orchiata too dry? - Orchid Board

JerseyGirlBecky · #1 01-14-2011, 07:54 PM

It seems I am having trouble keeping my orchids watered. I repotted in the med. orchiata about two months ago and I could water ever other day. I have been sitting them in the sink and watering with a watering can full twice. I have the bamboo sticks in every plant and if I check them even two days later they are dry. I took one phal out just to check and the roots are very dry and brown. now I am very worried. should I repot and soak the bark in warm water overnight again? I do have to say that is is very cold here and the heater is running constantly day and night. I have a humidifier next to the plants running constantly. Any suggestions?
thanks, Becky

Claire25 · #2 01-14-2011, 09:42 PM

It will be interesting to hear from others who have experience with this medium. As for me, low indoor humidity always causes me to have problems keeping certain orchids sufficiently watered in the winter. I use sphagnum moss for most, now, and I consider it essential for keeping my Phals (which love moisture!) in good shape.

got ants · #3 01-14-2011, 11:09 PM

Becky, it has more to do with your growing conditions, than the media itself. Are you using more heat inside your house (assuming you crow indoors).

I cannot use ant type of bark myself, because it retains too much moisture, but I grow outdoors in south Florida. I use coconut chips but only sparingly with other substrates.

What type of pots are you using? I use clay, some wood slat baskets, and recently moved some oncidiums into plastic baskets. Again, too much water (naturally-rain) is my issue.

Also, what types of orchids/lights are you using?

BobInBonita · #4 01-15-2011, 12:12 AM

Agree with comments above. It has to be your conditions more so than the media.

You should be able to maintain temps & humidity, unless you have an older home with really leaky windows. When I lived in Minnesota our conditions were colder and dryer than New Jersey and I had great luck.

Do you have any way of getting a measurement of your humidity? Although I don't use Orchiata, one of the benefits is supposed to be the ease of moistening it.

To help control the humidity could you "tent" the humidifier and orchids (build a plastic coated frame large enough to enclose them)? It wouldn't have to be air tight, since you probably want the humidification in the house, but just a way to contain it around the plants before it dissipates into the dry air (sort of a tunnel with the plants inside). After I wrote that, I imagined my wife's reaction to something like that in the kitchen - maybe not the perfect architectural image, but.....

billc · #5 01-15-2011, 04:35 AM

Are you using just the Orchiata? If so, having to water every other day would not be unusual here in the Northeast in winter. You may want to add some moisture retaining material like peat chunks or chc to the mix.

Bill

JerseyGirlBecky · #6 01-15-2011, 04:52 AM

Yes, I am using just the orchiata. And, it is in the teens here at night and 20 s in the day, and the heater is running quite often. The humidity is very low hence two humidifiers. Also I use the clear plastic pots with lots of side holes. I am seriously thinking of using the spag. I used the bark because I was always afraid of too much moisture. I have about 14 Phals and three Catts. I will not put the Catts in spag, but will get a finer grade bark maybe. I think I am going to lose at least 4 of the phals. However they were very bad when I got them with root rot.
Becky

CTB · #7 01-15-2011, 05:00 AM

Do you think maybe its not so much the humidity as root rot. Water every other day and see. Root rot is not going to absorb water, if they are stil dry then mix some spag in with the bark chip.

JerseyGirlBecky · #8 01-15-2011, 05:31 AM

Carol, No, the one I took out was just plain dry. No soft roots like root rot. They were like straw and flat for the most part. At lest i don't think root rot. I have gotten most of mine from places that overwatered and believe me they had root rot. Some I have saved, but not all.

Ray · #9 01-15-2011, 09:30 AM

Becky is right, Orchiata is is a "drier" bark than most, but being as stable as it is, more frequent watering is of no consequence. It helps to water heavily, wait 30 minutes, and do so again.

I am experimenting with a mixture of it and something akin to diatomite as a moisture-holding additive, but it's too early to make any pronouncements as to the outcome. I'm not usually that big of a fan of bark, but plants seems to do REALLY well in it.

I think Becky just needs to experiment some more. For example, her idea of a finer grade might not be bad, but using a plastic pot with solid walls, rather than slotted, will help as well. Maybe both?

Also, phals and catts have entirely different needs, so mixing a bit of sphagnum with the bark for the phals might not be a bad idea.

JerseyGirlBecky · #10 01-15-2011, 11:16 AM

Thank you Ray. I think it is not the bark but my conditions here. I had a little of the schultz potting mix that I did not like originally as it had too much fine stuff in it. I repotted some this morning still with the orchiata but mixed in some well rinsed potting mix. I will see how that does. I hate to give up on the orchiata completely.
Becky