Using skewers to determine when to water

[charlesf6]

If you are not too concerned about poking through the root system over and over.
I feel better with using a direct path.

[Sonicles]

I will try this. I'm concerned about damaging a root but will investigate. Many thanks for info

[rbarata]

I'm concerned about damaging a root but will investigate.

Once you stick the skewer through the medium you'll create a path for its insertion. So, if any root is damaged, it will be only once...and the plants have more than one so the risk that a damaged root poses to a plant is minimal.

[meraki]

Hi all, I bought my first onc. a few days ago and I've been reading up on how to care for it since I've only ever had phals. Anyway, I tried the skewer trick this morning and the medium it came potted in is soo thick and compact, with a layer of moss on top of it, that I actually could not find a place to poke the skewer in to check the moisture level. Any tips?

I could just wait until I see some of the pseudobulbs get a bit wrinkly but I don't want to damage the leaves, the plant itself is soo healthy. I bought it from a botanical garden so you would expect it to be!

[No-Pro-mwa]

Is it in bloom? If it is you might want wait till it is done then take out some of the moss. I would wait until it is almost dry before you water again.

[meraki]

Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

Is it in bloom? If it is you might want wait till it is done then take out some of the moss. I would wait until it is almost dry before you water again.

it is in bloom, with another inflorescence ready to bloom soon. I guess I'll just have to guesstimate when to water until I can figure out, weight-wise, when it's about halfway toward dry.

[emmajs243]

So I know this is an old post and I'll be honest, I haven't read all seven pages of comments....I quit on page 4 or 5....so maybe this was asked and I have quit too early BUT....

So first off, so glad I saw this and read it! I really didn't know what made posts sticky until recently I realized that the AWSOME posts are made stickys. I have read about doing this but it hasn't never worked for me. Come to find out from this, I was just sticking the skewer in and immediately removing it and I always thought, "how is THIS suppose to work?". Totally never knew the "wait at least thirty minute" part!

Question: so you guys say to put the skewer back into the same spot....So do you just water the orchid with the skewer in the pot too? If you do that doesn't it hold extra water longer? Just clarifying!

[fishmom]

I am a skewer user. I keep them in the pots, and often don't even take them out to check as I can tell by twisting them if they are moist or dry. If I take them out, I put them back in more or less the same spot. I want to know how moist or dry it is in the pot, so letting the skewer sit in there is the point.

[SouthPark]

I have heard of other techniques too, such as having a few control pots (no orchid planted in them) - with pretty much the same media used for particular orchids growing in the same media and in similar sized pots. And they say that once the media in that control pot is dry (eg. dip-stick test , digging, or using 'see-through' plastic pots for the control pots etc.), then just get in there and start watering the relevant orchids. And also water the control pots in similar ways. Some kind of system and organisation is expected to be involved - but it's another technique I guess.

[HailStarscream]

So glad to see this thread! I leave skewers in my bark planted orchids but I never knew exactly what I was looking for.