Short flower spikes on Phalaenopsis

[dch53]

I ordered the bark online and they pieces are a fairly uniform 1/2 inch or so in size.

I read somewhere that you can judge whether the pot needs watering by feeling the weight when you pick it up but that's never worked for me because the potting mix is so light. I tried a hygrometer and that tells me that the pot is dry a couple of days after soaking.

Soaking for an hour once a week seems to work. I do soak them for longer during the summer.

[Kittyfrex]

Originally Posted by dch53

I ordered the bark online and they pieces are a fairly uniform 1/2 inch or so in size.

I read somewhere that you can judge whether the pot needs watering by feeling the weight when you pick it up but that's never worked for me because the potting mix is so light. I tried a hygrometer and that tells me that the pot is dry a couple of days after soaking.

Soaking for an hour once a week seems to work. I do soak them for longer during the summer.

If that's the case, you can try mixing some sphagnum in for water retention. At this time of year, i water about once every two-three week, even less before spikes emerge.

Also, the weight is a good way to measure how wet it is but works only on water retentive media. Bark does hold onto some, but not nearly enough to notice a consistency.