cattleya in baskets

[oscar freak]

how often should i water a cattleya in a basket,now that i imagine its impossible to waterlog it?and drying out is more of a problem.

[Optimist]

I totally understand the dilemma. You will most likely need to gauge that on an individual basis. People here come from all over and a person in Victoria BC will give a totally different answer than a person in Tempe, Arizona. When in a vegitative growth stage, more water. Maybe put a top dressing of sphag moss to keep more moisture in.

[oscar freak]

plant stays indoors as its autumn here and temps are dropping but its still warm and the plant is putting out new growth.

[silken]

I would treat it like any other potted Cattleya and water when it is dry right thru to the bottom. That will likely be sooner than one in a pot, but it depends on conditions and the plant.

[tucker85]

It depends on what media you used in the basket. If you used something that's fast drying, you can water more often than if you used a media that holds some moisture. Watch the lead pseudo-bulb (that's the newest pseudo-bulb). If the lead pseudo-bulb stays plump it's pretty well hydrated but if the lead pseudo-bulb gets wrinkled, you'll need to water more often. Don't worry about older cattleya pseudo-bulbs, they seldom plump up no matter how much you water.

[WhiteRabbit]

Use a skewer to help determine when to water

[oscar freak]

that skewer method is why i switched,the inner part of the medium was damp but i never bothered to check the outer layer which was bone dry.i'm using coarse bark and stones