The golden rule of semi-hydroponics...
.....is to repot a healthy plant in active growth with newly forming roots.
I found this golden rule as I scrolled through various orchid forums and Ray, the inventor of this S/H system, stated several times how important this was. Repotting an orchid when not in active growth will set her back much worse since her root system will be under stress as it dies off. It will take longer for the chemical triggers inside the plant to start active root growth (genetics of the plant have a part to play in this) and it can take even a year for a plant to start recovering and adapting.
Yeah, I didn't know this before I did the switch over to using leca as my main medium. I figured since my collection is small, I can go ahead and repot all of my orchids in one go. Suffice to say, my current collection is all over the place when it comes to stages of growth. I made a list of my orchids that were not in active growth (actively growing a new leaf):
- Honey
- Pinkle
- Gemma
- Marshmallow
- Crown
- Nameless
- Buttercup (no new growths since the break)
Since my setback is a pretty significant part of my collection, I have decided to give these orchids a deadline before I decide they won't be coming back. I made so many mistakes early on in this hobby, a big one being timing though my winter has been very forgiving in spite of this. I've put these orchids under so much stress in the short time they've been with me. Luckily, most of these are inexpensive phals so I'm not too distressed at the thought of losing them.
I'll be attending an orchid show in February so I figure I'll give it until then to see if these ones show any signs of improvement. Already there are a few that are suffering pretty badly from the transition:
Honey, my phalaenopsis with the petal anomaly has lost her bottom leaf and two more are yellowed and looking ready to drop. I would really hate to lose her since her ruffled petals were so lovely and I suspect a stable genetic mutation that I could try to breed into others. I'll be keeping her longer than that deadline for this reason.
Pinkle, my phal with beautiful mottled leaves, is looking limp and leathery.
Gemma, my Phalaenopsis Little Gem Stripes, is completely limp and leathery since her roots are suffering and she's not getting enough hydration through them.
Crown, my Phalaenopsis OX Happy Queen 'Fangtastic', is completely limp and leathery and her bottom leaf is yellowing.
Suffice to say, I have learned my lesson when it comes to repotting into semi-hydro. Timing is key. If fact, this enormous learning moments created my page of Golden Rules of orchid growing. I've got a lot more research ahead of me.
Suffice to say, I have learned my lesson when it comes to repotting into semi-hydro. Timing is key. If fact, this enormous learning moments created my page of Golden Rules of orchid growing. I've got a lot more research ahead of me.