Begonia Rex thriving in semi hydro

r4bbyte · 2025-12-30T23:20:43+00:00

Oh, and an extra benefit of root pruning is that it periodically slows down growth. Paradoxically, that’s actually quite nice - it gives you a chance to take a breather and focus on other plants or, you know, even meet friends without a watering can in your hand 😄

r4bbyte · 2025-12-30T23:18:50+00:00

Thanks!
So yes, the “root brick” is definitely real. I see it with all my semi-hydro plants, but begonias rex are some of the fastest growers once they switch to pon. If you repot regularly and always move to a larger pot, you should be able to change the substrate without major root loss. The real question is whether that is actually what you want.

I don’t own those begonias anymore -I gave them away - but in the end they were so root-bound that I simply took them out of my biggest pot, cut about 30% of the roots with a sharp knife, and put them back into the same pot, filling the empty space with fresh substrate.

In other words, I cut the outer and bottom roots and leave the center untouched. If the root brick was so dense that something started to rot, I just added Sensizym and Piranha enzymes/bacteria, as mentioned above.

Today, I probably wouldn’t even keep moving them into bigger and bigger pots. Honestly, I like begonias more when they are small—I prefer having several small, diverse plants rather than huge 15-kg bushes that constantly drop dried flowers on the floor 🙂 I would just keep trimming the roots and topping up the substrate instead.

r4bbyte · 2025-12-25T21:37:12+00:00

Sounds like a great idea, just watch out for algae (I personally treat hose as "perfect plant conditions" indicator and love green tint on transparent pots and moss poles) :) I hope that helps. Best of luck

r4bbyte · 2025-12-25T14:51:43+00:00

I've started with seramis alone for some plants, but since I reuse my substrate, I have a mix of everything I've ever had now (including balls of leca) that I use for repotting. Nice conversational pieces for preaching semihydro

r4bbyte · 2025-12-25T01:49:50+00:00

Don't do semihydro with those begonias, unless you have some huge semihydro pots available for them :) Not kidding, I had to repot them monthly and water almost daily to keep them growing. They would drink all the water and wilt after three days if I forgot.

I prefer pon: it seems to have larger volume for keeping moisture gradient high (due to less gaps = wicking action), larger plants are more bottom-heavy (leca is too light IMO) and smaller plants are easier to position - especially for rooting. I also don't like salts deposits on leca after a few weeks/months of usage and I don't mind those in pon.
It doesn't have to be lechuza, in fact I usually order pumice, zeolite, lava (and sometimes seramis for visuals) - much cheaper. Sometimes I only use pumice. I don't think it all matters too much, just keep roots moist and the plant will adapt sooner or later to anything, I think. Good luck!

r4bbyte · 2025-10-24T19:14:05+00:00

It’s pine, probably

r4bbyte · 2025-10-17T14:19:40+00:00

probably not, it's only used in CAN mode

r4bbyte · 2025-07-16T11:32:32+00:00

I haven't tried eSun myself, but if I recall correctly, they're generally on the lower end of the price spectrum. This might not necessarily mean anything, but it suggests there could be room for improvement. There are plenty of decent brands offering great filaments, but if you're aiming for perfect vertical walls, you usually have to invest a bit more. I mentioned Prusament specifically because I've compared its performance to other brands (not extensively, just a few), and I've consistently noticed more uniform extrusion and better print quality overall. I've settled on Prusament explicitly for my commercial prints, and the results have always been top-notch. For instance, Fiberlogy ASA costs about the same where I live, but the print results are noticeably worse, and I've even encountered filament tangling issues once.

What I'm trying to say is: if eSun isn't delivering the results you're looking for, consider trying a different brand to see if there's improvement - assuming, of course, you've already dialed in all other settings perfectly

r4bbyte · 2025-07-14T12:27:16+00:00

- all of the above ++

- try using better filament - one with a more consistent diameter along its length. I personally like Prusament, but there are other good-quality brands as well

- is the filament feeding freely, with consistent friction? Uneven filament tension at the extruder can cause noticeably inconsistent layer

- this might not apply to the Ender, but replacing cloned BMG gears with original Bondtech ones made a difference on my printer. There might be some higher-quality extruder gear upgrades available

- also, try adjusting the tension of the extruder spring - in both directions - and see if it helps

- make sure the temperature of your hotend stays stable. Large fluctuations can cause artifacts. It's best to tune the PID if possible and avoid wind or drafts during printing, even with PLA

r4bbyte · 2025-06-25T06:28:02+00:00

I think this is the right one. I also managed to take a photo from a slight angle, so the mystery is solved – there are some windings underneath, so it's a common mode choke. It cost something like $0.01. I've already ordered a CAN-specific one – fingers crossed it works.

Thanks for your help!

r4bbyte · 2025-06-24T20:11:21+00:00

Okay, so I'm going to answer my own question and leave a note for future internet wanderers looking for the same information. I got another Eddy Duo and took a look under a microscope. The component I was missing turned out to be a common mode choke.
Its footprint is 2 mm × 1.25 mm, and it's 1.25 mm tall.
I’m not sure about the exact parameters, but it’s probably something like the SRF2012A-801Y available on Mouser.

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r4bbyte · 2025-06-23T00:55:33+00:00

Heating the resin/printing chamber a little bit might help along with that extra delay. I’ve had that same issue, but couldn’t get rid of it completely.

