About 8 months ago, I was losing my pitiful orchids to traditional planting. Bought them all from big box stores and knew nothing about them... just that they were pretty. Read somewhere that all I needed to do was leave two ice cubes on top each week LOL. I converted ALL 8 to semihydroponics. Some were too far gone and weren't going to survive. Two, I broke during the process, and I have three that are strong and beautiful. My white orchid has had 6 blooms on it since before Christmas! Love your videos, Michael! Thank you for sharing your experience! My simple grocery store orchids are so much happier!
Over the last 6 months I have changed many of my orchids to semi hydroponics. Your video gave me some excellent suggestions in taking even better care of them. Thank you for sharing!
That makes me so happy to hear! That is the entire objective of this channel, it warms my heart to know that you're finding my videos helpful. Thank you for watching, and happy growing Barb!
I just watched another of your videos on cleaning and disinfecting the Leica beads and saw that after washing the jar you then sprayed it with the Physan 20 solution. I like your thoroughness! Great idea! Thanks so much for sharing your love of these wonderful plants.
Just discovered your channel. Wow, I'm amazed at your elegant looking glass pots and your maintenance routines! I'm excited and inspired to use your technique as soon as I have my drill bits delivered. You have a great teaching approach which is entertaining as well as educational. Appreciatively thankful!
June 26, 2017. Thank you for video. Been wanting to try physan on my orchids. I grow my orchids outdoors and with all the rain, I'm developing a lot of algae and moss.
Hi Michael. You were recommended by MissOrchidGirl and so glad I checked out your video. I ordered the Physan 20 but didn't notice in your video how you used the solution in the spray bottle. Thanks so much!
No worries! To be honest, I don't think I covered that. The solution concentration is the exact same (though to be on the safe side I would use 1 teaspoon per gallon). You can also use the spray bottle to treat the leaves, taking care to avoid the flower spikes or blooms themselves. Never hesitate to ask if you have any more questions!
Thank you so much for your videos, Michael! I’ve learned so much from you. I don’t grow orchids but I grow their cousin, hoyas. Which I absolutely love. Thanks again. Wishing you all the best in 2018.
This is exactly what I was looking for to keep the mold and fungus down. Excellent hydroponics setup. I live in central Fl and grow my plants on my patio, mostly in bright shade. They get about 2-3 hours of direct sunlight each morning. I had five phals in shp and panicked when the roots molded and went bad in two days. Two of them are thriving. The wicking was unbelievable d/t the high humidity. The beads stayed wet so I had to drain out the reservoir to half. These are rescue phals so the three that went bad could have been bad roots to start. I am trying to rescue them again so that I can try them in shp again. : }
Hi Gloria! Don't panic when the roots start to rot when you first convert them. They will experience a set back, but they will eventually and definitely grow new roots that are better equipped for the new S/H environment. In the meantime, just manage the mold!
You need some tiny little corks to pop into those drainage holes :) I started using Physan 20 after noticing some black spots growing on orchids I recently brought in (Cattleya type). Some of the spray solution got on a nearby Masdevallia nidifica, and it lost a few leaves after that, so I think people should be cautious about using this method on Masdes, Dracula, and Phragmepedium. I have read on forums that they don't respond well to it. Good info for the tougher-leaved orchids though, Cattleya, Vanda, Phals, and Dendrobium for sure!
Kimberly. That may be the most genius idea I've ever heard! I immediately googled "mini corks" and found SO MANY OPTIONS. Suffice to say, I'll be ordering immediately! Great call out with the Physan 20 solution: I don't have any Masdes or Dracula, but my Phrag does just fine with it. That being said, moving forward with caution or a more dilute solution to start is always a good policy. I'll address this in future videos!
Just started watching your videos very informative. I will start the preventive method. I missed if you said to air dry the alcohol mixture or dry leaves . Thank you
Hello, I’m so happy I found your videos. Very easy to watch, informative, funny and thank you! for no background music :). I’ve been pretty successful in keeping my flask babies alive but growing so slow (over a year now) I feed maybe every 3rd week with a weakened fertilizer. Should I increase the timing?
