Pleurothallis Questions

[samfish]

I have several small warm growing Pleurothallis orchids that were bare root, and i am potting. Most of my previous orchid experience is with plants that like to dry between watering, not stay moist like Pleurothallis.

I grow in a terrarium, 70-80F, 80-90% Humidity, and Good Air Circulation with a computer fan.

I put them in 2" net pots with sphagnum. But, the sphagnum seems to be staying very wet after 2 days, and is not drying out. I am afraid I will rot the roots.

-Is my Humidity too high?
-Should I only lightly mist the sphagnum, instead of watering it until it is saturated?
-How long can the plant handle a fully saturated sphagnum, before it needs to dry out?

[petewall]

I only have two Pleurothallis, so I can only comment from that experience. They're both in plastic pots with moss and I keep the moss quite damp. When the moss is dry, or getting close to dry, I water them by running them under a faucet until really soaked. I let them sit until they stop dripping before putting them back in their decorative pots.

I noticed that one likes a little more airflow than the other. They are both in a bathroom, so there's elevated humidity there, but nothing like it is in a terrarium.

[samfish]

Thanks for the info.

How many days after watering do they stay quite wet? And how many days does it take before they dry out and need to be watered?





[QUOTE=petewall;778917]I only have two Pleurothallis, so I can only comment from that experience. They're both in plastic pots with moss and I keep the moss quite damp. When the moss is dry, or getting close to dry, I water them by running them under a faucet until really soaked. I let them sit until they stop dripping before putting them back in their decorative pots.

I noticed that one likes a little more airflow than the other. They are both in a bathroom, so there's elevated humidity there, but nothing like it is in a terrarium.[/QUOTE]

[petewall]

Originally Posted by samfish

Thanks for the info.
How many days after watering do they stay quite wet? And how many days does it take before they dry out and need to be watered?

I water them once a week, maybe even less frequently? So far they haven't been that picky.

[samfish]

OK Great-- I will keep mine as-is, and monitor them... If they dry out in a week or less, I will assume they are OK!

[Leafmite]

Good luck with them!
I just started with these in June and only have four so I really don't have any answers yet.