Stanhopea time!

[Roberta]

Definitely you don't want it to be dry ever. When Stanhopeas experience dryness, they say "Uh oh, drought" and drop leaves - and may take several years to get back to health. Cool? No idea. Mine gets cool because that's what happens in the fall/winter outside. I don't know if it needs the temperature change to bloom or not. The better approach might be to move it outside in the spring a little sooner - once nights get above about 55 deg F. Keeping it wet will help the spider mite problem too, spider mites like dry... But definitely it wants to be wet all year around.

[estación seca]

Brandon Tam, orchid curator at the Huntington Gardens, says they grow Stans in baskets of wet sphagnum moss that are watered automatically twice per day.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Definitely you don't want it to be dry ever. When Stanhopeas experience dryness, they say "Uh oh, drought" and drop leaves - and may take several years to get back to health.

The only caveat to this is that jenishiana often doesn't bloom correctly (or at all) without a very distinct, dry rest period in winter.

[SG in CR]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Definitely you don't want it to be dry ever. When Stanhopeas experience dryness, they say "Uh oh, drought" and drop leaves - and may take several years to get back to health.

That may explain why some of the non-native Stanhopeas I have are struggling, notably S. grandiflora. I water daily in the dry season. But the rest of the year they can go for a few days without rain every once in a while. And even during the dry season they don't really stay wet for more than a few hours after watering.
But I agree with Stephen, some don't mind a bit of drying out. My S. wardii and S. ecornuta grow and bloom well with a significant dry season every year. And the S. jenischiana that I got last year bloomed this year mounted in a tree that I hardly water even in the dry season.