# Phrag. water trays



## BobR (Jun 25, 2011)

I need to get this straight - when using trays of water for Phrags, in addition to the humidifer trays, are you suppose to water the plants until the trays are filled, then don't water again until that tray water is absorbed OR should the trays be partially filled with pebbles and that water simply adds humidity?
I've heard a few differing opinions lately and I need to be sure.


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## Ernie (Jun 25, 2011)

It all depends on how you wish to grow your phrags. You can water frequently, but not allow to sit in water; OR you can let them sit in a shallow tray of water. If you go the second route, I'd use individual trays/saucers for each plant, and you still want to freshen it up frequently so it doesn't get stagnant. Many phrags grow wet in nature, even partially submerged, BUT it's fresh, clean, oxygenated water from what I've heard.


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## Heather (Jun 25, 2011)

Hi Bob - yeah, I'm not surprised you've heard different things, because a lot of people do it differently! I sit my plants on top of rocks and have some water in with the rocks, but my pots are all footed, so the plants are never sitting in the water. If you choose to grow with wet feet, I definitely wouldn't use a humidity tray with multiple plants in it and fill it with water, I'm with Ernie that I would have individual saucers (which to me seems like a pain.) There are people who have ebb and flow tables as well, where there is a constant source of moving, oxygenated water. Then, there are people who grow in S/H, where the pots will have a reservoir of water that, when it get's low, is flushed with clean water. There's a thread going about S/H right now in one of the other forums and Ray (firstrays.com) has posted some interesting information there on the preferred way to water and flush pots when growing in his method of S/H. 

I think it's mostly a matter of preference, and how your plants perform, and how complicated you want to get, etc.


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## Erythrone (Jun 25, 2011)

I grow almost all my Phrags in bark mix and I let them sit in shallow saucer of water (from the dehumidifier). I water smaller plants 2 or 3 times a week for pots less than 5 inches. Once for bigger. They are all in individual saucer. I am afraid of disease.

I don't really have to change water since the plants take almost all of it between watering! Sometimes I must add water every day!

But P. popowii is not in a tray of water nor Grande


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## NYEric (Jun 25, 2011)

I have most of mine potted in a mix of organic and inorganic material. the pots sit in trays filled with water which is circulated by small power-heads or filters.


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## BobR (Jun 25, 2011)

I'm not putting them in the water of the humidifier tray, just using that in addition to the saucers for more humidity. I guess because I have the plastic pots, each plant is actually in, placed into empty ceramic pots, just to keep the roots cool, since they're in a south window, not much of the water in the saucers is reaching the plants anyway. So this is probably a moot point. 
I meant to simplify what I had been doing, and seem to have done just the opposite. I should probably get rid of the saucers all together and just water every other day - or maybe take up stamp collecting!?


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## W. Beetus (Jun 25, 2011)

My besseae hybrids are in individual saucers, with about 1/2" of water covering the bottom of the pot. I change the whater whenever I water the other slippers. The Phrag really seems to like it, and it is growing very quickly.


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## NYEric (Jun 26, 2011)

If I didn't have over 100 Phrags I might do it that way. 
Keeping the roots cool is essential.


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## Shiva (Jun 26, 2011)

My growing room inside the house where I keep my intermediate to warm loving plants for most of the year has three large rectangular benches on which sit three 8 x 3 feet and 5 inches deep galvanized steel tubs. The plants rest on grilles like those used to stack up things in closets. So every time I water the plants, the underneath reservoirs get replenished and provide humidity as the water evaporate. Fresh air comes through two windows, one open door and two holes on the floor built for carrying heat upstairs in winter. Temps go from 15C minimum at night to 30+ daytime in summer. Two large fans help cool the plants in summer. Finally two 1000W lamps, one metal halide and one sodium are on 12 hours a day. The room is about 18 feet long, 9 feet high and 10 feet deep.
During hot spells in summer, I usually move the besseae and kovachis and their hybrids in the shade outside.


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## tomkalina (Jun 26, 2011)

We grow the water-loving Phrags with individual pots sitting in a (humidity) tray of 1" deep R/O or rain water, not in individual saucers. Once a week, we dump the water from the trays, water the individual pots (still sitting in the trays), dump the water out of the trays again and refill the trays with 1" deep fresh R/O or rain water. When we fertilize, we remove the pots from the trays, run fertilizer water through them, then place them back in the tray of R/O or rain water. We grow our long-petalled Phrags and species from Section Micropetallum (except besseae or d'alessandroi) like we grow our Parvis -lots of light, smaller pots, and allowed to dry out between waterings. Seems to have worked well for us.............


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## NYEric (Jun 27, 2011)

tomkalina said:


> Once a week, we dump the water from the trays, water the individual pots (still sitting in the trays), dump the water out of the trays again and refill the trays with 1" deep fresh R/O or rain water. When we fertilize, we remove the pots from the trays, run fertilizer water through them, then place them back in the tray of R/O or rain water.



Want to take care of a hundred and fifty +/- more?


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## JeanLux (Jun 28, 2011)

tomkalina said:


> .. Once a week, we dump the water from the trays, water the individual pots (still sitting in the trays), dump the water out of the trays again and refill the trays with 1" deep fresh R/O or rain water. When we fertilize, we remove the pots from the trays, run fertilizer water through them, then place them back in the tray of R/O or rain water..............



