Soaking orchids potted in bark

[Grim Tuesday]

Some sources say that most orchids potted in bark should be immersed in water for ~10-30 minutes when watering to fully saturate the medium (with the assumption that the saturated bark will stay wet longer and the plant will continue absorbing moisture from it for a few days). I think most people who do this use a catchment pot surrounding their main pot, so no two plants share water, and the catchment pot is emptied at the end of watering but left in place to increase humidity in the root zone (and reduce airflow through the sides of the pot).

Others say running water through for 15 seconds is sufficient with the assumption that this wets the bark enough to provide water for days (this has not been my experience in my indoor low humidity conditions and relatively coarse better-gro bark) or that the initial water is all the plant wanted anyways, and any additional water is not doing much other than promoting rot.

What has been people's experiences here with these two extremes with a particular eye towards indoor low humidity conditions?

[isurus79]

Running water through the pot it sufficient. I've grown for 30 years and only soak plants that need special care.

[WaterWitchin]

Simple questions sometimes require long answers. Those answers usually start with "It depends..."

If you're using a quality bark, it usually requires soaking before potting up a plant. Orchiata is my bark of choice, and really needs to be soaked before use.

Does your potting medium contain anything besides bark? For example... peat, tree fern, charcoal, sphagnum moss, perlite (sponge rock), coconut husk chips, scoria, grow cubes, LECA, etc. Those additions will also require different watering techniques, and the amount of whatever is included also changes water retention. For example, I wouldn't use a half bark/half sphag mix and soak the pot unless it was something that liked constant moisture (bulbo, phrag, etc)

When I grew in a bark medium, I would tweak it with other additions depending on the requirements of the orchid. That means either adding something that retains more water (grow cube, sphag, etc) and if I wanted to water and let dry quickly then add something that doesn't retain a lot of water (scoria, LECA, perlite).

So depends on what the plant needs are, how often one wants to water, and also air flow. I wouldn't want to pour water through a potted Phrag planted in bark, then not water it again for several days. If I soaked it, I could maybe get by with not watering again for three or so days, in a really low humidity environment.

There are so many variables, including the particular plant's needs and how often one wants to water, that humidity wouldn't even cross my mind as a factor. First, know the plant's requirements, then know your time constraints and how much time you want to spend, then tweak your medium of choice to suit it.

The short answer is I've done it both ways, depending on the plant. Either will work, and I don't think humidity is much of a factor either way.

[Keysguy]

Yet one more variable that has to be considered is the size of the bark chips.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

If you're using a quality bark, it usually requires soaking before potting up a plant. Orchiata is my bark of choice, and really needs to be soaked before use.

I love orchiata and use it almost exclusively. I've never soaked it before potting up a plant though!

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by isurus79

I love orchiata and use it almost exclusively. I've never soaked it before potting up a plant though!

I think orchiata is the best. But I've always soaked it after the first couple of times I used it. It took awhile to get the bark to start having good water retention. At first the water would just sluice through and I'd have dry bark a day later. Decided to start soaking beforehand, so I didn't have to keep an eye on watering a new pot. Impatient? Perhaps.

---------- Post added at 12:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Yet one more variable that has to be considered is the size of the bark chips.

There's a TON of variables. I didn't want to overwhelm.

[jcec1]

I am a soaker, each orchid other than Vandas is in it's own pot and cache pot.

I grow indoors and away from the kitchen sink, so find it easier to bring the water to my plants.

I soak for a couple of hours, mainly because by the time I have watered them all I need the rest.

That's the way I've done it for years and no issues, it also makes it easier to manage the thirsty ones by leaving some water in the cache pot.

[Ray]

What a great opportunity! I'm going to disagree with WaterWitchin on soaking Orchiata.

You might get away with it with others as a way of wetting the bark, but Orchiata should never be soaked, as that helps extract the dolomite used to prepare the bark. Instead, I find that pouring a relatively small volume of very hot water over it, waiting a few minutes and then repeating that, does a fine job of opening up the structure so it can absorb better.

[WaterWitchin]

Well, we’re really not disagreeing Ray. I’m just putting ideas out without specifics. The way I soaked Orchiata is to put it in a bowl, pour in water, and nuke it in the microwave for 4-5 minutes.

I used to sprinkle dolomite on top of medium as well, a couple three times a year, when I was doing it to my houseplants. Now I sprinkle it on top of the Leca in my SH pots when I do the house plants. Never mention it because I have no scientific knowledge of whether or how it works. It does with my house plants, so everything just gets the same treatment. Kind of like Grandma giving everyone a tonic including castor oil each spring whether we needed it or not. Thank God those days are over!

---------- Post added at 03:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:25 PM ----------

Now LECA, I’m lazy. So I fill up a five gallon bucket of washed LECA, pour RO water to top of bucket, and snap on the lid. I prep a lot more at once than I ever did bark.

[estación seca]

It comes down to time. If you have time to look at and water your plants every day, you can water them as soon as they need it, and it doesn't matter whether you soak the bark or not. I don't have that time.