LECA over soil for orchids, I know it sounds insane but hear me out

I moved my 14 phalaenopsis to LECA balls back in March after battling root rot for two seasons straight with bark mix. The thing that made the difference was the clear pot with a water level line at 1/3 up, I stopped guessing on watering completely. My greenhouse in Portland stays at 60 percent humidity and they have all pushed new roots, even the rescue from the grocery store clearance rack. Has anyone else tried semi-hydro and gone back to bark, or is it just me that thinks this method is more forgiving?

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evan_wilson1821d ago

Cause bark is not really that old car you keep fixing. The tricky part with bark is it breaks down at different speeds depending on your pot, your water, and your room, so you can do the same thing twice and get two results. LECA just holds steady and lets the water line do the thinking, that is the actual win.

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the_patricia21d ago

Funny thing is this same pattern shows up everywhere in life, not just orchids. Bark is like that old car you keep fixing because you already know how, and LECA with a water line is like finally buying the thing that just tells you what to do. When you stop guessing, you stop killing stuff. Your Portland setup proves it too, because 60 percent humidity plus a clear pot with a line takes all the mystery out of it. Most folks go back to bark out of habit, not because it actually works better for them. You basically traded a skill you had to learn for a system that forgives you, and that is a pretty good trade.

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