Michael , for some reason my solution (water, alcohol 70% and dish soap turning kinda milky color and not clear as yours.... is it ok ?? Regards, Valentina P.S. after you clean leaves you don’t wash it off with water, right?? And last Q- how long can you keep this solution (days, weeeks or every time new?) Big fun of your videos! 👍🌺
Hi Michael I'm in the middle of disinfecting right now. I'm curious about how frequently this I need to do this. Do you think quarterly would be sufficient? Asking because my bedroom is a semi hydro frigging jungle and just clearing the plants out of the room to sweep took like an hour. I feel like I can get away with it as long as I thoroughly disinfect because from a new outbreak to them really harming plants significantly takes a while.
Hi Michael. I was very interested in this video. I have most of my orchids in full water Culture but have been thinking about placing some into semi water Culture. How do you get the holes in your glass containers. Also there were no links in your video comment section? I look forward to more of your videos. Cheers Ingrid
Thank you for catching that, Ingrid! Sometime I forget! Here is the link to my "how to" on drilling holes in your glass containers: ruclips.net/video/h3PKt-UJjpE/видео.html
Hi Michael, I’m worried about discarding the water on the sink since the instructions said not to. Is it ok to do so? Thank you for your videos. Please answer my question. I found like a spider web on my plants and I don’t know what to do about it. I haven't seen any spiders but I found some things that look like eggs. I have succulents and orchids too.
Hi!!! New Leca user here. I am 3 weeks in and there are white hairs spreading through out my leca. They are not the power specks that I see people talking about. This looks like hairs. Any pointers?
There are teeny tiny ants in between my vanda leaves and they crawl up onto the flowering plants and seem to suck the sap cause the buds dry out. What to do? Perhaps they are not ants?
Hi Michael. I already have algae growing in my orchids with leca. Can I just use the Physan 20 to get rid of it or do I have to take them apart and clean everything and then put it all back together again. I have about 4 orchids that the algae is pretty bad. I was hoping just by using the Physan 20 it would get rid of all of the algae. Thanks. I love your videos. You are so helpful!!!
michael how often per time finally i got my hands on physan my cousin send me a big bottle👍👍👍can not get it here🇱🇺🇱🇺☹so now i want to start the attacks btw tnx in advance
Hi Michael, I really love and enjoy your videos. I am just getting into orchids and I just purchased an orchid with blooms from a grocery story. At the time in the store I didn't notice that this plant had a spider web so I guess it must have spider mites. From you video I made my own water, alcohol and dawn dish soap solution. Will this help with spider mites? Also after spraying the orchid should I be drying it off with a paper towel? If it doesn't help much with spider mites can you suggest something I can use for them? I didn't purchase any Physan 20 but I would like to put this orchid into a semi-hydroponic environment. I have washed and boiled my Leca beads would I need to use the Physan 20 before transplanting my orchid? Do I need to wait till the blooms are gone before transplanting? Thank you for all your wonderful and informative video!
Hi Bailey! Yes, the solution does help with spider mites, but nothing will fight spider mites more effectively than raising ambient humidity in your grow environment. The presence of spider mites usually indicates too dry of a climate, try using an ultrasonic humidifier, that’s what i do! Also, i wouldn’t worry too much about using physan, I actually don’t use it very often anymore because it can be a little too aggressive for some plants
Hi Michael! Thanks for the info. I have two questions: 1. the physan seems pretty bad-ass, when reading the label. Do you follow those instructions only when mixing up the solution or all the time? (Gloves, long sleeves, etc) I'm kinda scared to use it. 2. do you wash off the alcohol/water/soap solution when you're done with the preventative routine? I'm worried about clogging the "pores" of the leaves. Thanks again!!
Hi Michael, the one orchid I have in semi hydro I noticed today that there is what I think is white mold forming. I thought it was water /fertilizer deposits until I saw it on some air roots. I have to get some Physan but I couldn't wait another minute so I removed it from the Leca, trimmed some mushy root and sprayed with hydrogen peroxide 3% let it sit for 15 min. Rinsed again and allowing it to air dry some. Then on to repot. Do you allow the reservoir to go completely dry to enable the Leca to dry somewhat or ??? I was quite sunrise at how soaking wet all the Leca was when I dumped it into a tray. Thank you for your help.
