Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Semi-Hydroponics Revisited, 1 by markroy68

markroy68 wrote:
Kelly, no, I'm using pure hydroton for the S/H, but I do use a half and half hydroton bark mix for regular plantings, that is, plants in pots which drain freely and have no reservoir.
Here are a few Hoya which are doing well and have been in S/H for about a year, all from fairly small cuttings.
(left to right)
H. wallichii, H. multiflora and H. endauensis.
Some speculation:
I think some of the success has to do with in what conditions roots form. Roots that develop under water don't adapt well to a free-draining medium, and roots that develop in soil usually rot and die when kept very wet with little oxygen.
I've heard of people growing Hoya quite successfully for years in nothing but plain water in a sealed vase or pot.
Most of the problems I have had with S/H seem to have been from plants that were rooted or grown in a different medium than S/H. The most success I have had has been with plants which came as un-rooted cuttings, and developed their entire root system in that setup. With these plants, they seem to have no problem with their roots living in the underwater portion of the reservoir. in fact, that's were most of the roots seem to congregate.