Water meter

[MOMENT502]

I can't find a quality orchid meter

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board.

I don't understand what you're asking. Could you be more specific?

[MOMENT502]

I'm trying to locate an orchid moisture meter for a friend who suffered a stroke and she has 40 orchids and she can't remember how she took care of them. She doesn't have an orchid meter to test for moisture. I have a Momet 2 that I use but I can't find them online for her. If someone knows where I might locate one like it that would be a great help. Thanks, Darrell

[camille1585]

The problem with soil moisture meters is that they are meant for regular potting mixes and not bark based mixes. Chunky porous mixes have too much air in them and they will severely skew the readings. Even in soil, they work by measuring electroconductivity and this gives only a very rough approximation of actual moisture levels. If your friend's orchids are potted in bark, it's just not going to work well.

Could she use bamboo skewers instead? A lot of people use these to determine when to water. They can be left on the pots and pulled out occasionally to check how damp it is. The only trick is knowing how dry it should be before watering again depending on whether it's an orchid that likes to dry out or stay moist.

[MOMENT502]

Thanks for your reply. But I'm not sure how these bamboo skewers work. I thought I heard that you soak them overnight before using them? I guess that would be a baseline? They change color I guess? Thanks for any clarity. Darrell

[Roberta]

The idea with bamboo skewers is that you just put them in the pot (dry). They will soak up moisture from the pot. A few days later, pull it out and feel it... if damp, it's still wet in the bottom of the pot. If it's dry, then it's time to water. Just a way to find out the moisture level lower in the pot, since the top will dry out fast.

Another approach is to weigh the freshly watered pot (after draining) on a postal scale or kitchen scale. Weigh it again the next day, etc. When the rate of weight loss levels off ( not much more water to evaporate) then it's time to water again.

[MOMENT502]

Thank you for info. Greatly appreciated.