Sarah's Intermedia

[flutepic15]

Hi all,

So I got my Phal and my Aerangis a week or so ago, got them potted up the way I wanted, and took them into work, where I have better light and more space. Finally got around to taking photos, and here they are!

Looking forward to seeing how we're all doing. The intermedia is being grown in a deep, west facing window, near the front of the windowsill for protection. It's potted in s/h, as I'm really liking that method recently.

Sarah

[flutepic15]

A couple more...

[mayres]

Looks nice and healthy Sarah. I'm glad to see that at least one other person is taking a stab at S/H. I've been trying it on a few of my plants for the past year and have only had marginal success. I think MY biggest issue is that I have not done a good job providing good consistent nutrients along with my watering habits. I need to probably get some fertilizer like the MSU formulated product and then use it diluted every time?! It will be interesting to compare results between our two plants and see what happens and analyze which process is working best and why? Thanks for posting.

[syndywindy]

Looks great.

[Anisa]

Yes, it looks very nice. Good luck!

[flutepic15]

Update on my little intermedia! She has a new leaf coming on! I'm so excited to see this! I've since repotted her into a double pot s/h culture, as she was drying out faster than I could manage in the cup she was in. I'm still realtively a newbie at orchids, having only been thrown headlong into the obsession over the last 5 months or so. I've got about 30+ plants, most of which are shooting off roots and leaves like crazy now! I'll be so excited to see this one when she blooms. I've never spiked a phal start to finish yet, nor do I have one this teeny!

[flutepic15]

Originally Posted by mayres

Looks nice and healthy Sarah. I'm glad to see that at least one other person is taking a stab at S/H. I've been trying it on a few of my plants for the past year and have only had marginal success. I think MY biggest issue is that I have not done a good job providing good consistent nutrients along with my watering habits. I need to probably get some fertilizer like the MSU formulated product and then use it diluted every time?! It will be interesting to compare results between our two plants and see what happens and analyze which process is working best and why? Thanks for posting.

Mike,

I'm not quite sure if you're saying that you don't fertilize every time you water in s/h, but if you are saying that, maybe you need to. I'm far from an expert, but I fertilize with a diluted solution every time I water. I'm ashamed to say that I'm too lazy to properly measure the fertilizer, so I just mix it up until I feel the color's about right. So far, I haven't gotten burned. The few plants I have in s/h seem to be doing ok with this regimen, and as I posted above, the Intermedia now has a new leaf coming!

[Anisa]

That is soo cool! I guess they are loving being with you. What is double pot? Mine is just sitting there It looks good but that is just it. But it has been pretty cool lately.
Post pictures! I am excited to see your success.

[mayres]

Sarah - yes, I agree with you. I NEED to be using a nutrient solution of some kind EVERY TIME I water. I have NOT been historically doing this. My history for the past year with about 20 misc. plants in S/H is a mix of no nutrients and mixed strength solutions - hit/miss/guess. This has been (as can certainly be expected) a BAD routine. I was hoping ot use KLN (I believe) as advertised by Ray, but it is not available in Oregon now because they didn't pay some kind of fee to be able to have it available in our state (so I'm told) and was looking for a good alternative. I had a product called Flairform, which is used in hydroponics, suggested by someone nearby, but have yet to make the plunge with an unknown (for orchids). Someone in our local society is getting a large order of MSU for us all to use and now I'm hoping to have this available by the mid of June to consistently use on my S/H plants. In the meantime I will try to use weak Better Gro orchid fertilizer from Lowes. Keep us informed how yours is doing and what you are using.......

[flutepic15]

Mike,

I am using Better Gro from Lowe's on both plants for this project simply because they're at work, and I keep a bag of Better Gro there. I have KLN at home. I can't really say whether I prefer one or the other, I don't have enough controls in place to do the experiment properly. What I can say though, is that i notice a big difference in the rate and type of growth of my plants when they're regularly fertilized, as opposed to not being fertilized. This goes regardless of what they're potted in. I know, I know, this is a ground breaking revelation!!--fertilizer causes growth! Shocking!