Am I underwatering my phals?

[ceropegia]

All three of my phals have shrivelled up tips on their air roots. They are light brown and papery to the touch. Some of the roots are healthy at the base but are beginning to shrivel up on the tips. The brown parts are dry and feel hollow but when I tried trimming them there were thin, live green tissues, almost like a vine, underneath.

Is this a sign of underwatering? I mist all of them at least twice a day and I try to spray directly onto the air roots, and I've been doing this for quite some time, but the roots still shrivel up. I also water them lightly every few days since their mix dries out rapidly. 3 are in loose sphag (which does dry out quickly...I poke my finger down to the bottom after a few days and it's bone dry.) and one is in bark with some sphag on top. One of them has some black spots on the roots that look a bit like rot as if from overwatering, but all of the roots are just dried out-looking.

Is this underwatering? Any tips to help me correct this? Unfortunately I can't take photos since I'm on vacation (all of them were watered then bagged up since I couldn't find anyone to take care of them ) but if you need more of a description let me know!

[dounoharm]

if you are just giving them a little drink every few days then yes, you are underwatering....phals need a good soaking every time you water....then wait till they dry out some and water them again...they dont want to be totally dry....gl

[Izzie]

Dounoharm is right. I can't say if those are signs of underwatering (I suspect so, from what I've heard)- but the general consensus with waterng phals, and many orchids, is soaking. Be sure to flush water through the mix to get rid of waste/mineral build up as well. Then wait until the mix is nearly dry to water again. I'm sure you can still mist.

[Izzie]

Keep an eye out for posts by the member Ray. He has great advice for this kind of thing. His website is one of the best resources I've found on the web when I feel uncertain- First Rays' Free Info

[Tropicgirl]

I agree, phals need lots of water. The sphag wouldn't dry out so quickly if it were really soaked. This would also make your job easier, you wouldn't have to mist so often. Just make sure you dry the crown after each watering.

[mayres]

I don't believe the condition of the air roots to have any bearing on the quantity/quality of your watering regimen. In order for the air roots to flourish I believe they require high humidity and many of our conditions will not provide that regardless of how well you do watering your "in pot" roots. In many cases spritzing/misting air roots countless times and watering to try and keep them healthy is likely to cause your "in pot" roots to be over-watered. My vote would be to just let them be and they will not affect the overall health of your plant.

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[ceropegia]

Thanks for all of the great advice! I'll have to start dousing them regularly now. And Izzie, thanks for the link!