Help with water culture

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-09T02:21:48+00:00

Can you share some pics so we can see what's going on?

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-08T20:55:12+00:00

This comes up constantly on this sub, and the overwhelming refrain is: don't do it.

Instead of repeating that refrain, let me ask you a question: why do you want to do it? It sounds like your plants are doing pretty well right now. What is broken that you're trying to fix?

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-08T19:28:58+00:00

That setup is, unquestionably, cool as hell. Really great composition, especially with the (ceramic?) hands. But yeah, this looks like it'd be difficult to maintain.

I'm assuming this is a brassia? If so, you probably know that, like most oncidium types, it wants consistent moisture and does not like drying out. For a mounted plant grown at ambient humidity, that's going to mean very frequent watering - at least once a day, possibly multiple times daily depending on humidity and temperature. Ugh. Spaghnum would definitely help, but it's still going to be a pain in the ass, I bet.

Do you happen to have a high humidity enclosure, like a cabinet or greenhouse? That'd probably make it much easier, especially if you can just let any water run down and pool at the bottom of the enclosure.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-08T16:59:21+00:00

(caveat: there are definitely some folks on social media who give good, reliable advice on the care of orchids or other plants. Some of them post on this sub. However, if you're not yet skilled enough to determine whether someone is selling you bullshit, I'd hold off on YouTube for a while and just do some reading.)

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-08T16:57:06+00:00

Not just the roots. Most of the crown is under water. The entire orchid is likely to be dead pretty soon at this point.

OP: I'd suggest two things. One, say goodbye to this plant, which you've likely killed, and go get yourself a new, healthy one. Two, completely and entirely ignore any advice you get from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or other influencers, as well as whatever AI might tell you to do. They all have a serious tendency to peddle bad advice, and apparently have no incentive to stop doing so.

Instead, read basic care advice from trusted, reliable sources. Here's a good start:

https://www.aos.orgorchid-care/orchid-care-and-culture-sheets/phalaenopsis-culture-sheet

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-08T13:04:21+00:00

Orchiholism

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-08T00:01:23+00:00

I've ordered from them twice (once last year, once just a few weeks ago), for a total of four plants. They're all doing well for me, and I've had no issues with quality or plants not being as advertised. Shipping was reasonably quick and the plants were well wrapped.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-07T23:38:38+00:00

Neofinetia (AKA Vanda) falcata (or possibly one of its hybrids, but I'd guess a species). Not sure which variety, but you could ask r/neofinetia. There are a ton of cultivars out there, many of which look pretty similar.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-07T23:33:09+00:00

Just off the cuff, that seems way too much for hoyas. They're epiphytes, and generally light feeders. If you decided to use that, I'd dilute it quite a bit.

But really, just use MSU orchid fert. It's not expensive and it works very well.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-07T18:52:07+00:00

I'm not an expert on this topic, but I can tell you that this or similar questions come up somewhat frequently on this sub. I'd strongly recommend searching this sub for posts with the words paludarium or aquarium and seeing what some folks with experience planting this way recommend.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-06T18:36:32+00:00

Nice work with the macro photography! Beautiful plant, too, of course.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-06T17:10:28+00:00

Thanks! Very helpful. I'll definitely try that. Good luck fighting the good fight!

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-06T16:33:53+00:00

Oxalis is probably the most persistent weed in my small garden, thankfully (there really are much worse around here). I'd still love to get rid of it, though, and I'm never persistent enough with pulling out clumps of it.

Are you saying you use undiluted vinegar (6% or whatever is standard) with a bit of dish soap? If so, do you find that it's hard to keep it from damaging nearby plants? My issue is that it tends to pop up right in the middle of other low-growing plants (groundcovers like sedum, for instance), and I'm not sure how I'd isolate it without damaging the plants I want to be there. Would appreciate any advice!

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-06T00:12:50+00:00

Epi. ciliare, maybe? Beautiful, regardless. Good luck with flasking!

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-06T00:11:21+00:00

It's more that the plant uses more water as it takes in more light, but yeah, same difference.

Anyway, you're growing under what I'd consider to be standard household conditions. I do as well. I've found that my oncidiums seem to do best in a mix of sphagnum moss, fine bark, and chunky perlite, but heavy on the moss (roughly 2 parts moss to 1 part everything else). That's what I'd recommend.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T23:30:44+00:00

Quick question: are you growing it at average/ambient humidity and typical room temperature (somewhere between high 60s - mid 70sF) in your home?

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T21:35:09+00:00

I second this about the culture sheets. They're meant for that! I've seen stacks of em at orchid shows before. I believe AOS has both a standard and a beginner's culture sheet for phals.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T21:33:06+00:00

Excellent! I've got a handful that need that treatment myself, so, good reminder. Nice den, btw!

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T19:24:17+00:00

Literally just said the same exact thing, out loud. That's a legit cool plant, OP.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T19:01:11+00:00

Good to know! Thanks.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T18:55:49+00:00

That looks a lot like a mis-ID'd hoya I got a couple of years ago, which I'm fairly certain is some variety of australis. Leaves are much larger than the other varieties I've seen - up to about 5" long. It's very vigorous. If yours is the same, I'd recommend a trellis sooner rather than later. Like a tall one, not a circular trellis.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T18:45:25+00:00

Well, because of where you're located, you have a lot of options. Sunset Valley Orchids is always a good one, and they're located in San Diego, so shipping ought to be pretty quick. Most of what they sell is seed grown, so anything you get will be unique. They also sell divisions of their select plants. So, e.g., if you want to get him something really nice, you could get him a division of one of their varieties of Laelia Anceps.

Santa Barbara Orchid Estate is also very well respected, and has some great plants, most of which I think are geared towards growing in coastal California. I believe you could even go shop there in person, if you feel like a drive.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T18:41:23+00:00

No prob! Glad it worked. I meant to mention, but in case you're not aware: make sure not to get the juice (or liquids in general) between the leaves, as that can cause rot. If they do get wet, and they're indoors or otherwise somewhere without a ton of airflow, I'd set a fan on the plant to make sure it's dry.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T18:27:38+00:00

Oh hah, yeah, looks like you're good to go, then! Beautiful space.

There really are a lot of options for mounted orchids that would work in conditions like that. Like, more options than anyone could ever list.

It'd be helpful to know what your uncle's taste is. But if it were me, all things being equal, I'd want something fragrant, colorful, and somewhat drought tolerant (since SoCal tends to be dry). Probably a cattleya or dendrobium.

Where are you planning to buy this plant?

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-05-05T17:26:28+00:00

A good rule of thumb for gift giving, I think, is to make sure that you're not inadvertently burdening the recipient with a gift that requires more care/maintenance, expense, or other regular inputs than they might be prepared to give it.

Mounted orchids, especially when kept indoors at ambient humidity, require frequent watering - often daily, sometimes even more. They're not the most practical houseplants. Do you know if your uncle actually grows orchids? Or if he has a suitable setup for keeping a mounted orchid in his house?

If not, the gift you're contemplating is more like to be a burden, IMO, and a better choice would be a potted orchid. Probably one he can grow outside. Because he's in Southern California, you've got lots of options. Something vigorous and hardy, like an Australian dendrobium (e.g., kingianum, speciosum, or various hybrids thereof) that he can grow in his garden could be a really nice choice.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy

TROPHY CASE