Tutorial - hydroponic Lady Slippers

[jerrymeola]

Dave asked months ago about what tutorials would be interesting. I have to apologize for myself and others that we still have almost nothing in tutorials posted.

So here is my first and it is an easy way for newbies to raise their collection to a new and impressive level easily.

All orchids can be grown in water. I have used it for years and had good results.



The advantages were obvious. The choices for vases were much more decorative for indoors. Lady Slippers were chosen by me because their desire to be damp all the time and their need for very low light levels. High light level orchids have algae problems and are not as pretty when the algae grows.

The disadvantages were the need to change the water every week and to keep ALL the roots under water to prevent rot (rot requires water and air so without air there is no rot). Additionally fertilizer once a month had a tendency to foul the water.

Now I am using hydroponics to sustain the Slippers.



The stones hold the plant better and does not need the custom holders I was making. The hydroponic action of the stones keeps the roots moist all the time even when the liquid level goes lower.

Keeping liquid in the bottom of the vase is easy to see and it would take over a week to dry out the stones even after the liquid was gone.

I keep saying liquid since I now use Worm Tea diluted 50 to 1 rather than water.

Water has a problem with hydroponics in that evaporation leaves a salt residue on the stones. Over time it requires flushing. Worm Tea has no salts and eliminates the problem. Worm Tea also fertilizes the plant with everything it needs to live.






Anything can be used for a vase. I like these candle votives from Libby glass that I buy cheaply at WalMart. You can use a more decorative item depending on your budget. The first photo is an exxpensive vase my wife did not want me to use. My favorite was when a customer asked me to set one in a vase she had inherited from her grandmother. What a wonderful way to remember her grandmother.

Any hydroponic stone (medium size works best) can be used. The ones in the photo are HydroKorrel from Holland. They are more decorative being round. AliFlor is just as good for the plant but is irregular in shape. Unfortunately, HydroKorrel may not be available anymore at a reasonable price. My last wholesaler has had none for the last 4 months.

Assembling the vase is as simple as can be. Paph have very little root structure. You can see it has only two roots on a flowering plant (but it has thousands of tiny hairs on the sides of the root that do the work).

The plant comes out of the pot easily and I just rinse it under running water to remove all loose bark. I do not try to remove anything that does not come off in the rinse. It will do more harm to the hair roots than leaving it in the vase.

I then hold it in place and pour the stones into the vase. DONE. When potting Paph hydroponically set the plant lower in the stones than you would in a bark mix. Rot is not as serious a problem in hydro, but roots that dry out even for a little time becomes useless.

So try it. It also makes a great gift since it can be given to someone who knows nothing about growing orchids. The only thing necessary is to add Worm Tea as it is used up.

Now the real extra is that since they grow well in total water, I tried filling the vase totally with Worm Tea. I let it evaporate and filled it some times with only an inch and sometimes full. It never made a difference, except, that with a full vase you can go on vacation for three weeks and never have to worry about the orchid. In these vases it uses about an inch of liquid a week.

[Anton]

Very interesting concept Jerry, obviously this is something you have tried over a period of time with success.

[Vivienne]

jerry - I had been thinking about putting my 2 phrags in hydroponics however a little differently. I have a fountain in my atrium and was thinking about putting the phrags in the fountain (in baskets with bark, like you would with a water lily). Would the hydroponic material and plants do well in that situation?

[jerrymeola]

Viviene

I think the hydroponic rocks will do better than the bark. You will not have a decaying issue with the rocks.

Phrags should do fine in that they usually like more moisture than Paphs.

You might have a slight problem in that hydroponic rock is light and can float out. (You want it this light since it makes it easy for roots to grow through it.) You probably should have a pot with the top slightly out of the water. You might experiment with a pot or basket with a liner that is thin enough to not be noticeable. With the liner coming over the top.

There are lots of possibilities. You might make a bag out of a thin mesh and when putting it in the basket you could hide it with something else.

Let us know what works, I would be interested.

[Vivienne]

Thanks Jerry - I'll keep you posted. It will be a project for next weekend. Sounds like I may be experimenting a bit before I get it right.

[Sharyn]

This is fun and easy. I've only had mine for two months and growing in the stones with worm tea. It now has three new sets of leaves and another starting!

[brookn]

Thanks Jerry,
That was very interesting, and informative. A beautiful, practical way to display and grow your orchids.

[eldone]

Jerry - I have switched most of my orchids over to semi-hydroponic with good success although not as good as what you have described using worm tea. I would like to try the worm tea and did look around on the web a little bit but did not find a source for it. Does anybody know of a good source in the eastern part of the US?

