Hey everyone! In this video, I show a cattleya, a dendrobium, and an oncidium being repotted into a semi-hydroponic mix. The media is clay pellets or sometimes called “hydroton clay” and it is very lightweight and airy. This is my first try, so learn while I learn, and expect updates! Enjoy! Here is a link to Ray Barklow’s website – the person who developed the technique:

Semi-Hydroponics™ Basics

Going Semi-Hydroponic with Orchids – 3 plants demonstrated

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19 Comments

  • komalthecoolk

    I am new to growing orchids and I'm seeing a lot of them being grown oln pieces of wood and bark. Is that a specific technique? Can you point me to some info regarding that?

  • Courier6

    Well, you convinced me. I will try that with my three Phals, they have proven to can take abuse and still thrive, so if they don't like it, they will bounce back^^.
    Potting mix just gets everywhere – and I am curious, since I am a kinda a scientist, too (engineer^^) – and besides, potting mixes are quite expensive, compared to the REUSABLE clay pellets. Your climate is quite similar to mine, so hardware store, here I come … no bark in my sink after soaking would be quite nice #FuckingBark XD

  • TheCalcarAvis

    hello @astrid your videos really gave me reason to start my own research about semi-hydroponics. i think it is a really good way to keep orchids happy especially the ones that require more moisture and since i have a lot of bulbos i want to give it a try. but i still have a few questions and i can't really find answers on the internet.
    first is about watering itself. how do i know when to water? so far i would water when the sphagnum moss was almost dry so i had quite a good indication when the right time was. but how is it with s/h?
    and my second question is about the LECA and the size of the granules. since my bulbos are all very small species they have a very fragile and thin rootsystem. should i use cley pellets that are smaller? i still have some SERAMIS which is actually the same thing just smaller. but then again i kinda fear that it will hold too much water and suffocate the roots.. help meee 😛 :P

  • lineflyer1

    I watched your video because i had a experimental kratky method , hydro table I did for lettuce with good results.
    I am not hitting on you, I already have a woman, but your hot.

  • Nikola Howard

    Hi Astrid, you mentioned at the very end that it was dirty? You need to rinse the media before you use it, cos where it rolls around in the bag, the outsides wear off on each other, effectively creating clay "sand"…

    Otherwise, looking good! I'm thinking of a full on LECA bead experiment myself, so far I've just used it as a good way to add both air and moisture into a bark mix…

  • DarkDarkPrincess

    hey im new to this, but i believe i linked you in a video, hope thats ok, not sure if i needed permission to do that, its not letting me put the link in this comment, but its on my channel called " semi hydroponics in terra cotta pot pieces? Phalaenosis"

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