Inorganic Media Tests & Characteristics | Why Do We Need Different Media?
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- Hi everyone, it's Annabel, welcome back to my channel! (If you want to skip the intro and get to the media test, the time stamp is 05:30 ) This gets nerdy
Today we are going to be looking at the properties of a few different inorganic medias, both their water absorption capacity, and their ability to hold onto that water- how quickly they then dry out.
First I introduce why we may need different media for different orchids in different environments (So many variables!).
I'm going to be measuring each of these properties for the following media:
LECA
LECA + Pebble top layer
Seramis
SaniCat (Danish Moler Clay)
Pumice
Perlite
Synthic
And we will discuss the results of pH measurement, water absorption and a 7 day drying test.
Website for more references to danish moler clay: www.kaizenbonsai.com/bonsai-t... (I have since ordered a little media haul from this site, they have a great range to try and good explanations of what each actually are)
Inorganic Media Series Playlist:
• Semi-Hydro for Orchids...
Hope you enjoy the video!
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Instagram: / the.orchid.room
❀ My Orchid Room ❀
Temps- 18-30C
Humidity 60-75%.
Artificial lighting supplemented with daylight.
✩ Plant Products I Use & Love ✩
Quick Disclaimer - These are products I genuinely love, buy and use- I wouldn't list something I didn't use regularly. However, some of these links are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any of these products through the Amazon links below, I do get a small percentage towards future purchases. If you choose to not purchase through these links though, I totally understand! I would never recommend products I don’t genuinely love ♡
❀ Inorganic Media ❀
RHS Alpine Horticultural grit- non wicking pebble top layer : amzn.to/2PDzPQA
LECA - Canna Aqua Brand: amzn.to/2Z5sPPy
or IKEA
Pumice : Medium grade ~10mm LAVA-LITE : amzn.to/34C14PY
Synthic: UK supplier www.dartfrog.co.uk/epiweb/
Seramis : amzn.to/2QdyP59
❃ Organic media ❃
Sphagnum moss by Besgrow
Orchiata bark
Perlite: amzn.to/2Z3PBY7 (mixed heavily with moss)
🐛Pest Control🐛
Pink Sun Neem Oil/Soap duo: amzn.to/39qyPam
Systemic insecticide Bug Clear Ultra (5g/l Acetamiprid):
Large size, better value but lacks dosing: amzn.to/39nTzzS (Use at 10ml/litre)
Or smaller size with clear dosing: amzn.to/2smCUfp
💡 Lighting 💡
Lower Light Orchids (Phalaenopsis, Oncidiums)
Cool white LAP '4000K' under cabinet lighting- Screwfix www.screwfix.com/p/lap-ykt5bf...
IKEA Tertial Lamps: www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/tertial-...
Fitted with Amazon Basics 1500 lumen cool white LED bulbs: amzn.to/36RnRsG
High Light Orchids (Vandas, Cattleyas)
GEMMA Lights:
GEMMA 50w LED modular COB grow lights: www.gemma-led.com/cob-grow-li...
GEMMA 100w LED COB plant light: www.gemma-led.com/cob-plant-l...
GEMMA have kindly provided a 10% off discount code for anyone who is interested in purchasing any of their lights! This is valid until 01/01/21. Just pop OrchidRoom in at the checkout :-)
Mars Hydro TS600
MARS HYDRO TS600 Amazon Links:
US:amzn.to/2Jolq7s
CA:amzn.to/2MSn3MI
UK:amzn.to/2lXpH91
DE:amzn.to/2BLoPJn
❃ Shelving ❃
Wire shelving, Hartleys direct: www.hartleysdirect.com/hartle...
Metal shelving IKEA: www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/s...
✩ Pots ✩
DIY Self watering pots:
15cm (White outer) made with IKEA Nekjon outer mask www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/d...
and various 15cm clear internal orchid pots
Larger made using elho brussels outer pots: amzn.to/2QxPhwT (20cm)
with orchid focus inner pots: amzn.to/2ZAW0KX (21cm) Or larger.
