hydroton

[denite25]

hello all,


im trying to put together a potting mix for my phals....i want to cut down on repotting. so im trying to find something that will hold up well. im think of using fine hydroton with med tree fern fibers....of just going all med or fine hydro....i dont mind watering them more often....plus im a little sick of repoting with this messy bark.....please give me you in put.....

[psyc1210]

I've been using hydroton and aliflor as potting media for the past few years. I really like using it, and my plants seem to like it as well. I grow Phals in it, as well as Catts, and a few other misc orchids. I am not using it in s/h application however, just regular slotted bottom draining pots with LECA as the media. I do need to water every 3-5 days.

[denite25]

cool i was just going to use it in slotted potts with good drainage.....what size do u use? some gave me a 10lbs bag of fine....i was hoping i could use that...

[psyc1210]

Originally Posted by denite25

cool i was just going to use it in slotted potts with good drainage.....what size do u use? some gave me a 10lbs bag of fine....i was hoping i could use that...

I would only ever use the fine grade on plants with very thin roots and plants that like it wetter. Fine grade can hold a LOT of water between the pieces, as well as in the pieces so it may be too much...I like the medium grade personally.

[denite25]

oh ok.....i justhave find something to do with this stuff.....i may just dump it in orchid trays and toss the old stone.....whats LECA?

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by denite25

oh ok.....i justhave find something to do with this stuff.....i may just dump it in orchid trays and toss the old stone.....whats LECA?

LECA is Hydroton. It's the acronym for Lightly Expanded Clay something that begins with A I was reading my bag of Hydroton, but it just reads 'premium German expanded clay.'

[denite25]

oh wow ty....so im going for med hydroton with tree fern fibers to hole a little water....how does that sound?

[BGGraham1]

Originally Posted by denite25

oh ok.....i justhave find something to do with this stuff.....i may just dump it in orchid trays and toss the old stone.....whats LECA?

Originally Posted by Orchidementia

LECA is Hydroton. It's the acronym for Lightly Expanded Clay something that begins with A I was reading my bag of Hydroton, but it just reads 'premium German expanded clay.'

Its Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by BGGraham1

Its Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate

50% is a good day for me

[vanda_obsession]

I love hydroton! I have a 40 pound box of it I bought for $30 off craigs list However, I noticed that my phals and den's didn't care much for it, so they are back in sphag. All my other ones seem to love it

[Fishmom]

If you are really trying to avoid repotting due to media breakdown, shouldn't you avoid the tree fern fibers, which are organic and will break down also? Would Perlite hold enough water for you? It would seem to me that most any organic medium would have the deterioration problem that bark has.

[kmarch]

As the topic of this thread is potting medium, the proper forum for it is "Orchid Potting Mediums" rather than "General Chat". Please help us keep the forum organized and help to make it easier for other members and non-members to find the information they're looking for by taking a moment before posting to insure your thread is being started in the correct forum. Thanks.

[denite25]

good point in going to do just hydroton.....and i was reading that i can put a little moss on top to help moisture at the roots

[Brooke]

Fishmom tree fern takes a long time to break down - a plant will outgrow the pot before the fiber breaks down.

Brooke

[denite25]

yeah thats what i was reading so i was thinking about using a little of that or put moss on top pot

[Fishmom]

Thanks, Brooke, I didn't know that. I've never had the opportunity to try it.

[koshki]

Originally Posted by Orchidementia

50% is a good day for me

And you had a 75% day!

[Leisurely]

Check out Orchidata bark. It lasts for years and is used alone. No other additive needed.

[Ray]

(Psst. PSSSt.) It's "Orchiata" (no "d")

It IS great stuff.

[Leisurely]

Thanks Ray for helping me out there with the correct spelling.

[jpyerry]

I read somewhere that hydroton can be used to reduce space in a pot that is slightly too large in much the same way as one would use styrofoam peanuts to this end.

A friend gave me a bunch of stuff from his failed hydroponics experiment amongst them was a large bag of hydroton that was unused.

So, I decided to give this idea a try.

Does anybody else use hydroton in this manner?

Thanks,
Justin