watering orchids

[bil]

Originally Posted by Cym Ladye

Orchids thrive on what I like to call 'Studied Neglect".

Best term I have heard yet.

[The Mutant]

Aaah, watering... Yes, I haven't gotten the hang of watering my Paphs, even after almost 3 years. I'm a notorious overwaterer, with predictable results; 15(!) dead Paphs in less than 3 years... Says it all, I think.

Originally Posted by silken

I killed a number of orchids to root rot before I got the hang of it. I don't think I have ever killed one from letting it get a bit too dry.
I use the inexpensive bamboo kebab skewers in most of my pots and pull it out to check if it is time to water. Depending on the type of orchid, this could mean bone dry or slightly damp. It has been a big help for me.

I also use skewers and if it wasn't for them, I don't think I would have a single Paph left. My biggest issue is overwatering during winter... I don't know how damp the substrate should be then and I really need to learn this, preferably without killing any more. All the weak ones are dead now, so I hope the rest will stay with me.

Originally Posted by Cym Ladye

Orchids thrive on what I like to call 'Studied Neglect".

I've only tried "Unplanned Neglect". Didn't end up well, so I advice you people to stick with the "Studied" part in particular.

[ula]

Yeah, it's hard to do what the orchids want you to do, not what you want to do to them . The "skewer method" is great, although I'm always afraid that I'll impale roots on my way down, so instead I weigh the pot in my hand, or insert my digit inside through a large hole in the bottom of my pot.

[silken]

Originally Posted by ula

Yeah, it's hard to do what the orchids want you to do, not what you want to do to them . The "skewer method" is great, although I'm always afraid that I'll impale roots on my way down, so instead I weigh the pot in my hand, or insert my digit inside through a large hole in the bottom of my pot.

I always leave the skewer in the pot and put it back in the same place each time after checking. So no roots are impaled except maybe the first time I found my pots could feel very light and still be damp in the centre and bottom since bark and moss and some other media doesn't weigh much to begin with.

[Optimist]

Many epiphites and lithophytes are like that. Some orchids like wet feet. I also go by the thickness of the roots and leaves. Its kind of CAM plant spectrum. The more CAM you are (thick leaves, thick velaman) the less water you need.

[vlhart]

I'm still learning how to water mine too. Leaving them alone for two weeks over the holidays was a real lesson. I was sure that my mounted tolumnia was going to be dry and dead in my incredibly dry apartment but I came home to find new leaves and root growth.

One already rootless rescue phal in loose fir bark I found rotting even further though...

[Raqsharqi]

This is something I still struggle with too. I have my phalaenopsis in a sphag mix because keeping the roots moist is a challenge in my desert environment. In the summer, when they vacationed outdoors, the sphag would be totally dry in 48 hours or less. In the greenhouse, they don't dry out for about 4 days, and then the pots are light as can be. I can't imagine waiting 10 days, though I find the phals with weak roots stay moist, if not downright wet, for a lot longer. Same mix! The plants with a root system like a banyon tree soak up the water in a couple of days. I'll be leaving them for a long time, and don't really know what to tell my plant sitter! I'm not fluent in orchid....will she understand what they are telling her about their water needs?

[oscar freak]

i havent tried the skewer method yet,i'v tried the sticking your finger through the drainage holes but that only goes so far and its the inner most part of the pots where the problem manifests usually.i pick up the pots to feel the weight and that works a bit.in a week the pot normally feels very light and so i would water and then i ended up nearly killing a few.its actually a bit painful now the urge to water is so strong i have to control myself.i would like to experiment with a purely non water retaining medium,all this rain is going to waste,it always seems to rain just after i watered.

[derv88]

I left Chicago on Dec 19th with freshly watered plants (about 30 of them), returning home on Jan 2nd. On Jan 3rd (AM of course), I got set to rewater, and many if not most of my plants in bark were still showing darker bark chips half way down!

The plants in Stalite were dry, but I am surprised at the plants in bark.

I thought perhaps since this is the first year they are spending the winter in the basement under lights (year round), and temps dip into the low 60s and upper 50s, perhaps they are slowing their growth rates and water consumption because of the cooler temps.

The other possiblity is that i've always overwatered my plants...

We are all still learning.

[lotis146]

Everyone has said a lot of good things here! I'm a chronic under-waterer and I've found that Orchids are really quite resilient when it comes to drying out. Of course it depends on the actual species, medium, and overall conditions but I've left some Phals, a Miltoniopsis, and a compact Catt without water for 6 weeks in the spring/summer and NO ONE died. Sure most of them suffered but no death The biggest problem I've encountered with underwatering is slower growth and smaller, fewer flowers/spikes. My Wilsonara (Oncidium hybrid) grew two spikes over a month ago and then all of a sudden the second one stopped growing.

I agree you have to listen to your Orchids as well you gotta get a feel for your own conditions. I would bet it's safe to say, when in doubt don't water, wait a few days.