Wick for self watering pots: amzn.to/2sMuWM7
DIY semi hydro pots, various brands or vases
Self watering pots with water level gauge:
Lechuza mini deltini: amzn.to/2sKHuny
or other brand: amzn.to/2S5o4UL
Mini USB fans from Amazon: amzn.to/2Z9zpon
Vanda baskets purchased from Roellke Orchideen and Peter White Orchid accessories
If you want to skip the intro, the media test starts at 05:30, and the results start at 21:00 for the drying experiment 🙂
Aka The Orchid Lab 🥰
👩🔬+🌾 = 🤓
(I find it impossible not to be a nerd in all things 😂 )
@@TheOrchidRoom
Hi Annabel:
Great testing procedures. Have you ever thought about testing Silicate Beads (also known as "diaper crystals", hydro-balls / crystals) for these same characteristics?
They/(it) might even top "SYNTHIC" 's hydro-retaining properties, while also still being accessible to plant roots (it forms a 'jell-matrix' around the water molecules and anything dissolved in it; hence its use in diapers).
Have a great day/evening, Annabel.
Sincerely:
Zragonal
Best RUclips inorganic media tests EVER! Must watch for all plants and orchids grower.... mic drop.
What a fabulous video 😃💫 it deserves an Award of Merit and more 🥇🥇 I’ve always used inorganic media according to logic & feel, but to see the numbers visually presented and calculated, is super interesting! The effort gone into this video is impressive! I hope it goes viral for you 🙌🏼 well done!!! 💫
Thanks so much Nina, I'm really glad you enjoyed it!! I've wanted to make this sort of video for a while but also didn't want to bore people 😂 Looks like there might be more nerdy media tests on the horizon then! 😀😂 😘
Your orchids are beautiful and their roots confirm that your method is a winner, very impressive video. Thanks for sharing all this useful information.
This video is extremely helpful! Thank you for taking the time to set this demonstration up for us. I’ve watched a number of popular RUclips channels and I enjoy yours the most and put more weight on the things you say about growing orchids. Not only are your orchids gorgeous, but mine are burgeoning with spikes and roots and flowers...all from my carefully watching your videos! Thank you Annabelle! I am ever grateful for your channel! You ARE the best of the best! (And not the least bit arrogant about what you know, which I sure appreciate!)
I love how emperical you tested all of those different media. It’s very useful, so thanks a lot! 🙏🏽
Thanks Annabel ! Great test! Thanks for sharing your results
pl. define 1. bulk density 2. water absorbtion 3. porosity 4. av. particle size. 5.water permiability . You have explained properties very well.Thanks.
Excellent work. Thank you for sharing. 👌👍
THANK YOU!!! I am extremely grateful for your "nerdy" comparison. I am fairly new to growing orchids and have had some struggles. My climate is high altitude and very arid. I have difficulty keeping my indoor grow space at 40% humidity even with a humidifier and humidity trays. My preference is using inorganic media in semi-hydro or self-watering but knowing what is best in my climate has been hit & miss. This video is a HUGE help.
BTW, I'm a mathematics nerd so I appreciate fellow nerds!
Beautifully done
Superb content with data not just opinion. Bravo!
This was an excellent tutorial Annabel, a lot of time and effort on your part to show the results. I am still sitting of the sidelines regarding semi-hydro, but for my phrags it is fantastic and the best thing I ever did.
Just got around to this one! Really enjoyed it and will definitely be using it again as a reference. Well done for putting some science back into all the RUclips ‘Chinese whispers’!
Wow how interesting, and very helpful, so many variables then add the type of orchid you grow along with your environment , well its mind bogging. Thanks again have a great day.
Thank you Maria! I'm glad you found it useful, I agree, so many variables, and then factor in your environment and it would completely change how quickly each of these dried out. They would probably stay similar relative to each other, but it's easy to see how one method can work for one person and be difficult for another in a different environment!
@@TheOrchidRoom Yes and thanks again!
This is the best media comparison I have seen. I would love to see others if and when you have time
Thanks Tracy, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'll be getting some new media in from that Bonsai store, maybe I can do some more with them! Yes, I bought more different rocks 😂 It would be interesting to properly test some organic media too, I never could get on with the layering effect of bark, but it's the most commonly used orchid media, so it would probably be good to do.
