# s/h experiences.......anyone?



## bwester (Jun 7, 2006)

Anyone have anything s/h to share? I personally just converted ALL of my paphs and phrags (with the exception of your two, Heather. It just seemed wrong) Anyways, i have new growth on 2 phrags and 1 paph after only a few weeks. I'll keep everyone updated with my great experiment. One word of advice.... never repot drunk!!!


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## Jmoney (Jun 7, 2006)

I started using s/h about 3 years ago for paphs and phrags solely out of efficiency. It's a modified method in which I punch holes in regular pots and sit a whole bunch of them in shallow "communal" trays of water. It made it easy to water them all at once whenever I had the chance--if the water dried up and I didn't have time to water, I just added more to the bottom until I had the time. Based on all that, it seems that phrag hybrids LOVE the stuff. All the besseae hybrids, all the long-petalled hybrids (i.e. Grande, Nitidissimum) grew tons of roots, often with the tips streaming out the pots and into the trays. I don't grow besseae in s/h not because it didn't root well (it did), but because when it got real hot here in the summer, the roots got too warm and the plants started to suffer. I tried a couple wallisii in it briefly--one did ok, the other hated it, and both have since been moved into a more traditional medium. I tried a baby warscewiczianum in it and it didn't seem to like it. I have since avoided putting any of the long-petalled *species* into it.

Paph-wise, I don't think s/h is a "preferred" medium--personally I think they grew better in a CHC based medium. Overall they seem to do OK. The coryos seem to root well enough into s/h. Most of the Maudiae-types do well too, but I think they kind of resent it when the water reservoir gets colder in the winter. I tried brachys briefly without success. The cool water in the winter seemed to rot the roots in short order. The parvi hybrids seem to be hit or miss--some did really well, some not so well. I suspect that's not grex-dependent, more like plant-dependent. Most paphs do well in s/h for me but there are a few that just go south in short order, and I still don't know why.

One more thing--I tried to put some marginally-rooted plants in s/h. I couldn't have killed them faster if I had mounted them on cork.


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## Heather (Jun 7, 2006)

Jason - are your plants still in S/H? 
How are they now? 

I just switched all my Paphs (all multis - we don't need no stinkin' maudiaes in this house!) oke: (I have fine tuned my taste since last we spoke.) to S/H. Prime Agra to be exact, in Ray's pots. So far so good. 
I'd love to switch the Phrags - which are suffering since I moved recently - but I grow all besseae and their hyrbids and only the long petaled species! So, you can see why I am nervous. I've heard a lot of people have issues long term with Phrags in S/H - despite their affinity for water. 

I wish I could grow them all the same.


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## bwester (Jun 7, 2006)

What do you mean by long term issues?


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## Jmoney (Jun 7, 2006)

the paphs are OK overall--I don't get the gangbuster roots that a select few are able to achieve, but most of them have decent roots. I use prime-agra because 1. it wicks well and 2. it doesn't float, which is a @^@[email protected]^ when you water too quickly with rocks that float out of the pot. I get a lot of algae buildup because of the clear pots and like to repot once a year anyway to clear the debris (I reuse the rocks).

I have been growing phrags in s/h for 3 years and I will never go back to CHC or pure sphagnum. Both of them work fine but it is just so easy to grow phrags in s/h. Sit them in water, pour more water over them, and let them soak some more. (just make sure it's low in salt content). The roots go NUTS. This only applies to the hybrids, including besseae hybrids and longpetalled hybrids. I don't grow besseae or caudatum etc in s/h. Or the brachys for that matter.


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## Heather (Jun 7, 2006)

Interesting. 

I want to do S/H for the ease. My besseaes (and I include hybrids among them) have done well in fine bark/charcoal/perlite but when we moved they started getting weepy. I have pretty high humidity here. My species long petaled phrags are all in CHC/Diatomite/charcoal/perlite and are doing wonderfully - all have now bloomed. But they all need repotting and I don't know what to put them in. My Paphs have been getting this grey moldy guk in my same CHC mix - though recently I was getting the mix from a new vendor and I am wondering if there were spores in it or something. I've used this mix over a year and never had the problem until I got it from this new batch! 
(It's gross!)


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## couscous74 (Jun 7, 2006)

My brachys love S/H but that could be largely because it's warm here year round. I've also found they like it when the reservoirs go dry at least a day before watering day. Gonna try to stretch it to two days to see if they will root even more.


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## Jmoney (Jun 8, 2006)

couscous74 said:


> My brachys love S/H but that could be largely because it's warm here year round. I've also found they like it when the reservoirs go dry at least a day before watering day. Gonna try to stretch it to two days to see if they will root even more.



