Hi Dotty
Oncid types (do very well for me in s/h)
paphs (have a couple, been less than 1 year, we'll see)
masde's

Clara

I just rarely feel the need to talk about it anymore.
Most of mine are growing in some personalized form of it.
I've pretty much said all that I need to say about it.
I love it and use it for many different plants, not just orchids.

Scott

Just put my Dendrobiums in it a few months ago...after lots of other people raved about it....so far so good.

All my phrags are in it except two. Most of my paphs - some love it and some hate it but that may be a nuitrition problem with them. Two phals love it but a third one tried to commit suicide. Also a dozen catt type and all of those are doing well.

Next potting, I'm probably going to try a few oncidium types.

Brooke

Pretty much everything I have is in it. I've found that good lighting is the key, for me at least, as it is to so many things related to orchids. And I mean GOOD lighting, having a light set-up, etc.

There should be no nutrition problem with s/h. Back when Spiced_ Ham was a regular poster, his advise was to mix a weak fertiliser solution for s/h. This is how I've been doing it every time I water. Masde's are the exception. They are extremely sensitive and don't need a lot

Clara

Sorry Clara, I guess I should be more specific. The nutrition problem is coming from paphs that do better with the addition of lime rather than just the MSU for rain water I am currently using for all orchids. Thanks to the t-man and a link he provided, I am in the process of trying to correct the problem and the problem paphs have only been the list of limelovers.

If the problem is not corrected, I will Kevin the plants. He has taught me, if they don't perform, toss'em, without guilt.

Brooke

Almost everything I have is in S/H I think you either love the stuff or hate based on your results. Best results I have had is with Onc's, Phals, Zygos, Dend's. Have used it for going on 4 years with MSU used full strength in spring-summer half strength Nov-Feb. Supplemented with superthrive and epsom salts twice a year. I also change up fertilizers during growing season.
Chris

quote brooke: if they don't perform, toss'em, without guilt.

Only my personal mantra :)

I've backed off S/H a bit in the last few years. The pots get brittle after a while and break, and I get tired of finding little pellets around everywhere.

Thanks for the responses. I've still got some in s/h but some I have moved to other media. It's interesting to see what thrives...and what doesn't! I don't think I fertilize enough.

Long time between S/H posts. Lately I have been using a glass drill bit, turning pretty pots, cups and whatever into S/H containers. I am simply tired of ugly pots under my pretty plants, and, the s/h pots become brittle after a few years. I am a regular now at the second hand stores, looking for attractive and cheap pots-to-be. If you try this hold the pot under a small stream of water in the sink and drill slowly, be safe, make sure you are using a GFIC outlet, should have these anyway in your kitchen.

Thanks, julysun, for the idea and tips for making more durable s/h pots. Have been systematically replacing the plastic ones as they crumble in hand---some from as far back as 2003.

Guessing the algae growth would be less and therefor less sludge buildup in the pot, too. That would be another plus.

Any problem with getting them out of the pots when they get too big??

Grin, not yet! Plan to just crack them if all else fails. I do hear some folk just set them in a bigger pot, that sounds a bit much for me.

Yeah, that's why we should hit the yard sales and dollar store, huh?

When the plastic fails, I usually shake off most of the prime agra (or whatever) and shoot the root ball with a pretty strong stream of water to get rid of as much "dirt" that has built up from disintegrating algae as possible. Then I load up the new (sometimes same size, sometimes larger) pot with fresh medium.

I have noticed that some dendrobiums (pahl-types) seem to be suffocating from too much "silt/dirt" formation, especially the ones I allowed fern or violets grow so many roots in---thought it was pretty before I realized what a thick strangling root system they made!

Jank, plastic pots with a hole in the bottom can be mended with silicone and re-drilled for Semi-hydro. I like straight sides, not so tippy. Anyway, good growing!

I have been using S/H for a while now on several Phrags, Phals, & Cymbidiums. I have a kekie of Asctm. Mimiatum that I started a few months ago, so far so good.

I do have a question for everyone that has tried lots of different genera, have you tried Angraecums? I have several plants that I purchased at a recent show that are a year or so from blooming that I am thinking about trying. Has anyone tried Angraecum? What are your thoughts?

-Ray-

Love growing SH. I use it for all my mixed collection.

julysun, I too haunt the resale shops for nice containers, but have only been using them as cache pots. Thx for the tip on drilling them & planting in the pots. I too hate the tip-overs and clay pellets everywhere. DH doesn't even complain anymore about pellets scattered here/there/everywhere! I get ambitious every once in a while, take a bucket and do a general pick-up!

Hi Dotty

I used to have my whole collection (catt's, den's, onc's, phals) in semi-hydro but ended up last year switching everything but the phal's back to more conventional medium. It's not that s/h didn't work - my plants all did great, but I grow them outdoors here in South Florida and the plastic pots didn't last very long in the strong sunshine. I would pick up a pot and it would literally shatter and disintegrate in my hands, spilling the primeagra all over. I keep my phal's in s/h because they are in the shade but have moved the catt's etc into wooden baskets. An advantage is that I can easily hang the baskets and I have installed multiple closet rods in my pool enclosure so they are all neatly lined up hanging there, easy to water. Which is good since I find I have to water more often now. If I were growing indoors in a colder climate, I very likely would have stuck with s/h because most orchids I tried (other than the vandas and related types) really do like it.

Just goes to show you - there is no one perfect way to grow all orchids in every climate and every situation... so we experiement and find a way that works for each individual situation.

Cheers!

Annette