Very good advice Tom, Thanks !!! Jean


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## BobR (Jun 28, 2011)

tomkalina said:


> We grow the water-loving Phrags with individual pots sitting in a (humidity) tray of 1" deep R/O or rain water, not in individual saucers. Once a week, we dump the water from the trays, water the individual pots (still sitting in the trays), dump the water out of the trays again and refill the trays with 1" deep fresh R/O or rain water. When we fertilize, we remove the pots from the trays, run fertilizer water through them, then place them back in the tray of R/O or rain water. We grow our long-petalled Phrags and species from Section Micropetallum (except besseae or d'alessandroi) like we grow our Parvis -lots of light, smaller pots, and allowed to dry out between waterings. Seems to have worked well for us.............


So they're ALWAYS in water?


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## tomkalina (Jun 28, 2011)

Bob - they are always in water. BTW - mix deteriorates pretty fast under these conditions, so we repot these every 9-12 months. 

Eric - No problemo, amigo; bring them with you when you come out for the Chicagoland Orchid Festival:evil:


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## goldenrose (Jun 28, 2011)

I pretty much do the same thing as Tom but during the winter months they don't sit in water. 
Bark does deteriorate quicker, that's why I've been switching over to the cypress.


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## BobR (Jun 28, 2011)

tomkalina said:


> Bob - they are always in water. BTW - mix deteriorates pretty fast under these conditions, so we repot these every 9-12 months.
> 
> Eric - No problemo, amigo; bring them with you when you come out for the Chicagoland Orchid Festival:evil:



I just put them in the water - I'm trying it your way, Tom.
Dosen't always being in water dilute the fert?


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## tomkalina (Jun 28, 2011)

Bob,

To some extent it does, but Phrags are not heavy feeders anyway, so the end result is not problematic. 


Thanks,


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## BobR (Jul 3, 2011)

tomkalina said:


> We grow the water-loving Phrags with individual pots sitting in a (humidity) tray of 1" deep R/O or rain water, not in individual saucers. Once a week, we dump the water from the trays, water the individual pots (still sitting in the trays), dump the water out of the trays again and refill the trays with 1" deep fresh R/O or rain water. When we fertilize, we remove the pots from the trays, run fertilizer water through them, then place them back in the tray of R/O or rain water. We grow our long-petalled Phrags and species from Section Micropetallum (except besseae or d'alessandroi) like we grow our Parvis -lots of light, smaller pots, and allowed to dry out between waterings. Seems to have worked well for us.............


Tom, Does it matter if the leaf tips (1 1/2") are in the water?


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## NYEric (Jul 3, 2011)

I try not to let the leaves of mine sit in water, the cells will drown.


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## goldenrose (Jul 3, 2011)

I wouldn't let the leaf tips sit in water, to me one's asking for trouble.


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## BobR (Jul 9, 2011)

tomkalina said:


> We grow the water-loving Phrags with individual pots sitting in a (humidity) tray of 1" deep R/O or rain water, not in individual saucers. Once a week, we dump the water from the trays, water the individual pots (still sitting in the trays), dump the water out of the trays again and refill the trays with 1" deep fresh R/O or rain water. When we fertilize, we remove the pots from the trays, run fertilizer water through them, then place them back in the tray of R/O or rain water. We grow our long-petalled Phrags and species from Section Micropetallum (except besseae or d'alessandroi) like we grow our Parvis -lots of light, smaller pots, and allowed to dry out between waterings. Seems to have worked well for us.............



I started using this system 2 weeks ago. Now I'm seeing roots coming to the surface of all those I've placed in the trays. Is this a problem? I re-potted about 3 months ago, so I don't feel comfortable doing it again so soon. 
Any opinions/advice? Thanks


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## NYEric (Jul 11, 2011)

To the surface of the pots? I'd check to see if roots are growing into the media also.


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## Ernie (Jul 11, 2011)

Yeah, a pic might help here. Sometimes, the roots go nuts and push the plant up or you see root "knees" poke out because the tips push them upward. 

You might knock one out of the pot gently just to verify no harm is being done.


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## BobR (Jul 12, 2011)

Here are the two with the most prominent roots. I'm reluctant to re-pot again since it's been only 4-5 months since the last time. Although I would like to
put them in clear pots.


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## Ernie (Jul 12, 2011)

BobR said:


> Here are the two with the most prominent roots. I'm reluctant to re-pot again since it's been only 4-5 months since the last time.



Well, congratulations! You have some healthy phrag roots there! In no time, those roots will circle the entire pot and green moss will probably start to grow on top as long as you keep the water in the reservoir fresh. Keep it up!


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## BobR (Jul 12, 2011)

Thats very good news indeed! I've been trying to figure these little monsters out for over a year, frequently finding I was doing wrong by them. Hopefully
we're on the blooming road. Thanks:rollhappy:


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## NYEric (Jul 12, 2011)

BobR said:


> Thats very good news indeed! I've been trying to figure these little monsters out for over a year, frequently finding I was doing wrong by them. Hopefully
> we're on the blooming road. Thanks:rollhappy:



Yes, that is a healthy root. When I find them on the top like that I put rockwool cubes to and diatomite to keep them moist but airy.


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## Orchidnut57 (Jul 22, 2011)

*water for Phrags*

Have any of you read the article titled Quasi-hydroponic for Phrags. You can find it on the Gore Orchid Conservatory site?.... does anyone have any thoughts on this idea? :crazy: or


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2011)

Orchidnut57 said:


> Have any of you read the article titled Quasi-hydroponic for Phrags. You can find it on the Gore Orchid Conservatory site?.... does anyone have any thoughts on this idea? :crazy: or



I'd bet it would work great. Same idea as here, but with flooding water periodically.


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## SlipperFan (Jul 22, 2011)

How is quasi-hydroponic different from semi-hydroponic???


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