Orchids drying too fast
Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.

Orchids drying too fast
Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
Register Orchids drying too fast Members Orchids drying too fast Orchids drying too fast Today's PostsOrchids drying too fast Orchids drying too fast Orchids drying too fast
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
Go Back   Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web ! > >
Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-31-2024, 04:57 PM
Master Jedi's Avatar
Master Jedi Master Jedi is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Mar 2024
Posts: 23
Orchids drying too fast
Default Orchids drying too fast

Hi. I have several species of orchids including cattleyas, dendrobiums, and phalaenopsis. They're potted in an 80/20% of bark and sphagnum. The humidity is between 60 and 70 rh.
The temp is about 75 to 85 during the day and mid 60s at night. The problem is a lot of them seem to dry out so fast. Even though they are dry, should I still wait to water them, watering once a week, or should I water them as soon as they become dry?!?
I try to keep the room They're in as humid as possible but I will admit the rest of the house is quite dry. So do I water or do I wait?!?
Thank you for any input.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-31-2024, 05:14 PM
Blueszz Blueszz is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Oct 2008
Member of:NOV
Location: Limburg
Posts: 1,250
Default

Welcome Master Jedi.

Watering on a schedule like once a week should be avoided. You need te water them when the plants need it. It sounds that in your case that probably is more often than once a week.

However, it depends on the species how dry you can let them go. Some might be watered sooner, or later.
__________________
Nicole
~ Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience ~ (R.W. Emerson)
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes Roberta liked this post
  #3  
Old 03-31-2024, 05:25 PM
Master Jedi's Avatar
Master Jedi Master Jedi is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Mar 2024
Posts: 23
Orchids drying too fast
Default

Thank you. So basically, just use some common sense and trust my gut. Sounds solid to me.
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes Roberta liked this post
  #4  
Old 03-31-2024, 05:31 PM
rbarata rbarata is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Mar 2015
Zone: 10a
Location: Abrantes
Posts: 5,539
Orchids drying too fast Male
Default

Is it large bark or smaler?
Pics would help.
__________________
Meteo data at my city here.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-31-2024, 05:46 PM
Master Jedi's Avatar
Master Jedi Master Jedi is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Mar 2024
Posts: 23
Orchids drying too fast
Default Reply

It's small bark. I would take pics but I'm a hospice patient and don't have the extra energy for that. But I have the answers I was looking for. If I have more questions I'll send pics then. Before I go, does big bark dry slower than small bark?
And I hope I don't come off as rude, but just texting takes a lot of energy for me.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-31-2024, 06:23 PM
Roberta's Avatar
Roberta Roberta is offline
Super Moderator
 

Join Date: Jun 2008
Zone: 10a
Location: Coastal southern California, USA
Posts: 13,858
Orchids drying too fast Female
Default

First, certainly not rude! Do what you can, and feel free to ask or not!

Big bark does dry faster than small. In fact by "tuning" the medium size to the type of plant, it's possible to water plants with different needs on the same schedule and give each what they want. So if Cattleyas are in large bark, Phalaenopsis in medium bark, and Oncidium-tribe orchids in small bark, you can water at a rate to keep the Oncitiums damp, and the same regimen will let the Phalaenopsis and Cattleya plants dry a bit as they need to and you don't have to think about it.

That is how I manage a large collection with automatic sprinklers - I have Cattleyas in baskets with large bark or none at all (they need to dry out) hanging over Cymbidiums in small bark (that like to be damp), in summer the sprinklers run every 2 days (3 days in winter) and everybody is happy - the Catts are fairly dry in a few hours, the Cyms stay damp.
__________________
Orchids teach patience!

Roberta's Orchids (visit my back yard)

See what orchid species are blooming in Southern California(New page for DECEMBER 2024)

Last edited by Roberta; 03-31-2024 at 06:26 PM..
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes rbarata liked this post
  #7  
Old 03-31-2024, 06:47 PM
Master Jedi's Avatar
Master Jedi Master Jedi is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Mar 2024
Posts: 23
Orchids drying too fast
Default

Thank you! That's good advice. I will definitely try that.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 04-01-2024, 12:05 AM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 18,654
Orchids drying too fast Male
Default

Welcome to the Orchid Board!
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 04-01-2024, 01:13 PM
Blueszz Blueszz is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Oct 2008
Member of:NOV
Location: Limburg
Posts: 1,250
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Master Jedi View Post
And I hope I don't come off as rude, but just texting takes a lot of energy for me.
You aren't rude!
__________________
Nicole
~ Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience ~ (R.W. Emerson)
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 04-01-2024, 02:35 PM
MateoinLosAngeles MateoinLosAngeles is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Oct 2022
Member of:AOS, OSSC
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 478
Default

Your humidity seems pretty high for them to dry so fast so I imagine they are in baskets or clay pots, which dry faster, and you probably use chunkier bark. It's alright. I would follow Roberta's recommendation, I do the same.

For plants that I need to keep damp for longer I use plastic pots. If I "over pot" a plant, then I will use chunkier material. For some of my cattleyas that dry out too quickly, I place them in a basket inside of a plastic pot. This is because I know I won't be able to water them any sooner, so the plastic pot acts as a bit of a green house. I think you can achieve perfect potting with just bark and perlite, I don't even use sphagnum anymore, I just play with different sizes of bark. But if I know I can't keep up with watering, or control conditions, I will add a layer of sphagnum to the top of the pot. I do that with Phalaenopsis potted in chunky bark and with Zygos that I noticed were drying too quickly even in small bark, they all responded positively.

You'll see how the combination of different medium size and pot material will result in different drying times. It's trial and error, luckily orchids are resilient and can resist that trial and error.

Finally, keep in mind that new bark will retain much less water than older bark. In my experience it takes several months to "break" good quality bark. You shouldn't repot when that happens, as the bark will probably be good for many years to come, but you will see how your watering times get extended as the bark gets more used.
__________________
Add me on Instagram and let's chat orchids!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
dry, fast, orchids, wait, water


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
AOS Guide to Orchids and their Culture estación seca News, Updates & Feedback 4 02-22-2020 09:16 PM
Orchids drying out too fast? OrchidJoe Beginner Discussion 14 10-25-2012 05:28 PM
What is this on my new shoot?? Helen Cattleya Alliance 19 09-20-2012 07:35 PM
shore orchid festival -- july 23, 24 & 25 -- @ silva orchids -- neptune, nj mindbum Orchid Show Announcements 4 07-31-2010 01:57 PM
A Practical 150 gal Orchidarium-eBay cheap brsword Growing Under Lights 5 02-19-2010 07:39 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:40 AM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.