Hi Sharon! If you have recently potted your orchids into semi hydroponics (within in the past few months), mold tends to happen pretty frequently; The old root system begins to rot out as the orchid initiates new root growth that is adapted specifically to the new grow environment. Don't panic, but also don't over handle your orchid: Remember that every time you treat or unpot your plant, it causes it some stress. Mold can be flushed out of the container through the drainage holes, so it shouldn't require too much extra effort on your part. And no, I never wait for the water reservoir to completely dry. Once every seven days, I give the entire container a long flush of tap water to remove excess Nutrients and decaying matter. Then I refill the reservoir with fertilized distilled water. I hope that helps!
Hi Michael I was told not to use urea when fertilizing my orchids, I see the fertilizer you are using contains urea, I also see that that brand has a urea free fertilizer as well. What are your thoughts on this?
Hi Janeice! Thanks for a great question: the dominant opinion is urea-free fertilizer is better for orchids, however the scientific support of this preference is a little confusing: many of the studies were conducted on terrestrial plants, not epiphytic. It's hard to draw a definitive conclusion from the data. What is hard to dispute is the general verdict from trial and error from orchid growers over the years: most boast better results with urea free. That said, I've had fabulous and parallel results using the both formulas: with and without urea. This discussion (in my very amateur opinion) seems to be a lot of conjecture, and perhaps a marketing tactic. To put it in the words of Ray Barkalow: "Fertilizer is WAY down in the "Maslow's pyramid" of orchid priorities. 95% of the plant is made up of stuff it gets from air and water, and of the remaining small percentage, nitrogen is by far the largest component." In my experience, there hasn't been a big enough difference in my results to cause me to favor one over the other. I hope that helps!
Michael, Thank you so much for putting that into perspective for me. I just ordered the fertilizer and the kelpmax. I am going to try your method of drilling holes in glass containers this weekend! I am slowly moving in the semi-hydroponics direction.
I think you're really going to love it, it's a fabulous and effective growing system! Just try to be patient as your plants adjust, you may see a few setbacks before they really start to thrive! Here's a reference video that may help you decide when to make the leap:
The will be just fine if they are indoors. Phalaenopsis can be a little pouty when it gets cold because they are warm growing. But if you put them on a Heat mat, they should do amazing.
Michael's Orchids mine are indoors,and here in my place,you really have to pay a fortune to buy heat mat,which I can't,so so expensive,any other suggestions will be appreciated,and do u have any phal dendrobium in semihydroponics??
Not sure what else you could do to raise Heat, just try to keep the orchids away from the cold! I actually don't have any phal dendrobium in my collection!
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Michael, what is your most updated version of treating pests and diseases on your orchids
About 8 months ago, I was losing my pitiful orchids to traditional planting. Bought them all from big box stores and knew nothing about them... just that they were pretty. Read somewhere that all I needed to do was leave two ice cubes on top each week LOL. I converted ALL 8 to semihydroponics. Some were too far gone and weren't going to survive. Two, I broke during the process, and I have three that are strong and beautiful. My white orchid has had 6 blooms on it since before Christmas! Love your videos, Michael! Thank you for sharing your experience! My simple grocery store orchids are so much happier!
Over the last 6 months I have changed many of my orchids to semi hydroponics. Your video gave me some excellent suggestions in taking even better care of them. Thank you for sharing!
That makes me so happy to hear! That is the entire objective of this channel, it warms my heart to know that you're finding my videos helpful. Thank you for watching, and happy growing Barb!
I just watched another of your videos on cleaning and disinfecting the Leica beads and saw that after washing the jar you then sprayed it with the Physan 20 solution. I like your thoroughness! Great idea! Thanks so much for sharing your love of these wonderful plants.
I'm just a bit neurotic, but I'm glad you're finding inspiration!
Just discovered your channel. Wow, I'm amazed at your elegant looking glass pots and your maintenance routines! I'm excited and inspired to use your technique as soon as I have my drill bits delivered. You have a great teaching approach which is entertaining as well as educational. Appreciatively thankful!
