What are the 'cons' of the skewer method?

[greenpassion]

I recently had decided to try using the skewer method to see if it gave me a more accurate notice of my orchids moisture level. I had, for some reason, thought that nearly everyone here was doing this. There's even a sticky on this topic. Up to deciding to try this, I have always depended on looking through the clear plastic pots I grow in to see the color of the roots, and have also checked the weight of the pot, before and after watering. I grow my orchids in bark. Anyway, a day or so ago I encountered a problem with a phal I was bringing back from my very own neglect last year. For the past 7 or 8 months it's been in a 2" pot, in bark, and had been doing so well. But then, due to a new concern over limp leaves and feeling loose in it's pot, I unpotted it and found rotted roots. I was also very surprised to find that the bark, skewer and all were dry, despite my having watered it the evening before. What I'm trying to say here, (and doing a poor job of it) is through some of the responses I received I read that there are many who don't like or use the skewer method. Personally I'd rather not use it as I hate risking poking through roots, and from my recent trial with it, it hasn't been too accurate.

[rbarata]

I don't use it, not because I had problems with it but because I'm used to judge by the weight, the nº of days after last watering, temp humidity, type of medium,etc.
Well, to make it more simple, by feeling and intuition.
It's kind of uncertain when I get new plants but after a while it works fine.

About the skewer method and the poking roots issue. I think, after some time, the skewer forms a "tunnel" through the medium and it can be inserted always there. So, the risk exists only at the first time.

[Mountaineer370]

What follows is just the opinion of a beginner with about two and a half years of growing experience.

I think the skewer method is an excellent way for beginners to learn to judge when their orchids need watering. If, when you look at the skewer, you also take note of indicators like the weight of the pot, the color of any roots you can see, the dryness of any aerial roots, the plumpness or lack thereof in the pseudobulbs, etc., you will learn over time to judge whether a particular orchid needs watering, without needing the skewers.

I did not use skewers at first, until I found the OB and learned about that method here. Then I used them for quite a number of months, but I reached a point where I felt confident enough in judging the other indicators in deciding when to water.

One of the main reasons I quit was my fear of hitting roots with the skewers. I never really could find the tunnels others speak of, though maybe it was a little easier with a few of my orchids which are in a finer medium. Larger bark chunks and clay pellets, in my experience, made it very difficult for me to know exactly where to replace the skewer without hitting roots.

[Dollythehun]

I think your heat mat has a lot to do with your problem. I kept my phals in large bark for years and years. I followed rbarata's method. Then I joined the OB and read about skewers. I tried that method on one plant...the skewer was always damp and the plant always dry. I went back to my old method and switched to a moss mix. I now water my phals when they are crispy. My con: it didn't work for me. ES has often told me, plants in small pots need more care...btw, the skewers make decent supports for your flower spikes

[WhiteRabbit]

Interesting to read these comments - I've had the opposite experience for the most part - my orchid growing improved immensely using skewers! I will say that weather / climate may have some affect.on success ? As well as I have experienced that some skewers seem to work better than others (some tend to feel quite dry much of the time until they have been in the pot for a while.) I guess I should also add that I leave the skewers in the pots outside of when I am checking them ...

[estación seca]

A 2" / 5cm pot is probably too small for most Phals except miniatures. Even a miniature potted in bark in a pot like that would need to be watered every day in most people's conditions. The heat mat made it even drier.

The skewer can only tell you whether the medium is dry, moist or wet. It can't tell you how long ago the medium dried out. I suspect your Phal in the 2" pot on the heat mat was dry within an hour or two, and that is why the roots died.

[greenpassion]

I am more than likely going to go back to the way I've always done it... if it works, don't fix it...

[greenpassion]

Originally Posted by estación seca

A 2" / 5cm pot is probably too small for most Phals except miniatures. Even a miniature potted in bark in a pot like that would need to be watered every day in most people's conditions. The heat mat made it even drier.

The skewer can only tell you whether the medium is dry, moist or wet. It can't tell you how long ago the medium dried out. I suspect your Phal in the 2" pot on the heat mat was dry within an hour or two, and that is why the roots died.

ES. I have no doubt that you are spot-on. I keep a written record of every orchid, when it is watered, and I can see that over the last 3 weeks I had begun skipping days. Prior to that I was watering this little pot everyday. It's funny how one question or topic can lead to so many other answers for situations that weren't even obvious as they happened. Such as this, where I posted about the skewer method and get an answer as to why this phal went into decline.

[aliceinwl]

I have skewers in some but not in others. I like them in the pots where I went slightly large and can’t see the roots to visually check. I leave the skewers in permanently and only pull them out halfway to check. I usually install them while I’m repotting so that I don’t hit roots. Once I get roots growing along the sides of the pot or get the watering schedule down for the plant, I tend to stop checking them.