How do I know when my bark mixture is dry and when to water

[adelong5]

Hi my name is arielle and I am having a hard time trying to tell when to water my cattleya and wilsonara. I know that the wilis needs watering similar to a phal, but the cattleya i'm not so sure about... The mixture they are potted in is more bark chunks rather than the finer mixture my phals are in. I can see if my phals mix feels moist with my fingers, but not the chunkier bark mix. Does anyone have any sugestions? thanks arielle

[Phantasm]

The easiest test for a few plants is simply to pick up the pot. If it feels heavy, hold off on the water and if it is light then heavily water it. A big bath is always preferable to lightly watering.

[Ray]

I heard a great suggestion once: fill a similar flower pot with the same potting mix and no plant. Set it on the bench next to your plants and water it the same. When you want to verify the moisture content, dump it and check!

[camille1585]

You can also poke a wooden skewer down into the medium. To check if the plant needs water, pull it out and check. Also touch it to your check if you are unsure; if it feels cool and damp you can wait a day or two to water.

[greenbean]

I use a combo of some of the methods here. When I get a new plant or repot one, I use the skewer method. I also pay attention to the wet and dry weight of the pot, so that once I get a feel for it I don't need the skewer anymore. For some plants I keep using the wooden skewer though.

[let_it_grow]

I use my finger, if it feels clammy I dont water. I find my finger tells me better than a skewer. Sometimes you can tell by the look of the medium if its getting close to time. Bark looks darker when damp and clear pots help determine that. Another thing to check for is condensation on the inside of the pot, this means its not watering time yet

[cabbo]

I have the same problem with bark. It seems like it dosn't hold any water for more than a day, just runs right through and dries up too quickly. I cant seem to get used to it in comparison to sphag.

[Jerry Delaney]

All of the methods mentioned here are excellent suggestions. However, maybe your main concern should be why your bark mix is drying out in a single day. Maybe you should try compacting it a little tighter. Immediately after repotting, if you can't pick both plant and pot up by the plants leaves without the pot falling off, it's probably too loosely compacted and will dry out much faster.