The Orchid Room i mostly use bark, mixed with sphag, perlite and horticultural charcoal. Now i am going to add wTer and tKe the ph, after watching your video! I love videos that make me want to try stuff i haven’t thought of!
very interesting indeed! This is gardening at a new level! lol
I enjoy the scientific approach. Makes it more interesting and helps in choosing medium(even though I mostly use organic)
Thanks! I started another version including organic media, but it got put on hold with the move. Hopefully will be able to publish it in the next month or so 🙂
Phenominal video! Definitely warrants an award! Thank you for sharing your work, it must have taken ages.
Great break down on the different inorganic media
Wonderful analysis! Thoroughly enjoyed your analysis. Thanks very much for making this video and introducing the Sanicat as a replacement for seramis. Also the result for perlite was interesting as to how much water retentive it is. Please continue with the follow up if you can. Thanks again for sharing and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Thanks Mary! 😃I found the perlite super interesting as it's commonly used for extra airation in moss mixes, and while it would definitely provide that when it's dry, it actually seems to hold water very well, on a comparable level to moss even! So that's interesting, adding it into bark mixes probably even increases their water retention! Which is probably the opposite to what people think they're doing, it certainly wasn't what I expected. But I guess it makes sense if it's super porous and has lots of little air pockets within each particle, that when those air pockets fill with water, it doesn't want to let go...
@@TheOrchidRoom it makes sense I've seen some people rooting begonias or plargoniums only in perlite.
The Orchid Room perhapsthe benefit of perlite is to prevent compaction of the moss than thereby increase air to the roots which I guess could increase drainage. The drainage effect could also be sucking excess moisture from the moss. Sooo many factors. Sorry for butting in.
@@lucythecat529 Moss and perlite seem to have very similar wicking capacity, drainage would imply water not being held by the material? I definitely think it has benefit, but maybe that it isn't necessarily doing what we think this doing in this mix. Your thoughts on preventing compaction is probably a very beneficial effect, although it is so tiny and moss is so fluffy anyway, but I guess because it's rigid it probably creates little air gaps around it also like you say. Bulking agent to make expensive moss go further is what I used to use it for 😂
This is an absolutely outstanding video.... you have such great ideas and such a scientific mind. I do not use inorganic media whatsoever but this is the first video that has explained enough for me to consider trying it. Thanks for all your efforts and for all the information. I have only just found your channel a few months ago but I’ve become a huge fan of your videos. Please do not stop what you’re doing. 👍🏼👍🏼
I’ve heard diatomaceous chalk can be a good pest control solution.... I wonder if the cat litter would have potential to ward off pests of certain sorts, at least from living within the media.
Very in-depth and so informative. I've learned so much from your testing. Thank you.
Fascinating! Thank you for such a thorough investigation into a very complex subject. I can’t wait for more videos!
Thanks for this great video. I' m just getting into orchids and this kind of information is right up my alley. Planting in strictly inorganic media is something new to me. I want to find out all I can about it before I start. I like your scientific approach to the subject.
Thanks Sharon, at least if we put a comparison out there it may help when choosing, so maybe people with a warmer environment pick a media that holds more water, if they find their current media dries too quickly. Or the reverse for cooler environments that are taking too long to dry out. I'm going to put bark and moss into the next one, so it's a bit more relevant for people who don't grow in inorganic 🙂 hopefully that will be a helpful comparison! 🙂
This video works for me. Love learning this. You have a Fantastic mind... keep going with these.... Thank you for your time
My scientific heart flutters 🥰😘
It is such a great video Annabel! Thank you for doing this 😊
Thanks Ulla, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 😃 😘 I can't help but get a bit nerdy with these things 😂
One of your best videos yet, well done! 👏 I love seeing a scientific, well-designed evidence-based approach to home orchid growing. This info is vital, and I haven't seen this rigorous an experiment from anyone else.
