watering phals, whats best?

[grasshopper]

Repotting was an excellent idea, and it seems that the process has given you a better idea of your plants' health. Figuring out your watering schedule really is a trial and error process, but there are things that make it a little easier (i.e., the use of wooden skewers to test for moisture). Good luck!

[buffalo]

Originally Posted by grasshopper

Repotting was an excellent idea, and it seems that the process has given you a better idea of your plants' health. Figuring out your watering schedule really is a trial and error process, but there are things that make it a little easier (i.e., the use of wooden skewers to test for moisture). Good luck!

The skewer seem like a good idea, my guess is you leave a skewer in the pot and pull it out to see how moist it is.

Any other ideas in detecting when they need to be watered?

[grasshopper]

Some can tell by weight. Gauge the weight immediately after watering for a benchmark and then lift the pot every few days or so. If the pot still feels a little "heavy" do not water. If it feels lighter, water. Personally, I find this to be a very tricky method, but there are some that have great success with it.

I pot all my plants in clear plastic pots. This allows me to see the roots and the moisture conditions inside the pot. If I can see bright green, damp roots and moisture droplets on the inside of the pot, I do not water. If there is no moisture or the visible roots have a silvery/grey hue, then I water. I grow my orchids in conditions with average temps that range from 65 F to 83F and humidity ranging from 50% to 70%, and I have found that this method works well for me. One thing to remember with this method is that you will not be able to tell if the inner core of the medium is dry/damp, but with fresh, well-draining bark I have not found this to be an issue.

Hope this helps!

[RosieC]

I favour clear pots as described above. As I've got more experienced I've slowly learnt to tell by weight, but I use it more of a confirmation after other indicators than as my primary indicator.

[buffalo]

Anyone use plant moisture meters, would they be any good in bark ?
Most of my orchids are in terracotta pots with holes drilled in them for extra circulation.

[buffalo]

I did my first watering since the repotting , I soaked each pot in a basin of water for about 10 minutes. I will go with weekly to start and adjust as I see necessary. Hopefully i will get encouaging signs the orchids are happy.