SallyO, beautiful picture! I think you mean't "can't" really over water. :)
Yes, it works so well for me when we go out of town for sure!!!! I got so tired of repotting and was too sick to do that all the time and it is so CLEAN on my shelves!
Post more of your potato chips, Sally O!
semi hydro doing great!
You are right Sally that I meant you cannot overwater. Your right about the repotting. So much less with s/h
Sally, when you go out of town, how do you set them up? Do you put more water in container? Are they wicked? Sorry if I asked before, but I'm curious. Still hesitating to move over to hydroton.
We were just out of town for a week and I just left them and they were fine. I just filled the container the night before we left and there was still some water in them when I came back.
Yes, I water well, fill my bowls that are under them since I mostly use reg. violet pots and they do great. No worries.
If you start, just do a few at first. I was SO afraid they would die! But I really had no choice, made it easier to decide, ha. I never bag but SallyO bags, you might try that also. I am actually shocked at how easy it has been.
Sally when you prepare your plants to go into s/h, do you clean the roots real well or just rinse the roots off? I am trying to figure out what you do that I don't. I really rough up the roots trying to get rid of as much dirt as possible. Thanks. Sally
Yes, I clean them pretty well but a little soil left is not a problem. I just potted up four more. One was potted a week ago and it has GROWN! They love it! I need to get pictures of them while they are little to compare later with dates/measurements.
It is so simple, amazing. I am not saying I never lose any. I just lost one from being too wet in the special container. I dont like the containers made for the pellets. I like using the regular violet pots. I don't keep them really wet with the water high in the little bowl below unless we leave town. They get to be less wet usually. I like to go in every couple of days and give them a little bit of water on the roots and then it drains off to the bottom. They like that. I have very few that die now.
Orchids do fine in the special container. Also, my chiritas are fine. Just the violets. Maybe just coincidence.
I just bought 9 more! I am out of control but they are so darn pretty! Alright, I am going to try to not be as rough with the roots and see what that does.
I was also sent some leaves so I am trying them in the s/h. I think I did this years ago but I can't remember. Another adventure.
I hope your leaves work, I haven't tried that yet in the S/hydro.
I just took a photo of Ruffles 'n Lace.
Sally, love the Ruffles n lace. awesome bloom!
Beautiful Sallyblooms! I just ordered 9 more AV's and think I know what I was doing wrong with the transfer to s/h. I was being too rough with the roots. I was really working the dirt off. I was much more gentle and left dirt on if it was attached and they seem to be doing much better. So on that note, I ordered 5 more AV's. Out of control for sure. lol. Love it.
Jolly Jubileee just started blooming for me.
Wow! This couldn't be any more adorable if you tried! So cute and beautifully grown!
I looove that one Sallyo!
Lynn
Sally0, I am not to rough I guess, I leave some soil on. Doesn't hurt. Your Jolly Jubilee is so great! I can't wait to see more plants. I love how easy it is.
I have a few more blooming. Rob's Kitten Caboodle and Rob's Sarsparilla
This is an Optimara noid that is just bursting with blooms
Beautiful and they all have so many blooms.
Lynn
WOW, Sally0, the last one looks like a silk plant. They are all SO beautiful! BLOOM happy!!!!!
This is a BIG plant, hard to tell. I love FRILLY leaves and blooms! You can see the ceramic planting medium in this one.
Very pretty Sally! I also have another one blooming. Rob's Chilly Willy
So pretty Sally 0. That is a real cutie!
Here is another I took yesterday. Just got four new Optimara's in the mail today also. Time to take off the "soil!."
This message was edited Apr 18, 2012 1:24 PM
Very pretty Sally I love the Optimara's, they tend to be bloom machines.
Yes, three came in a gorgeous arrangement from my hubby for Valentine's Day. I just thought they were not as good as other violets, but WOW they are strong. Blooms are huge and they are happy plants!
Two of my Optimara's from Valentine's day. They have loved the semi hydro. They keep blooming and growing so large. The blooms are really big.
They are just doing beautifully Sally! They look really big.
They are!
Sally -
Just wanted to let you know I finally broke down last week and got a small bag of hydroton. After letting it sit on my table for a week, I just now got done putting my first plant into it - Frozen in Time. I hope it was ok to leave a little of the soil mixed in the roots (I did rinse and scrub as much off as I could) . . . oh, yeah, I left some roots . . . hope that was ok too. We shall see.
I don't take all of the soil out, impossible on some plants. Yes, leave all roots. If it looks sad, cover in plastic. I have had good luck not having to, but it helps people to cover in plastic sometimes.
Good luck! Don't over water. I love it, no soil spilling.
Do you leave the pots sitting in water all of the time?
Lynn
No, for me, that made them too wet. If I go out of town, I put in some water. They seem to like it when I just add water from the top every few days.
Okay,sounds good.Thank you.
You can see how it works for you.
Sally and Sallyo,(and anyone else)
Several of us are experimenting with clay rocks.Have you ever grown Gesneriads that need less water,like Primulina and Streps or Hoyas. in these rocks? I saw some Cacti and Succulents in the pictures above.Does everybody just water from the top and let a little water sit in the bottom of of the tray or do you need to water some plants differently? Do you use anything for PH?
Lynn
My Charita's LOVE it. I use the special containers from First Ray's for them. I fill it up and they do great. They sure are EASY. I wish A. Violets were that easy!
We grow orchids in them also.
A lot of cacti and other succulents grow on almost humus free, pure mineral substrates in nature. A lot of them are difficult or impossible to keep alive in your average mixes but throw the same plants into "pop-clay" and suddenly, they become pretty easy growers.
"Desert Roses" (Adenium) can be notoriously difficult to keep alive because their roots are very prone to rot in regular mix and that's why they used to be sold almost exclusively pruned onto Oleander (Nerium). However, if you give them s/h, they thrive almost instantly.
The same is true for a lot of the truly root-fussy Aizoaceae and Stapeliads.
The list goes on and on...
Well, and with Gesneriads, it's no surprise that the ones that plants like Violets thrive in s/h as they grow in rock crevices with not much humus in nature.
I probably wouldn't put a Kohleria or an Achimenes on s/h, as they really like a somewhat heavier, humus rich mix but anything like Petrocosmea, Saintpaulia, the alpine genera like Ramonda, (at least some) Sinningia, Primulina/Chirita, Episcia, epiphytes like Nematanthus, Codonanthe or Aeschynanthus should do well.
I prefer to grow Gesneriads in mix but that's just a personal thing. I have grown succulents in s/h in the past and if I were to grow them again, it would be in s/h.
I should move my Desert Rose into it. But it is doing great now. I will maybe move it at some point.
Once I finish downing this 3L bottle of diet coke, I am going to put one of my episcia in it, with the hydroton for medium . . .