You even answered a tangential question I've been meaning to ask about the relative weights of the different inorganic media types!
Great video. Although at 6 am my time is hard to get into my head. I will have to watch this some more so that I can understand it more. You went through a lot to do this. It helps me know that going into semi-hydro with my orchids will be easy but I will need to mix some for some orchids. Thank you and well done.
I feel im going to learn so much by joining your channel" 🙏🦋🙏
A great video! You presented the information in a very clear and concise way. Interesting results, I might just go kitty litter hunting and try inorganic media!
Very interesting! Thanks for taking the effort! I'm excited about lava rock (small pebble size) at the moment. It seems more water retentive than pumice, so maybe comparable to ceramis (which I haven't tried)? I've also used perlite for my hydroponics, that was actually the first inorganic media I tried. I've learned a lot from watching bonsai videos. We have very few speciality shops in Norway, and shipping from abroad is often very expensive, so I try to stick to what I can get locally or from within Norway.
My main issue with inorganic media is the rinsing and dusting. I don't have any outdoor space available to do that or even throw out the water. And I worry about clogging up my sink and pipes.
Wow! You did a fantastic job. As a beginner it’s overwhelming. I don’t know what to do but try to make the best choices I can. Your orchids are beautiful. Thank you for all the information. I wait for your videos. Have a good day!
Hi Lisa! I totally understand what you mean, and sometimes we do tend tend to overcomplicate things. It's good to get a general understanding of what each media does, and then it's a bit of trial and error finding good combinations for each orchid in your environment 🙂 For example, I really struggle with the layering effect of bark, I like to water things and the wet middle of the pot and dry outsides of the bark always caused me issues. Mixing with moss seems to spread the moisture out through the pot so it dries more evenly in my environment, and in that way I found bark easier to manage 🙂 Before switching over to inorganic, and having to figure out ways to make that work for my environment with different orchids anyway. Let me know if you have any issues or questions and I'll do my best to help if I can 🙂 It's all learning what works for your environment 🙂
Thanks for putting the work into this.
No problem Joel, thanks for watching! 😃
one media I also like to use in a mix with leca is kanuma (in 6/12 granulometry), it improves the wicking ability of the mix and has the advantage to change color in function of its humidity level (white when dry, yellow when wet) and as a slightly acidic pH (in theory...).
I find it helps a lot for semiterrestrials such as phaius as well as for fine rooted orchids which needs more moisture such as oncidiums.
Really interesting! I made an order with a bonsai supplier and ordered some kyodama to try out, maybe I should have ordered akadama as well! I had some in the basket when I read about water absorbancy and pH, but then the place said it was softer and it gave me second thoughts. I'll order it next time! 😀
@@TheOrchidRoom actually, I don't use akadama because it's really difficult to find a consistent quality, some last for years while others turn to mush in a matter of weeks, even from the same supplier. Kanuma on the other hand seems fairly constant quality, it will break down after a while but it takes years
@@sjusovare Oops sorry think I was getting confused, I had alot of different rocks in the basket 😂 Good to know thanks! I'll look into kanuma instead.
Fabulous experiment. I subscribed after watching this. Do you have an experiment / video about how different media or mixes are suitable for different orchids?
Great link for the bonsai supplies! Sending you a screen shot 🤣🤣 good to see reasonable akadama prices because it’s far too expensive here for much less!!
I really wanted to try the kanuma but then realised they said it was soft and would break down, but may have to try a few of their other media! I made a massive order (during my no spend 😅) and spent way too much on rocks, but they're all 14 litre bags and they have small pumice and this stuff that looks like small LECA and I was way too intrigued! Next time I may order the akadama or some of their other clay/rock type media to try!
Well done!
Thanks Jo! I haven't forgotten your question about semi hydro maintenance and routines, it's in the works 🙂
I've bought this week the Lechuza pon mix, put 2 Phalaenopsis in it so we see how that works out. Not in the semi-hydro way but just in de normal pots with holes.
That was awesome Annabell, that was so informative my environment in my home is so dry especially in the winter as it is I fight to keep the humidity higher than 40%. I will have to see if I can find some Synthic, Have you ever done that experiment with lave rock?
