newly transplanted to s/h info needed

[exasperatus2002]

I was first introduced to s/h 2 yrs ago when I got a Psychopsis seedling in s/h at orchidfest. It didnt take long to outgrow the pot but I didnt have any more leca to repot. I finally got 10 L bag of leca from orchidfest this past weekend. Im tranfering only orchids showing active root growth (green tips on roots). I've cleaned off as much organic material off the roots as possible & trimmed off any dead roots.

Heres the link to the leca I bought at the show.
LECA Clay Aggregate

How will I be able to tell if its unhappy in s/h? I'm transplanting Catts & Phals and the Psychopsis that I first bought in it.

As a side note the Slc Hsin Buu Lady 'Y-T' that was as near death as one can get and is making a come back. When I was cleaning it up for transplant I found 3 new growth points. When I got it, it was so dehydrated it was limp in the pb's. It came with 7 pbs and lost 4. Lowes in bethlehem PA didnt take any care of them. See thread- http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...-to-do-it.html

[janet_a]

my psychopsis has been in s/h since about april of last year; blooming all the time, but over the last few months the p.bulbs have started to shrivel in. they're not mushy, they're still very hard, but not good and plump anymore. and it's not growing any new p.bulbs. so i don't know if it's going to make it. still hoping though.

[patticake]

I'm pretty new to hydro, but mine are doing well so far.

[exasperatus2002]

So far everyones happy.

[whalloper]

stupid question alert....what does s/h stand for? I followed the link to the LECA potting medium and I was really impressed! Im very new to orchids and have been looking for a new medium to repot my new plants into. Mine are ALL in moss and I hate it...it seems like a breeding ground for anything bad. Can anyone who uses LECA tell me how they like it and how often you usually water?

[exasperatus2002]

Originally Posted by whalloper

stupid question alert....what does s/h stand for? I followed the link to the LECA potting medium and I was really impressed! Im very new to orchids and have been looking for a new medium to repot my new plants into. Mine are ALL in moss and I hate it...it seems like a breeding ground for anything bad. Can anyone who uses LECA tell me how they like it and how often you usually water?

it stands for semi hydroponic.. hydroponically grown plants have their roots growing directly into a water/nutrient solution (ex. see the fresh herbs in your grocery store) where as the s/h method uses explanded clay balls (such as leca) to wick water up from a reservoir area. This way they have the moisture they need but theres spacing for air circulation around the roots. You would water when the reservoir is running low. When you do, you want to flush it out to help remove any excess mineral/salt deposits left from the evaporating water.

[Rivka]

whalloper, if you go to the front page of the forums, you will see a category for "Orchid - hydroponic/semi-hydroponic" it has a few sticky post that explain it really well and lots of other post for details.
basically it is just another choice for a growing style

[whalloper]

Originally Posted by Rivka

whalloper, if you go to the front page of the forums, you will see a category for "Orchid - hydroponic/semi-hydroponic" it has a few sticky post that explain it really well and lots of other post for details.
basically it is just another choice for a growing style

Thank you!!