the pot. I highly recommend pot clips.

I have used plastic pots and hydro with a saucer but did not like the results as well as when using clay.