Hi! Thankyou, glad it was helpful! Yes, part 2 looked at lava rock and part 3 compared wicking efficiency of lava with LECA, you can see the playlist here 🙂 ruclips.net/p/PL76ceLYvhJstWOaxgKsq92xadAxjpid_r My next test will quantify the dry layer, but probably not until next year as in my new environment winters are very wet and humid, and summers are very dry and hot, so I think a dry layer test would be better done in summer 🙂
Good, informative video
Thanks Paige!
Annabel, loved this experiment and all the data! I now understand why (without being concerned about pH) I have failed with Leca, and succeeded with plain water. My tap water with fertilizer added is just about 6.5, great for nutrient uptake. I still really do not want to bother with pH or adjusting for it. Do you know how soil affects pH, or would it depend on the brand, the ferts added, etc? I never tested pH in the runoff from my plants in soil, and maybe I should. Anyway, extremely interesting, as always! Thanks
Very interesting. I’m burying my head in the sand atm about the ph effects.i afraid it will me make me throw my hands up in the air if I really know.
I checked the roots on my self watering pot orchids today. I did some cleaning up and checked the moisture content of the media. My phals had rotted a few roots and were producing water roots, I trimmed the dead ones off so all seems well.
I feel like if you're orchids look fine and are growing fine, they are probably absorbing enough nutrients anyway. I've been reading recently about CEC (cation exchange capacity) and read that many clay media hold an overall negative charge, which attracts and holds the positively charged nutrients to the media.
So it could be that pH is maybe less important for some media, it's all a bit of a minefield though!
I guess worry if you start to see signs of deficiency, it may never become an issue even 🙂
I'm glad the phals are making new roots into the semi hydro/self watering setup! That's positive, hopefully it'll make moisture easier to manage in your hot summers!
The Orchid Room
I agree, the other Phals in ordinary pots are getting new roots but they have sphagnum on top of their media.
Good to hear about the CEC also. So many things that affect our plants that we have absolutely no idea is happening.
@@lynnbrooks5503 It's a bit scary really, how little we fully understand, and all these little things probably add up into why some media work for some people and not others... because It doesn't seem to always be as straight forward as temp and humidity making the crucial difference, it seems to be a whole accumulation of tiny things in culture and medium as well!
Very helpful and informative. Thank you for doing this much needed experiment. Though I suggest you evaluate the water absorption by volume of the medias. Otherwise the results maybe misleading particularly with regard to perlite. For instance, 30 grams may fill the entire cup, if it absorb 2 times of its weight water, a full cup absorbs 60 grams of water; whereas 200 grams seramis fills a cup, a full cup absorbs 140 grams of water. For the grower or the plant, it’s how much per cup of media holds water, right?
Moisture retention per gram can be extrapolated to volume quite easily, what we are looking at is relative moisture absorbancy and retention, measured in a uniform way, which means we can compare between conditions. Particle size differs and gaps between particles also differs, given the non uniformity of the media across the board. This means that smaller particles are likely to hold more water per gram as there are more particles of media per unit of mass. But for the purpose of measurement and calculation, measuring a given volume of media presents far more challenges than measuring a given weight.... I can't really get into cubic centimetres of water retained per cubic centimeter of media in a home environment.... I have no way to accurately measure that. Weight is an easy measurement that can be extrapolated as you see fit.
True. Thanks for your info about the potential of clay cat litters btw- had a hard time funding a US equivalent but Special Kitty seems to have one clay non clumping litter. Definitely will check it out. Love watching your channel 🌹
Interesting.
Thanks Roger! 🙂
Thank you for this experiment. I live in Las Vegas where relative humidity is 17%. I have my orchids in my casita with a fogger that maintain 60- 70% humidity. And I still struggle with dryness. I managed to get some seramis from my cousin who live in England. I have found that a mix of all the media ( except for the cat litter) is optimum for my conditions. I do vary the amount mixes according to the root size. I found that if I could put a couple strands of synthtic buried near the reservoir my mix media remains moist for at least 2 days. What I worry about is the variation in PH still remain in the reservoir. How do you handle this. I use reverse osmosis h20 and klyte. Maybe you can do an experiment on this.... Thank you so much for your guidance.