Thanks Michael for the link 😊. As I am new to your videos I will go back and watch some of your previous ones.
Now I see how you keep everything so clean!
I'm afraid I'm a bit compulsive in that way 😉
Thanks for giving us the proportion of the disinfectant Michael !
June 26, 2017. Thank you for video. Been wanting to try physan on my orchids. I grow my orchids outdoors and with all the rain, I'm developing a lot of algae and moss.
Hi Michael. You were recommended by MissOrchidGirl and so glad I checked out your video. I ordered the Physan 20 but didn't notice in your video how you used the solution in the spray bottle. Thanks so much!
I know, she's so sweet to suggest my videos! I'm glad you find them useful, thank you for tuning in!
Sorry to ask again as I could have missed it in the video but how do you use the solution of Physan 20 in the spray bottle?
No worries! To be honest, I don't think I covered that. The solution concentration is the exact same (though to be on the safe side I would use 1 teaspoon per gallon). You can also use the spray bottle to treat the leaves, taking care to avoid the flower spikes or blooms themselves. Never hesitate to ask if you have any more questions!
Thank you so much for your videos, Michael! I’ve learned so much from you. I don’t grow orchids but I grow their cousin, hoyas. Which I absolutely love. Thanks again. Wishing you all the best in 2018.
This is exactly what I was looking for to keep the mold and fungus down. Excellent hydroponics setup. I live in central Fl and grow my plants on my patio, mostly in bright shade. They get about 2-3 hours of direct sunlight each morning. I had five phals in shp and panicked when the roots molded and went bad in two days. Two of them are thriving. The wicking was unbelievable d/t the high humidity. The beads stayed wet so I had to drain out the reservoir to half. These are rescue phals so the three that went bad could have been bad roots to start. I am trying to rescue them again so that I can try them in shp again. : }
Hi Gloria! Don't panic when the roots start to rot when you first convert them. They will experience a set back, but they will eventually and definitely grow new roots that are better equipped for the new S/H environment. In the meantime, just manage the mold!
I ordered some physan 20. Thanks!
You're going to love it! Just be sure to use it at the proper concentration. Happy growing!
Michael, I just found your channel and I love how you have a video for my specific orchid questions - must be that rainbow power 😂😂😂
You need some tiny little corks to pop into those drainage holes :) I started using Physan 20 after noticing some black spots growing on orchids I recently brought in (Cattleya type). Some of the spray solution got on a nearby Masdevallia nidifica, and it lost a few leaves after that, so I think people should be cautious about using this method on Masdes, Dracula, and Phragmepedium. I have read on forums that they don't respond well to it. Good info for the tougher-leaved orchids though, Cattleya, Vanda, Phals, and Dendrobium for sure!
Kimberly. That may be the most genius idea I've ever heard! I immediately googled "mini corks" and found SO MANY OPTIONS. Suffice to say, I'll be ordering immediately! Great call out with the Physan 20 solution: I don't have any Masdes or Dracula, but my Phrag does just fine with it. That being said, moving forward with caution or a more dilute solution to start is always a good policy. I'll address this in future videos!
Just started watching your videos very informative. I will start the preventive method. I missed if you said to air dry the alcohol mixture or dry leaves . Thank you
Thank you Gloriana! Yes, just let the alcohol mixture air dry 👍🏼
Do you rinse off the alcohol/water solution?
Hi Michael, I appreciate your clarity and hard work. I was wondering how long your Vanda has been in the leca pellets. Is it still doing ok?
It’s been doing phenomenally well, and has put out an entire new root system. Quite unexpected to say the least, but a treat nonetheless!
I enjoyed this video thanks for making it
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for watching!
Hello,
I’m so happy I found your videos. Very easy to watch, informative, funny and thank you! for no background music :). I’ve been pretty successful in keeping my flask babies alive but growing so slow (over a year now) I feed maybe every 3rd week with a weakened fertilizer. Should I increase the timing?
Michael , for some reason my solution (water, alcohol 70% and dish soap turning kinda milky color and not clear as yours.... is it ok ?? Regards, Valentina
P.S. after you clean leaves you don’t wash it off with water, right??
