Another semi hydro question

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Gilda

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I took the plunge a few weeks ago and started converting some of my known keepers..phals & paphs into SH. I had hydroton on hand, so that is what I used. Nothing skipped a beat...I even changed several that had buds /blooms. I am seeing new root growth and new growths are emerging.
I used all my hydroton, so a friend gave me some Prime Agra which was cleaned & soaked , so I jump in a do a few more. I am not seeing any wicking of the water and have had leaves go limp on plants ! I am having to water every other day ! What gives ? I thought PA was suppose to be the best wicking ???? sooooooooo confused ! Help !
 
Personally, I don't think it matters a whole lot which product you use. I've used a couple of different ones and basically buy the one that I can locally no matter what the brand. When you first put them into S/H you can water ever few days to help get them adjusted. After that I water once every 5 to 7 days in my greenhouse. Yes, the reservoir goes dry. But if you dump those aggregate after 7 days, you'll see they are still moist.
 
It is the old Prime Agra...but cleaned & soaked for 2 days , so it should be "wet"...I do grow in the home and these cold days have really dried the air out..but still I thought it would not dry out that quick. These are qt size pots too !
 
Hm....Can you keep up the watering for a while and hopefully they will acclimate and you can back off?

Sorry Gilda. My first go w/ S/H didn't go that well either. I didn't move everything that time, and I freaked out when I had some issues with salt buildup. When I tried again, I just committed to it, and I haven't had any deaths yet. (knocking on wood). Maybe try giving it some time, if you can afford it.
That said, I do have a plant that, since I got it (in bloom, a HUGE plant) has gone a bit floppy. I'm not sure if it's the 40" leafspan or the fact that it was blooming when I put it in S/H that has caused that.

Alternatively, you could just get them out of there!
 
Are you noticing the water remaining in the reservoir, or is it disappearing (suggesting it's being used)?
 
Bob in Albany said:
Personally, I don't think it matters a whole lot which product you use. I've used a couple of different ones and basically buy the one that I can locally no matter what the brand. When you first put them into S/H you can water ever few days to help get them adjusted. After that I water once every 5 to 7 days in my greenhouse. Yes, the reservoir goes dry. But if you dump those aggregate after 7 days, you'll see they are still moist.


Ditto Bob...this how I do things.
 
Candace said:
Gilda, you may want to water with some KLN to jump start those roots.

But will KLN jump start the wicking action that is currently the issue being delt with?:confused:
 
But will KLN jump start the wicking action that is currently the issue being delt with?


Of course not...wish there was a rolling the eyes icon. But it doesn't hurt to get the roots growing better when switching over to s/h. If they grow quickly down into the media, it doesn't matter if it's not wicking as well.
 

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