I agree that mixing things together definitely gives you more options to customise the mix, and in glad the new materials are working for you! 🙂 I've since been told that medium grade turface is a product that's available in the US and very close to seramis, might be worth seeing if you can compare that as a cheaper alternative? 🙂 I tried getting some turface in to compare but we can't get it over here 😅 Just a thought, if it isn't too expensive and since you have some seramis to compare it to! 😀 The synthic holds so much water doesn't it, I've started poking strings vertically down through the mixes to see if it can keep the top layer more moist also! Thanks for letting g me know how things are going and what's working for you! 😀
With regard to pH in the reservoir, it will fluctuate between feeds along with TDS. The best we can do is top up regularly and flush routinely to keep the reservoir within a good pH and TDS range. It's impossible to control though, I guess it's just about keeping it within a range that works for the plants, and if you notice any signs of nutrient deficiency that's something to think about. It doesn't seem to be a major issue for me, but I understand your point completely!
For people in US looking for a seramis alternative, the product is called turface. You’ll have to do some googling, but you can get it in bulk from John Deere distributors MUCH cheaper than from bonsai supply stores. It is the same as what the bonsai shops sell, but sold for a totally different application (I think it’s sold for footing for baseball diamonds).
Wow thanks for the tip! Lots of people have asked about seramis in the US, and I didn't even think about alternatives! Of course, I just tried to find some turface here so we could compare, but they don't seem to do it in the UK (I found one on etsy but it's repackaged bags, so it could just be the moler clay, they have no branding and I'm not convinced...). But I googled and it uses the words calcined clay for turface, and the media size looks similar! Seems like lots of bonsai growers use it also. Great tip, thankyou 🙂
The Orchid Room it also goes by monto clay. Here is an excerpt from an online bonsai seller called bonsai jack:
Monto Clay ®, short for Montmorillonite clay, is a fired clay product used to amend soil. Montmorillonite is sold under other brand names such as Turface MVP®.
The advantage of Monto Clay is the 1/4 inch particle size. 1/4 inch particles prevent dry spots, poor drainage and settling which can create acidic shock. Ideal for use in bonsai soil, cactus soil, succulent soil, hydroponics and amending soil to increase drainage.
Montmorillonite is known for its cation exchange capacity(CEC). It's also a great acidifier. The acidic properties help offset the alkaline properties of other ingredients such as pumice and lava rock. Monto clay is a great substitute for Akadama.
@@orchidgarden3124 I tried looking under montmorillonite clay and all that came up in the UK was the Moler clay.... This is from the bonsai supply store I was looking at.
''Moler is a fired-clay product produced from naturally occurring montmorillonite that has formed from ancient algae deposits. It is calcined to produce a spectacularly porous light-weight granular material that is perfect for adding to plant growing mediums.
Moler has an exceptional CEC and can hold it’s own weight in water. When carefully graded it provides a good AFP ratio. Frost-proof to at least -16 Celsius.
Moler is a quite acidic medium (pH5.5) and this should be borne in mind when working out the ideal soil mixture for your bonsai. ''
So....it seems like it's a nearly identical composition? Is it just a name difference for the same product I wonder?
I give you a blue ribbon at the science fair!
Thanks Matthew, I love ribbons 😂😃
An excellent experiment. It is a shame you didn't have a larger grade of perlite to work with. (I guess there is no one selling it in the UK anymore) But it is supposed to be less water absorbent than the small grade stuff and it may evaporate more rapidly because it is large chunks (more air pockets between particles). Because the particle size is more comparable to leca, it would have made an interesting comparison. (I mean, I could send you some if you wanted to play around with it. It shouldn't cost that much to post and I've certainly got plenty on hand)
Thanks Michael, I agree, I would have loved to try a larger perlite! I suspect since the grade I'm using is so small it traps water both within and between each piece of perlite, like you say, where maybe a larger grade would hold less water in the gaps between media because of those air pockets and increased evaporation.... Like how Rick uses smaller gravel for more moisture loving orchids, even though his gravel doesn't seem to absorb water?
