Home > Semi-Hydroponic Culture > Will it Grow in Semi-Hydroponics
I am often asked if a particular plant will do well in Semi-HydroponicTM culture, and my response is usually "probably, but it depends..."
When deciding about a specific plant, I look at the plant structure, growth
and flowering habit, and it's natural habitat.
Plants with pseudobulbs have a built-in water storage vessel, so may not need the constant moisture supply,
but most do just fine. Bulbophyllums, which like to stay well watered, do great
in S/H culture, pseudobulbs notwithstanding. Plants with no pseudobulbs seem
likely to be more of an "automatic" for S/H, but there are exceptions to that,
as well. Don't even think about moving tolumnias to S/H, and be wary of
vandaceous plants, unless you grow them in warm, dry, in-home conditions (I
recommend against it, but there are too many folks out there successfully
growing them that way for me to argue with!).
As far as growth habit goes, even if the plants would ordinarily like the
culture, if they are climbers or rangers - like the bulbo's - I tend to mount
them instead. Likewise with plants with pendant growth, such as
paraphalaenopsis.
As far as flowering habit is concerned, if the inflorescence grows down, like
stanhopeas, forget S/H!
Natural habitat plays a big role - obviously a plant coming from a rain- or
cloud forest can appreciate the moisture, while one that gets parched by trade
winds whistling through upper tree branches is less likely a good candidate.
All of those factors are evaluated together and as a matter of degree, rather
than a simple "yes/no," and when it comes to hybrids (where the "natural"
habitat is likely a greenhouse), I look back to the genera and species in their
backgrounds.
Semi-HydroponicTM culture can actually be a great help if you're "pushing the limits" of your temperatures with the plants you grow: the evaporative cooling from the constantly-moist medium can allow cooler-growing plants to thrive under warmer conditions than they might normally prefer.
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