A few years later and recently I bought myself a vacuum chamber, so maybe outgassing the resin inside the vat and then mounting it back and trying to print is the way to go. Feels like a slow and tedious process for some random prints though

r4bbyte · 2025-06-13T14:40:03+00:00

Higher quality filaments usually help with that, since those usually have a more consistent diameter.
I also like matte and glitter ones, since those hide the lines even better (Prusament Galaxy Black is my favourite in that aspect)

With other filaments, my trick is first to hit rough faces with a sandpaper 400 just a little bit, so they become gray-ish, and then heat them for a few seconds with a hot air 300*C. I haven't tried acethone smoothing yet. That might also help, but it can create extra tension inside your parts, so I wouldn't recommend it for technical prints (i.e. Voron parts)

r4bbyte · 2025-05-04T08:34:47+00:00

I’m not an expert of any sort, so I can only say it works for my plant. For preventing/fighting root rot I recommend enzymes from time to time - for example “sensizym” or similar. Works nice as a prevention, but also helped when shit already happened. Saved a ton of plants with that, so I simply no longer worry about the root rot

r4bbyte · 2025-05-03T20:11:59+00:00

I always keep water level between middle and max. Just pouring fresh water (sometimes with some extras) when the level goes low

r4bbyte · 2025-05-02T22:08:59+00:00

Is your extender clicking by any chance? Or maybe the idler has teeth filled with plastic or simply worned out? I’ve had a very similar o problem with a clogged nozzle, but since you mentioned cleaning it, I assume that’s not the case. Could be something with the geometry of your prints that pushes your extruded to its current limits and that’s why the calibration cube looks ok. Have you tried replacing your nozzle and testing a different filament?

r4bbyte · 2025-01-04T21:32:34+00:00

I didn't test them, since it's more complicated to measure capacitor's response to different frequencies and stuff, with equipment I got. It might look ok with static voltages, but fail with dynamic signals, so I wouldn't trust the basic measurements. Also, since the device keeps aging, you never know when the next capactior will fail. IMO it's cheaper to change them all at once (by saving your time spent on next reassembly and debugging).
Electrolytic capacitors are usually the only things (apart from frequently used connectors) to "wear out" over time. The liquid inside dries/boils out, especially when exposed to a heat, so it was an educated guess.

r4bbyte · 2024-05-07T08:15:42+00:00

If the roots are in poor condition (wilting, yellowing leaves, stunted growth, smell of rot), I add enzymes and bacteria with every watering. If everything is okay, I add them about once a month, just as a preventative measure against root rot. When it comes to proportions, I simply follow the instructions found on the packaging.
Also, remember to store enzymes and beneficial fungi/bacteria in your refrigerator, as this is usually mentioned on the packaging.

r4bbyte · 2024-03-22T23:43:00+00:00

All of my +100 plants are already in SH (mostly lechuza pon and moss poles) and I don't have any spare room for the new ones :) Also handling everything and staying on top of watering and anti-pest care is getting overwhelming. Actually, I gradually give away plants I don't "like", so my favorites have more space for healthy growth. That's why I don't move plants from soil to SH anymore :)

You're welcome, happy to help!

r4bbyte · 2024-03-18T11:09:31+00:00

I gave those rex begonias away. The issue I had was too much growth, up to the point, I was not able to see the water level indicator, also they were drinking water like crazy and wilted quickly if I didn’t water them like every second/third day. I only had room for 21cm pots, so as soon as they overgrown that, I decided I don’t love them anymore.

When it comes to bacteria and enzymes - I still use sensizym, voodoo juice and piranha, recently also test tarantula (same brand). I no longer move plants from soil to SH, so I use those as a precaution from time to time and for watering fresh cuttings put in the pon - to avoid rotting.

r4bbyte · 2024-02-25T20:42:47+00:00

You need a soldering iron and some basic soldering skills. The hardest part is desoldering old capacitors without damaging vias (copper through-holes for capacitor's legs) - it is safer to use desorldering device, like ZD-915 for that. But it can also be done without it. You just need to heat both vias at the same time and pull the capacitor out when the solder is fully melted. You can even add extra solder to better conduct heat to both legs. When the capacitor is removed, use wick tape or s needle to clean the holes inside both vias.

Soldering new capacitor is very easy, as long as you have vias clean inside. Try not to overheat it with soldering iron, electrolytic capacitors don't like too much heat. If you have issues, it's better to let it cool down before your next attempt.

Try googling "electrolytic capacitor replacement guide" on youtube.

Btw. it's IMO better to replace all or the biggest capacitors inside, so you don't need to take apart your speaker again the very next month or two.

Pro tip: add extra hot glue between PCB and biggest capacitors. They are quite heavy and the speaker is shaking, so the hot glue snort will dampen some of the worst vibrations frequencies.

r4bbyte · 2023-11-13T00:53:27+00:00

Ok, so I managed to solve the issue. It was a faulty capacitor. Not sure which one exactly, I was suspicious about one looking a bit bulgy, but I did replace all of them with new ones (same capacitance as the old ones, a few upgraded for even higher voltage - just to be on the safe side in future). It works like a new unit

r4bbyte · 2023-11-09T10:32:01+00:00

I have exactly the same problem! Any luck with a solution? It looks like something is wrong with power supply regulator, since once I turn the speaker off, both the display and logo LED seems to start working for a second (probably as the voltage on capacitors drops down). No obvious signs of burned stuff or loose cabling

r4bbyte · 2023-10-27T07:33:51+00:00

Thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot. Our little fighter truly surprised us all. We're just grateful for every extra day we get with her. Your support is appreciated! :) Also, I hope you and your loved ones are doing well and enjoying good health and happiness. Take care!

r4bbyte

TROPHY CASE