And last Q- how long can you keep this solution (days, weeeks or every time new?)
Big fun of your videos! 👍🌺
Hi Michael I'm in the middle of disinfecting right now. I'm curious about how frequently this I need to do this. Do you think quarterly would be sufficient? Asking because my bedroom is a semi hydro frigging jungle and just clearing the plants out of the room to sweep took like an hour. I feel like I can get away with it as long as I thoroughly disinfect because from a new outbreak to them really harming plants significantly takes a while.
Hi Michael. I was very interested in this video. I have most of my orchids in full water Culture but have been thinking about placing some into semi water Culture. How do you get the holes in your glass containers. Also there were no links in your video comment section? I look forward to more of your videos. Cheers Ingrid
Thank you for catching that, Ingrid! Sometime I forget! Here is the link to my "how to" on drilling holes in your glass containers: ruclips.net/video/h3PKt-UJjpE/видео.html
Can heat a big nail up and use that for the holes. Also, soldering iron.
Hi Michael,
I’m worried about discarding the water on the sink since the instructions said not to. Is it ok to do so?
Thank you for your videos.
Please answer my question. I found like a spider web on my plants and I don’t know what to do about it. I haven't seen any spiders but I found some things that look like eggs. I have succulents and orchids too.
Hi!!! New Leca user here. I am 3 weeks in and there are white hairs spreading through out my leca. They are not the power specks that I see people talking about. This looks like hairs. Any pointers?
Hi Michael,
Could you please tell me which is your favorite place to buy orchids?
Thanks,
Ligia
There are teeny tiny ants in between my vanda leaves and they crawl up onto the flowering plants and seem to suck the sap cause the buds dry out. What to do? Perhaps they are not ants?
Hi Michael. I already have algae growing in my orchids with leca. Can I just use the Physan 20 to get rid of it or do I have to take them apart and clean everything and then put it all back together again. I have about 4 orchids that the algae is pretty bad. I was hoping just by using the Physan 20 it would get rid of all of the algae. Thanks. I love your videos. You are so helpful!!!
I grow orchid in clay pepple and it had a lots of tinny bug so this formula kill them right. Can I ask u how u can drill the glass thanks
Not recommended for cattleya in SWC. I lost all the roots 😢.
Regarding Physan 20, you recommended 2 tsp. per gallon while the directions on the product recommend 2 tsp. per 20 gallons. What’s up?
michael how often per time finally i got my hands on physan my cousin send me a big bottle👍👍👍can not get it here🇱🇺🇱🇺☹so now i want to start the attacks btw tnx in advance
Hi Michael, I really love and enjoy your videos. I am just getting into orchids and I just purchased an orchid with blooms from a grocery story. At the time in the store I didn't notice that this plant had a spider web so I guess it must have spider mites. From you video I made my own water, alcohol and dawn dish soap solution. Will this help with spider mites? Also after spraying the orchid should I be drying it off with a paper towel? If it doesn't help much with spider mites can you suggest something I can use for them? I didn't purchase any Physan 20 but I would like to put this orchid into a semi-hydroponic environment. I have washed and boiled my Leca beads would I need to use the Physan 20 before transplanting my orchid? Do I need to wait till the blooms are gone before transplanting? Thank you for all your wonderful and informative video!
Hi Bailey! Yes, the solution does help with spider mites, but nothing will fight spider mites more effectively than raising ambient humidity in your grow environment. The presence of spider mites usually indicates too dry of a climate, try using an ultrasonic humidifier, that’s what i do! Also, i wouldn’t worry too much about using physan, I actually don’t use it very often anymore because it can be a little too aggressive for some plants
Thank you very much Michael for your response. I will look into getting the plant more humidity.
Hi Michael! Thanks for the info. I have two questions: 1. the physan seems pretty bad-ass, when reading the label. Do you follow those instructions only when mixing up the solution or all the time? (Gloves, long sleeves, etc) I'm kinda scared to use it. 2. do you wash off the alcohol/water/soap solution when you're done with the preventative routine? I'm worried about clogging the "pores" of the leaves. Thanks again!!