I did look around for a chunky perlite or vermiculite, but it doesn't seem to exist anymore! Someone tipped me off that a hardware store chain sold chunky vermiculite for some sort of plumbing purposes, but they no longer do it.
Thanks so much for the offer to post some, that's really kind and I would have loved to try it out! Unfortunately there are ridiculous taxes on anything shipped from the US or just outside the EU in general, I don't know how it works or how they know what to tax, but there is usually a large additional customs fee 😂 otherwise I would definitely have taken you up on that kind offer!
I found some lava rock from a German amazon seller finally, so I will try that out next! Very excited to have finally found some!
@@TheOrchidRoom That can't really be right, right? If I sent you a little bag of large perlite as a gift from person to person, and it has practically no value, you have to pay customs/taxes on it? No wonder you guys have state healthcare and we don't. 😉
@@michaelmccarthy4077 I'm not sure on that actually, I've never tried it with gifts, you would probably have to fill out customs forms though and declare it, I appreciate the offer but it would probably end up being alot of hassle your end 🙂 I tried to send something as a gift to Mexico once, and I still have it because I couldn't work out all the customs forms and declarations! My boyfriend buys collectable figures from Japan and the import fees, tax and customs fees usually make them double the price, it's crazy....
Can you please make the playlist not in reverse order?
What? No lava rock? Good video though and great info!!!
Lava rock is pretty impossible to get in the UK unless you want to pay £30 for like 3 litres 😂 I had to buy a synthetic lava rock imitation for the last media test video and it held virtually no water....
@@TheOrchidRoom WOW! That price is crazy! I'm in Indiana, USA. It's a common landscape product here...very cheap. I started using lava rock because it seems similar to leca and is much cheaper and I can get it at my local hardware store. I'm trying out your technique of the small gravel layer on top of my lava rock. I think it will make for a very good set up for my environment. I have a facebook page called Clock Man's Garden that I use as a garden journal for my orchids...if you would be interested in seeing it.
@@matthewcondon1985 So I had another check because it was quite a while ago that I really tried to get lava rock, where I struggled and eventually found a garden centre/ aquarium store that did it for £30 for a tiny sack, and then gave up 😂 I've found a german amazon seller that do 25kg of crushed lava rock, different grades for £30 + postage. Maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and get some because you're right, it's so commonly used in other countries that I really need to compare it 😅 and if it's better than pumice maybe I just use it for very special orchids since it's double the price 🤣 what grade would you recommend? They have 4-11mm or 8-16mm or bigger, I guess the 8-16 would probably be closest to my pumice to compare them. I'll check the Facebook page, thanks! 🙂
The Orchid Room just to chime in here because I use a lot of lava rock, you can get the biggest pieces and use a hammer to easily break it up into smaller pieces whenever it’s needed. I use it in place of traditional media (not semi-hydro) for a lot of my orchids. I like bigger pieces (1-2 inch) for catt types, or for drainage and weight at the bottom of any pot. Helps keep pots from tipping over. It holds more moisture than you would initially think. A pot full of it might take a week to dry. If I want quicker drying I mix it with LECA, which dries much quicker. Apparently lava rock is very commonly used in Hawaii. I am also experimenting at the moment with growing a couple of phals in pure charcoal chunks (about 1-2 inch pieces) in a glass container with no drainage holes. Charcoal is very cheap here and easy to find. It dries quicker than Lava rock, requiring watering (I soak for an hour or so, then dump it all out) about 2 times a week in winter, so probably not a good long-term solution used alone. I am also experimenting with using chunks of charcoal in the very center of the pot with bark mix around edges and bottom so that the center of the pot dries at about the same rate as the rest of the pot, making it easier to tell when it’s safe to water and avoiding those rotten roots in the middle of the pot. This seems especially helpful in large pots.
@@TheOrchidRoom Oh my goodness...I just typed out a long comment and it all disappeared. I'll type it all out again later when I have more time.