Watering Question-Phal - Orchid Board

roxymusic · #1 01-12-2011, 07:51 PM

I had posted a few days ago re: my phal that suffered root rot/and yellowing leaves, from being potted up in the wrong medium. I repotted in bark, however i'm noticing that the bark is dried out within a couple of days. I'm hesitant to water it frequently, as that's how it got into the situation it's currently in.
I have it on a bed of pebbles and mist it a couple of times a day-no water collects in the crown.
Should I be watering it that frequently?

fisher60 · #2 01-12-2011, 08:53 PM

I'm a newbie myself but did you soak the bark before you used it? I've been told to soak my bark 24 hours before using.

BobInBonita · #3 01-12-2011, 09:01 PM

The answer is either yes, no, or maybe.

Did you pre-soak the bark so it was moist when you repotted? If not, yes you will have to water more frequently.

If you pre-soaked the medium well, no, you probably won't have to water more frequently - except...

New bark doesn't stay damp as long as old bark, so it might need more frequent watering, and if you had rot issues you orchid is probably lacking in roots so it will need slightly more frequent watering until it grows new roots (but not so frequent that you get rot again). Also - depending on where you live and the temperature you're growing, you may need to water less (cooler temps) or more (warm temps and low humidity because of heating). Even more - the interior of bark is almost always much wetter than the surface, so it can be hard to judge whether it is really dry or just looks that way.

So maybe is probably the best answer about watering.

Unfortunately, there isn't a magic answer for all situations. You have to try to understand what's happening with your orchid and your environment, and juggle things a bit.

You also have to giver it time to recover. Orchids aren't like some other green plants that you repot and they turn green overnight. They are usually a long game, and consistent care is key. If they don't die, it is surprising the conditions they can adapt to (if the conditions are consistent). Unless you were really lucky and your orchid was starting to grow new roots anyway (many aren't because of short days and cooler temps), it may be weeks before it starts to grow new ones. During that time, you have to keep it from drying out by misting and/or watering more (without starting rot again). Once it starts to grow new roots, you have to slowly bring it back to your "normal" watering schedule (everybody is a bit different).

Sorry to be so ambiguous, but everybody's style is different and if you do exactly what I do (which works under my conditions) it may not be best for your phal.

CTB · #4 01-12-2011, 09:17 PM

I don't mist by phals, they don't take well to having their leaves wet. Just water it good, and let it dry out. Use a wooden skewer, put in the pot, then just pull it out and check to see if it is dry or not before watering, something like testing a cake to see if it done..

Ray · #5 01-13-2011, 09:54 AM

One also needs to understand that water, per se, is not the issue with root rot. The true issue is suffocation.

You can read more detail on my "Free Info" page, but in a large nutshell:

Orchids, as a water-retention scheme, have evolved to do the majority of their gas exchange through their roots, unlike terrestrial plants who do so primarily through leaf stomata.
In nature, there's always lots of air around roots, but we pot them up.
When you water, most of the liquid pours through, some gets absorbed by the medium, and some is held by surface tension in between the particles of the potting medium. If the medium is too fine to begin with, or has become compressed and/or densified by decomposition, the spaces become small enough that the "bridging" water occupies a large volume, effectively blocking all of the air flow pathways for gas exchange, and literally suffocating the roots.

I am convinced, by the way, that that scenario is what led to the myth that "all orchids have to dry out between waterings". Letting the medium dry allows those bridging water droplets to be absorbed and evaporate, opening up those pathways, so the plants' roots can "breathe" again. It has nothing to do with the plants. If water caused root rot, it would be impossible to grow orchids in hydroponics or water culture, and many of the species we grow would be extinct, as they originate from areas that sustain literally months of constant soaking on a routine basis.

roxymusic · #6 01-13-2011, 10:10 AM

Thank you all it was very helpful!!!