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Hoyas
kim_wa

Semihydro questions

10 years ago

I just picked up a bag of leca clay balls (basically hydroton but different brand) to try semihydro out. I have never done this before, and would appreciate some tips.

I plan to use this method for the following Hoya, some I currently have and a couple that are coming over the next several weeks-

•praetorii

•davidcummingiana

• finnlaysonii (EPC-57 and EPC-367

I am also considering using this for Dischidia pectenoides, another that is coming shortly, and maybe javanica and lobbii. I have a runty little start of cummingiana I may be convinced to try this way too, and debating whether or not to give my new Hoya darwinnii (thank you Aurorawa!) a shot in it as well, but as of yet uncertain on that one.

From what I have gathered (and correct me if needed), I will need to rinse all the dust off the leca balls first, containers with holes drilled about an inch from the bottom to create water reservoirs, with weak fertilizer with each watering. As I understand it, containers about 5-6" tall are standard?

My questions-

1) How does the size of the pot compare between a semihydro pot vs a standard "dirt" mix? Taller, same diameter, narrower diameter, etc?

2) Any good (and cheap) DIY pot suggestions?

3) Fertilizer suggestions? I have High Brix molasses, Miracle Grow Bloom Busters, and Tappin Roots on hand.

4) Does one keep the reservoir full always, and how frequently should these pots be flushed?

5) Most of what I plan to grow semihydro has established roots already. How successful is this method with cuttings? (Specifically, H. davidcummingiana cuttings)

And lastly, what kind of Hoya (or other plants) do you guys grow semihydro, and why?

As always, many thanks!

Featured Answer
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Hi Kim, I know many people who uses clay tones/ hydroponic... in germany, poland, sweden...

    I use it to root cuttings which I later want to cultivate in hydroton.

    H. carmelae for example in a closed container:

    When the cutting has enough roots I pot them up either in a standard pot like here:

    or here in germany there are special hydro pots (sorry I don't know the english equivalent):

    May you find these pots also in your country. The last pot has a water level indicator which shows when to refill water. The pot is always filled with water. In summer I water more often, in winter I keep it drier.

    You have to understand that the plants in hydroton have developed water roots which do not like to dry out that much.

    Hoyas which like hydroton are in my opinion: any carnosa, carmelae, bella (grows very good), curtisii, caudata, macrophylla, and many more.

    DIY methods: you can use plastic bottles, yogurt cups, everything you can make holes in it ;)

    (note: not my pictures)

    One last sentence: you say that you have plants with roots already which you like to have in semihydro. Think of my sentence before that plants in semihydro develope water roots, if they already have roots in soil it can be difficult to adapt the plant. I have done this with my bella e.g., lost a lot of leaves first but now established and flowers (mhhh best smell ever).

    Hope this helps :)

    Sorry for any spelling error, I am not a native english speaker :)

    Comments (8)

    • 10 years ago

      Watched Doug's video again (Vermont Hoya), such a great resource. Thst answrered a lot of my questions, but still curious on other growers semihydro experiences.

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    • 10 years ago
      last modified: 10 years ago

      Thank you for the detailed response Stefanie!

      I appreciate the words of caution around the already rooted ones, my finnlaysonii varieties have not had that long to get established but maybe I should wait. One plant, my EC-57, is barely more than 2 separate rooted single nide cuttings. Probably better to let them get some good growth before changing things up to much?

      The praetorii is coming from a grower whom I believe already has the plant in semihydro, I will have to ask.

      But oooooohhh, I have some H. curtisii cuttings I am trying to root right now, those little buggers can be tough. I might just go take them out of perlite and pop them i to some hydroton this evening.

      Is it just me, or are the pot sizes for semihydro larger than those for growing in a standard mix? Ahahahahah, or maybe it is time to pot up my babies.

      My bella is blooming right now, and I must agree. The scent is exquisite.

      And your English is just fine. :)

    • 10 years ago
      last modified: 10 years ago

      Alright, curtisii cuttings are now in hydroton. As are some cuttings I have been rooting of my poor lacunosa "poonsak" that rotted on me over the winter. Lacunosa is still tough for me, but then my lacunosa "snocaps" just grows nonstop. Happily, my poonsak cuttings have some small roots, and with luck it will really like the hydroton. One can hope, these two species are so fussy about rooting!

    • 10 years ago

      Kim, I grow many in hydroton, but almost all of them rooted into it to start. The one that really do well... finlaysoniii, lobbii, verticillata. rubra (the green, not variegated... though it may well do fine in hydroton...), carnosa ssp. carnosa, multiflora/javanica... I think most Hoyas would do fine. I even have a kerrii, which is suposed to prefer DRY, in hydroton and it's happy as a clam. If it wasn't so cost-prohibitive, I'd be growing more this way. But I do prefer the pot/cache-pot/water meter way of growing them to make it simpler. Otherwise, you have to guess when it's time to add water or pull the pot out of the cache pot on a regular basis to see if it's "time" to add water.


      Denise in Omaha

    • 10 years ago
      last modified: 10 years ago

      Hmmmm. I really want to move my fin's. These came to me as cuttings from a couple different people sometime last fall. Hoping someone who has made a switch will chime in. May just start my merredithii in it to when it comes next week...

      Hmmm. My lobbii cuttings from you Denise havent started to root as if yet I do not think. I am actually growing that one on the top shelf of my North window, in hopes that it takes over entirely one day. Maybe not the best place for a semihydro pot, but do you think it is worth the switch?

      I do not think I will bother with most of my carnosas, but the compacta is tempting. Since I can always replace it easily enough I just might try that as a sacrificial rooted-in-dirt-Hoya-to-hydroton victim.

    • 10 years ago

      I let curtisii always root in sphagnum moss before I transfer it in hydroton. This works really good for me.

      I'll keep my fingers crossed that curtisii grows well for you!

    • 10 years ago

      Aaahhh, yeah I could see that working well. I have a bit that I rooted last year, just hoping to fill out my pot a bit more. Too bad I do not have any spaghnum left over. Yet another soil amendment I need to remember to keep in stock, hahahahha.

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