I think soil would be good because there is alot less to go wrong, those crystal thing sound good are you talking about perlite?

i was thinking about doing some kind of constant drip system for outside plants in the ground but i dont know if id like to do that inside becuase of root rot and stuff. how did youn make your drip system for orchids can you put on sum pics and explain, or did u just buy it?

thanks for all the fast input guys!