Neofinetia falcata

[Sam_Smith]

I have never actually tried "semi" hydroponics, the systems I have tried were ebb and flow, and just watering from above, of those two the ebb and flow worked the best, but needed a HUGE amount of water (i'm talking about 300 liters+), seeing as I have a 4'x8' tray. In both systems I was over feeding, leading to root burn.
I personally don't like pure sphag that much, its to easy to compact out all the air spaces.
I have found that hydroton tends to hold a lot of water by surface tension (the spaces between each little ball are filled with water), and then drys out kinda fast. So you don't get an even slow release of water, (this only applies to flooding the media).

I hope that helps a bit.
Have you ever tried coconut chips? They sell it for growing orchids, I have my noes potted in the "medium" size now, just moved them though, so in a few months I should know if that works.
I'm of the opinion that the media type is irrelevant so long as you water and feed according to the same media's requirements.


BTW, I'm so glad I found this topic, I love my little neo, but I thought it was all alone among its kind. To find out it has such a prestigious background is thrilling, and the color variants are stunning. I love the red and white color combination, good thing its one of the cheaper variants.

[pikevi]

An absolute beauty, Sam_Smith.

[Sam_Smith]

Thanks, hey your from Ontario? how about this winter a? Enjoying the snow?

[Sam_Smith]

semi-hydroponics, and I think this method has a lot of promise for neos, with the holes 1" from the base of the pot the main thing to remember is to flush the pot so as to flush the fert buildup, since fert doesn't evaporate , anyway if you try semi-hydro let me know how it works, im going to start experimenting with it, since I have over 2 bags of hydroton.

Sam.

[jay]

Sam,

I have two Neofenitia's in S/H right now. Both are growing new leaves and my Suikaden has just developed a new growth.

As for the flushing. When I water (2-3 times per week) I fill the pot rapidly so the fertilized water reaches the top and then drains down to the holes. This helps flush out the reservoir.

[Sam_Smith]

Heh, from my experimentation with full hydro I can tell you flushing is important, sounds perfect what you do jay, that would be the only problem I can see with this "semi-hydro" method is salt buildup since you use fert all the time, but if you flush this should keep the salt under control. What I'm wondering is if semi-hydro grows plants faster then traditional methods, I know some plants like phrags and paphs would be realy happy but they are terrestrials, and love to keep their feet wet.

Sam.

[brookn]

Here you go Jenny I know it took me forever. They are looking pretty good, and seem to be happy. The Benisuzume has actually grown a lot since I recieved it. It has 4 very small growths, I thought at first it only had 3.

[patticake]

I got my first Neo a couple of weeks ago- I love it! I can't wait for it to bloom. I have it under gro-lights.

[brookn]

I really enjoy mine. I should have put in my post that I repotted the two big ones on Sunday, and I tried to mound them the best I could. The humidity here has been so outrageous that I could not get the spagh to stick to my bottle that I was using as a form. I told Jenny that I would post a pic so I finally did. Is yours a regular Neo patti? The big one in the pic is an Ascofinetia Cherry Blossom, the med. one Neofinetia falcata, and the little bitty (and was kinda expensive compared to the two others) Neofinetia Benisuzume. I bought the little one because the flowers will be this rich magenta, pink, and white. I am dying for it to bloom.

[patticake]

Originally Posted by brookn

I really enjoy mine. I should have put in my post that I repotted the two big ones on Sunday, and I tried to mound them the best I could. The humidity here has been so outrageous that I could not get the spagh to stick to my bottle that I was using as a form. I told Jenny that I would post a pic so I finally did. Is yours a regular Neo patti? The big one in the pic is an Ascofinetia Cherry Blossom, the med. one Neofinetia falcata, and the little bitty (and was kinda expensive compared to the two others) Neofinetia Benisuzume. I bought the little one because the flowers will be this rich magenta, pink, and white. I am dying for it to bloom.

Mine is a Neofinetia falcata x self It's about 4" tall. There's two nice fans, 1 medium fan, and I'm just seeing 2 tiny fans poking out! I just love the whole structure of it! I'll post a pic of it when I get back from our trip!

[sandra]

Sam, was that Hydroton you were using in that pic? Were you growing it hydroponically or semi? I've seen a lot of nurseries using the Hydroton as their potting medium, grown regularly, not s/h and especially on Phals (with a little coir added) and they swear by it. I have a few Catts. in the Hydroton and they're not complaining either.

That neo in your pic is gorgeous!
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OK, I see you answered these questions in post #76...I wasn't reading in sequential order. So, ignore what I've asked.

[sandra]

oooooh, pretty neo's you've got there brookn and they look great in those pots!

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by brookn

Here you go Jenny I know it took me forever. They are looking pretty good, and seem to be happy. The Benisuzume has actually grown a lot since I recieved it. It has 4 very small growths, I thought at first it only had 3.

They look great and I love the pots! You got the glazed one from Dr. Lehr too? I love the one with the feet, it's sooo cute! And you did such an awesome job at repotting. It looks better than mine, and I have mine, well did the one at least, in the traditional mound.

[Vivienne]

I'm digging the pot with the feet as well. Where did you get it?? My neo and ascos are in regular clay pots with coco fiber (a few bark chips in the bottom). I know, boring, but my neo is going crazy with roots!!

[brookn]

I ordered the pots from Dr. Lehr at New World Orchids, I needed them for the two I had, so that's when I decided I needed the Benisuzume also. He gave me a great deal on 3 pots, but I have left little one where it is for right now, I have a smaller footed one for it. The coco fiber did not work well for me, when I depotted, I had some rot in the center of the roots. It was a bear to remove from the roots also. I told Jenny it was like burned Barbie hair, not for me, yech. They are really happy where they are, and I did repot while they are in active growth, so that helps.

[Vivienne]

Thanks Brook. I know I should put them in sphag but I'm very afraid of overwatering.

[articuno75]

When the spagh gets crunchy on the outside is when you need to water again. Don't let them dry out completely. Only in the winter do they have a dry period.

[arleneg]

Brook -- Very nice Neos you have. I love the short footed pot. Is it glazed or unglazed?

Viv -- I don't think you can overwater a Neo, as long as you wait until the sphag is a little dry/crunchy. Plus, if you pot it traditionally, the sphag dries out a little faster.

When I check when it's time to water, I touch the top mound and the cavity (by putting my pinky inside)...that is if you have a hole in the bottom large enough to fit your pinky in.

By the way, my Neo. falcata 'Yodonamatsu' has a flower spike! I can hardly wait for it to bloom!

[jay]

Jenny - here are my two Neo's I was telling you about.

The first two photos are of my Neofinetia falcata 'Shoutennou' - I believe this will have red to purplish color in the stems and flowers.


The second two are of Neofinetia falcata 'Suikaden' - I believe is a greenish color form. It is also the bean type.

I feel like I got a great deal on these from a small little plant shop in Japan Town in San Francisco.

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by jay