Growing your Orchids in Semi-Hydro Pots

I would highly recommend you read this article Semi-Hydroponics Detailed Information to know more about the subject.
To sum everything up, there is a brief overview of the article.

Definition of semi-hydro: growing orchids in an inert media in an individual pot, supplying a well of water that holds nutrients (as opposed to ebb and flow hydroponics)  

Main benefits are moisture delivery at the roots and no medium decomposition.

Capillarity will mean water is transferred to upper pellets. Evaporation will increase with increased air movement and heat; even if the medium looks dry, there still might be  moisture in the pellet.

Advantages:

• Inert media does not decompose and repoting is infrequent.
• LECA is reusable
• Less guesswork about watering (keep the well filled, flush plants when watering)
• Once established, plants can't be over-watered (certainly not Phrags)
• Overpotting not an issue.
• Air spaces between media allows for good gas exchange at the roots.
• Easy and convenient.

 Disadvantages:

• Pots can be very heavy with large plants. 
• Great for indoor plant culture, but some greenhouse growers report problems.
• Hard water regions: much easier to have mineral build up in reservoir.
• Hard to stake the flowers because of the medium.
• If using closed containers (not pot with saucer), larger sized can be hard to find.

Roots, it's all about roots:
In epiphytic orchids, most of the oxygen exchange is at the roots. Roots cells are adapted to the potting media (and they do adapt to water) Water is not the cause of root rot, which is due to:

1. compromised gas exchange (suffocation)
2. in response to stress, plant will produce phenolic compounds which are toxic
3. growth of fungi

A plant will need to grow new roots for your conditions, adapted to semi-hydro.

Success with semi-hydro.
Use a complete fertilizer like MSU (30-50ppm) at each watering during growth period.
LECA must soak overnight before potting and rinse off residues; add growth hormone to pre-soak for stressed out plants or better results (KelpMax, KLN, SupperThrive, etc)
Watering to flush out - delivers oxygen, and refreshes the water with new nutrient sol'n.
Do not let pots dry out between watering
Do not a 'topping up' of water: you will accumulate & concentrate minerals & plant waste products.
Best to transplant when new roots evident, especially for Cattleya alliance orchids.
At repotting, cut off old organic matter, use bottom heat to establish new roots, and keep plants in shady, humid area.



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