Frequency of H20 for Cattleyas in clay pots in bark.

[SoCalOrchidMan]

I grow only Cattleyas in a greenhouse in Southern California and have for quite some time. I am not getting really good root growth, new leaves sometimes have pleats in them and when roots are growing well they will all sometimes just stop growing for no apparently reason.
Currently, I water with reverse osmosis H20 about every 5 to 6 days. There is always so much discussion about the overwatering of these plants that I may be erring on the conservative side. Lifting the plant to feel if it is "light" is not helpful as clay pots are always heavy, relatively speaking compared to plastic.
I guess my question is, we all know the signs of overwatering: dead roots. What are the classic signs of watering too infrequently. Any advice or helpful hints from other members is appreciated. Thanks.

[zxyqu]

You named it. My main sign is pleated or limp leaves, though I've found it takes quite a bit of underwatering (or root death) to start to show signs of this. Also, keep an eye out on the newer pseudobulbs for signs of abnormal shriveling.
Given what you're describing, if the roots are healthy, you are probably underwatering given the above signs.
Just a question though, if you are using RO water, are you using a fertilzer formulated for RO water. I'd suspect you are, but if not, you should switch as normal ferts will drop the pH of RO water quite precipitously since there is nothing to buffer.
Good luck, and keep us posted. Also, pics could help if you have more questions

[WhiteRabbit]

I have bamboo skewers in all my pots to take away the guess work of when to water

in clay pots, I try to get the skewer as near the center of the pot as I can- but it's often closer to midway between center and edge

remove skewer, touch to your cheek or upper lip to test for moisture - it it even feels cool against your skin, there is moisture in the pot
replace skewer to same place you had it to avoid damaging roots

[keithrs]

I'll be honest.... Thats a loaded question.

Whats the RH in your GH?

How much air movement do you have?

How much light are your plants getting?

Do you have active root growth?

Are all your Catt's in the same size pots?

These are some of the questions that will need to be answered to give you a better idea. Pics do help also!!!!

Some of mine are watered daily, some watered twice a week in the summer. Depends on how I'm growing it!

It probably wont hurt to mist daily.

I prefer to have strong air movement and water more often!

[RJSquirrel]

Lots of things to look at here for lack of new growth and activity.
My 1st impression seeing you are growing in a greenhouse is that overnight your greenhouse is staying to warm and eating the plants reserves up. They need a good drop in night time temps to get a rest during these hot summer days. Im guessing you aren't letting your temp in the day exceed much over 85-90? So at night you need to be down to 70-75 to give them a little rest..Your plants aren't getting any rest..
Outside in the open air, the dew is very heavy in the a.m..My catts outside get a good a.m dousing of dew and temps around 75-80. You can water all you want but you cant replace the humidity in the air and how it permeates everything. Misting is alternative but its not a replacement for humidity.

Lots of Details to look at why.. Could be a combination of things to look at..

Slow and no growth says to me your greenhouse is staying too hot overnight

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[CTB]

Wecome to the forum, hope you'll find lots of answer here

[tucker85]

The lead psuedobulb should be plump. If the lead psuedobulb shows wrinkles the plant may be dehydrated. Cattleyas can withstand dry periods better than most other orchids. When I do water I water extremely well. I water two or three times about ten or fifteen minutes apart. Soaking the medium each time. With RO water you want to make sure you're using a complete fertilizer with all the minor and trace minerals. I find that a seaweed suppliment really perks up plants that aren't doing well. I use Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed and have excellent results. One other possibility is to spray for orchid mites. You may not even be able to see them but they can sap strength from the plant. I just use Safer soap and spray both sides of every leaf and the top of the medium and repeat again in a week. It's a big job if you have a lot of plants. Good luck.

[pedidiva]

is the pot size too big? That was one of my problems.

I use a wooden skewer to determine if medium is dry In the summer, I water 2-3 X/week. Winter it's 1X/week.

HTH~~
Pedi

[Orchid126]

Go with White Rabbit and use the skewer method. It takes all the guesswork out of watering and is practically fool proof because it tells you the condition of the medium. You don't need any fancy gadgets. Buy some shishkabob skewers at the grocery store, trim them down and stick them in the medium as White Rabbit says. How wet or dry the skewer is before you water will depend on the needs of the particular orchid.

[zxyqu]

Agreed with WR and above, and chopsticks work great