Orchidholics Anonymous: Hydroponics

Brr. Nelly Isler "swiss beauty"

I have finally experimented with hydroponics....and it is the greatest thing that the orchid gods could have created. I absolutely love the system. It saves me time and money. The orchids, after established in the system, begin to grow like weeds with new roots. I use clear tupperware containers with holes that I drill for the reservoir about an inch from the bottom. This system saves water and saves watering time. The only drawback is that you have to be careful with the type of water you use and flushing out the salts from fertilizers. It is best to use rainwater or distilled rainwater, because bad water can lead to root rot. I learned that the hard way...

I only change my orchids into the system when it is actively growing where new roots and new growth are emerging. I remove all of its old potting medium and then pot it up again with the clay pellets like any other orchids. Then I put into a makeshift greenhouse which is basically a plastic fish tank with a white opaque garbage bag covering the top to keep the humidity in. I keep it in the environment until I see some new roots growing, which is usually about two weeks. Then viola...done!

I have tried this system on four of my orchids and am going to change most of my orchids into the system once I find the appropriate pots. Oh yeah, you know the pain the butt I which I have called my miltoniopsis...yeah. It's growing new roots and new shoots ever since I changed it into hydroponics. I guess I can only grow miltoniopsis in hydroponics for now.