I think you hit the nail on the head--I ran into trouble during the winter when the cold water reservoirs started to rot the roots.


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## Ray (Jun 9, 2006)

I agree that excess cooling can be an issue, but considering that NONE of the plants experience that in nature, why would you let your culture do that to them in the first place?

I have had no issues with ANY paphs or phrags, including brachys, besseae and caudatum, and I keep my GH at a minimum of 60F.

Also, I think Jason's approach of many pots in a communal tray is not a great idea, as it really opens up the opportunity for the sharing of pathogens.


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## bwester (Jun 9, 2006)

Ray, do you ever have plant pout when they go into s/h? I put my coel mooreana in it when it had new roots. The old p-bulbs are shrivelling up, but its putting out new growth at the same time. Do the plants sometimes appear to go downhill and then recover?


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## Jmoney (Jun 9, 2006)

I agree that communal pots are not ideal, but I do what I have to. don't have the time or money for individual pots. and the temp in my apt falls to the low 60s in the winter and for some reason certain paphs under my conditions dislike it. I'm sure you can grow anything in s/h if everything else is right; I am merely reporting my personal experiences with it. caudatum, brachys, besseae for me don't work.


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## Heather (Jun 19, 2006)

So far (since the beginnning of May, so about a month along) the plants that I am having the best new root growth from in S/H are.....ta da! 

The sanderianum hybrids! 
(who would have thunk it?) 

Now if only I could get some from the species seedlings I'd be a very very happy girl.

*edit* all the philippinense are also doing very well with new root growth. I'm really finding that the importance of repotting when in active growth holds true.


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## kentuckiense (Jun 19, 2006)

Heather said:


> So far (since the beginnning of May, so about a month along) the plants that I am having the best new root growth from in S/H are.....ta da!
> 
> The sanderianum hybrids!
> (who would have thunk it?)
> ...



Makes sense... sanderianum and philippinense are considered to be pretty close allies evolutionarily.


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## Jmoney (Jun 19, 2006)

based on my limited experiences, I was surprised to see that most coryos took quite well to s/h. usually people say they grow brighter, slightly drier, but it seems they really appreciate the constant source of moisture.


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## Marco (Jun 19, 2006)

I have all of mostly all of my paphs in s/h. Mainly sanderianum, rothschildianum and philippinense primaries. Come to think of it all my multi's have at least one of those as parents.  I have had my large seedlings and BS plant in s/h pots for about 2-3 weeks and they seem to be doing fine. Out of paranoia I checked my smallest seedling, angel hair, in s/h and duge about 1.5 inches into the medium. The roots seemed to be doing fine the immediate root I saw was not rotted. I just refilled reservoirs yesterday morning after letting them run on empty for 12 hours and for most of the nbs/bs plants 50%-75% of the resevoir is alread gone. About 25% of the large seedling reservoirs are gone. I'm leaving them alone and uprotting random samples in a week or so. The only paphs I don't have in s/h are seedlings that, 3, that have a 5-7 ls, Heather's Eva Weigner and Heather's Phil alba that I pulled from s/h. Guessing it got to stressed during shipment. I'll throw it back in s/h though as soon as it gets more roots. 

I also have a dend. spectabile that I won at my local OS auction and recieved it at pretty poor state. The p-bulbs were shriveled and it looked it hadn't been watered in days. After 3 days the p-bulbs plumped up and there's a new growth.

My phals, species and hybrids, just love s/h. Simple as that. 

I have a bllra tahoma glacier that I'm hoping will bit the dust but it has a new growth which has been growing in s/h. I don't think its gonna bit the dust. Well if it doesn't at least I'll still have it.


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## Heather (Jun 19, 2006)

As long as the Eva has new roots (I think it did?) feel free to move it over....I would have by now, LOL!


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## Marco (Jun 19, 2006)

Heather said:


> As long as the Eva has new roots (I think it did?) feel free to move it over....I would have by now, LOL!



You're Eva is special!! It's the only plant I have in a CHC mix in an aircone with customized holes drilled in it. It's staying!!Well the fact that it's special and I have no more s/h supplies. oke:


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## lindafrog (Jun 20, 2006)

*what is S/h*

What are s/h and CHC? Are we talking semi hydropondics? 
Happy growing
Lindafrog


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## Marco (Jun 20, 2006)

lindafrog said:


> What are s/h and CHC? Are we talking semi hydropondics?
> Happy growing
> Lindafrog



Yes semi hydroponics (s/h) and coconut husk chips (chc)


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