[BillC]

Jerry, first may I say how much I enjoyed the pic. The minimalist approach is excellent and has quality written loud. A statement of Ikebana!
Now to more mundane matters. I am assuming that the HydroKorrel stones are hygroscopic and that it might not be possible to use something like pea gravel, which does not hold water, as a substitute. Please let me have your opinion. Bill

[arleneg]

Hi Jerry,

Thank you so much for sharing this! I bought a gallon bag of Alifor and have been rather hesitant in using it as the only potting medium for my moisture loving orchids. After reading this thread, I'll be using Alifor for my two Paphs (and maybe a Phal, as an experiment ) next time I repot them.

Do you repot your Paphs with fresh hydroponic stones/Alifor every 6-8 months? I ask because I read somewhere that Paphs don't like to be in stale potting medium and that they like fresh medium every 6-8 months.

[kmarch]

Next time I go orchid shopping I'll see if I can pick up a couple of cheap Maudiae-type Paphs and give it a go.

[evagentry]

Thank you so much for sharing such a great idea, are there any other types or orchid that his method will work well with? Paphs are non-existent here where I live, also would manure tea work instead of worm tea?

[jerrymeola]

Wow a lot of questions since the last time I looked here.

eldone
I buy mine from www.OurVitalEarth.com

evagentry
worm tea is only worm manure rather than cattle. This concentrate I use has a shelf life of 9-12 months, whereas your would need to be used in a day or two. Also this company adds minerals to the worm food that puts 76 trace elements into the tea solution. I do not think you can get cattle to eat the rocks. I would be willing to try it if you have it plentiful.

BillC
the big advantage with hydroponic is the absorption that lifts the liquids up to the top keeping roots evenly moist.. Pea gravel would not do this. Also Hydroponic rock is very light making it easy for the roots to grow through it. With Pea gravel I would want to keep the vase full over the roots.

[BillC]

Jerry, you mentioned having difficulty in obtaining Hydrokorrel and I thought you may be interested in the site 'Home Harvest Garden Supply' . I think this might be the same media :

Hydroton
LECA
Lightweight Expanded
Clay Aggregate
Also known as fired clay pebble and grow rocks, Hydroton Clay Pebbles are scientifically prepared specifically for

hydroculture use. This versatile medium has hundreds of tiny pores that retain moisture. Large 8 to 16 mm average diameter size allows for maximum oxygen to the roots while providing a stable base for plant roots grown in active hydroponic systems or passive hydroculture applications.

Perfect for passive, wick, and subirrigation use, individual hydroculture pots or hydroponic systems. pH neutral. Reuse over and over by rinsing out roots then sterilizing in a very mild bleach solution. Rinse well before using. Orchid growers use this medium extensively. The houseplant potting soil of choice in Europe.

Since LECA is completely inert and has no nutrient value, be sure to fertilize with a nutrient that contains all of the trace and minor elements necessary for plant growth. Available in 3 convenient sizes, including 5, 10 and 45 liter bags. 10 liters fills about ten 5.50 inch square plastic pots.

Order #HYD5LT
Hydroton
Lightweight
Expanded Clay
Aggregate
8 - 16mm
5 Liters
7.95
qty:

Order #HH66
Hydroton
Lightweight
Expanded Clay
Aggregate
8 - 16mm
10 Liters
12.95
qty:

Order #HH471
Hydroton
Lightweight
Expanded Clay
Aggregate
8 - 16mm
45 Liters
39.95
qty:

Hope this is helpful, Bill

[Vivienne]

Here are the pictures of my now hydroponic phrags... my project yesterday.

I opted not to put them into the fountain like I originally planned. The splash water was collecting in the crowns. Now they are just out of reach of any splash.

[sandra]

What a great spot that is Vivienne. Is that your atrium? Is it in your house or outside of it through a sliding door? I love it. How big is it? Is there room to sit and chill out?

I'm thinking of doing my paph. after the bloom dies (I hate that word...die). I don't know where these hydroponics are available here in Fla. but I'll start at Home Depot. Yours look sensational. They're huge. I hope Max, Baby Fate and Rocky don't get too curious.

P.S. Are you sure you don't want another cat? I'm just joking...I think.

[Vivienne]

Hi Sandra - yes that is in my atrium. The room is part of the house itself. It measures 10' x 22' acts as our dining room in addition to having a small bar to the kitchen. I also have a swing bench in there to hang out and watch TV. Brick floor and 3 4' x 6' skylights. It sold the house for me. The garden (where the fountain is) was already there. There should be pictures on the Growing Spaces thread. I need to update them as new shelving and lots of plants have been added.

I'd love another cat, but I don't think Fate, Max and Rocky do. LOL