Hi Michael, the one orchid I have in semi hydro I noticed today that there is what I think is white mold forming. I thought it was water /fertilizer deposits until I saw it on some air roots. I have to get some Physan but I couldn't wait another minute so I removed it from the Leca, trimmed some mushy root and sprayed with hydrogen peroxide 3% let it sit for 15 min. Rinsed again and allowing it to air dry some. Then on to repot. Do you allow the reservoir to go completely dry to enable the Leca to dry somewhat or ??? I was quite sunrise at how soaking wet all the Leca was when I dumped it into a tray. Thank you for your help.
Hi Sharon! If you have recently potted your orchids into semi hydroponics (within in the past few months), mold tends to happen pretty frequently; The old root system begins to rot out as the orchid initiates new root growth that is adapted specifically to the new grow environment. Don't panic, but also don't over handle your orchid: Remember that every time you treat or unpot your plant, it causes it some stress. Mold can be flushed out of the container through the drainage holes, so it shouldn't require too much extra effort on your part. And no, I never wait for the water reservoir to completely dry. Once every seven days, I give the entire container a long flush of tap water to remove excess Nutrients and decaying matter. Then I refill the reservoir with fertilized distilled water. I hope that helps!
Where do you get your clear glass containers?
Can you use this on hoyas?
Hi Michael I was told not to use urea when fertilizing my orchids, I see the fertilizer you are using contains urea, I also see that that brand has a urea free fertilizer as well. What are your thoughts on this?
Hi Janeice! Thanks for a great question: the dominant opinion is urea-free fertilizer is better for orchids, however the scientific support of this preference is a little confusing: many of the studies were conducted on terrestrial plants, not epiphytic. It's hard to draw a definitive conclusion from the data.
What is hard to dispute is the general verdict from trial and error from orchid growers over the years: most boast better results with urea free. That said, I've had fabulous and parallel results using the both formulas: with and without urea. This discussion (in my very amateur opinion) seems to be a lot of conjecture, and perhaps a marketing tactic.
To put it in the words of Ray Barkalow: "Fertilizer is WAY down in the "Maslow's pyramid" of orchid priorities. 95% of the plant is made up of stuff it gets from air and water, and of the remaining small percentage, nitrogen is by far the largest component."
In my experience, there hasn't been a big enough difference in my results to cause me to favor one over the other.
I hope that helps!
Michael,
Thank you so much for putting that into perspective for me. I just ordered the fertilizer and the kelpmax. I am going to try your method of drilling holes in glass containers this weekend! I am slowly moving in the semi-hydroponics direction.
I think you're really going to love it, it's a fabulous and effective growing system! Just try to be patient as your plants adjust, you may see a few setbacks before they really start to thrive! Here's a reference video that may help you decide when to make the leap:
ruclips.net/video/T0A24TSkm4w/видео.html
Thank you!
Where did you find those holed glass containers? Or how did you make the holes if you didn't purchase the them that way?
I make them! Here is my tutorial video on how-to!
ruclips.net/video/h3PKt-UJjpE/видео.html
Can I have the name of formula u go so fast can’t catch it thanks
Thanks
Can you plant Vandas in leca?
I have an Ascocenda (a vanda hybrid) in SH and it is doing great! Not all will do well, so it’s a personal decision!
Hi,i pot some phals in semihydro, and their roots died,so is this okay?and how much time they are taking to produce roots?
Hi Govind, yes! The transition will take about 4 full months, it is totally normal.
Michael's Orchids winter is coming after 1 month,is they will okay in winter?
The will be just fine if they are indoors. Phalaenopsis can be a little pouty when it gets cold because they are warm growing. But if you put them on a Heat mat, they should do amazing.
Michael's Orchids mine are indoors,and here in my place,you really have to pay a fortune to buy heat mat,which I can't,so so expensive,any other suggestions will be appreciated,and do u have any phal dendrobium in semihydroponics??
Not sure what else you could do to raise Heat, just try to keep the orchids away from the cold! I actually don't have any phal dendrobium in my collection!
Dude, Fizane 20!? How do you disinfect a plant?They are literally organic... use half the leka with as much dirt!!!