Avoiding Overwatering
 

Hello my name is Connor and I chronically over water my orchids.

haha ok so I have an idea, could I repot some of my phalls to pots that are wayyy too small even for an orchid in order to prevent overwatering? It is sooo hard to tell when the roots in the center need water as I only have clay pots.

You could try a really fast draining medium.
I know some people on here use lava rock.
Or if your a really chronic over waterer maybe mounting is the way to go for you.


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I like terra cotta because I think it dries out more evenly than plastic. If you are using sphagnum then I would suggest moving to bark or a mix of the two.

response
 

the media I use is this clay pebble stuff, drains really fast. My problem is the roots retain moisture on their own FOREVER. I have had horrible luck with growing orchids spent prolly 200$ on stuff trying to make it work but for the life of me they just keep dieing. I refuse to quit until I can legitimately claim I can successfully do it.

My house temp hovers around 70 degrees F
the water I use to water was recently rated the best water in the world (Emporia Ks) so they arent being poisoned I just have no idea!

Hmm....
I don't do semi hydro so I can't be much help as to what the stuff is called. But maybe someone who does can come in here... but I'm pretty sure they utilise some potting mediums that drain almost instantly.
Have you considered mounting your orchids?
You can water every day with mounted orchids. Actually more like have to.

I noticed they were voted as best tasting water.
In my experience most of the better tasting waters have a lot of minerals and salts in them.
This may not be the case for you but I'd check on that. If it isn't you can rule that out.
My local water is unusable for orchids.
In general orchids like pure water.


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That the roots retain moisture shouldn't be a problem and you should be able to water every day when using terra cotta pots and clay pellets.

Agree with David. If you're killing the roots in a clay medium, something else is the problem here.

Bamboo (kabob) skewers in the media. Gently twist the skewer into the media (for clay pots, as near to the center as you can get it; for plastic pots, approximately mid-way between the center and the edge of the pot, but anywhere away from the edge works). To check, remove the skewer and touch it to your cheek or upper lip. Even if it seems dry, but feels cool to your skin, there is moisture in the media. For Phals, allow media to be very nearly dry (skewer only feels cool, not damp), or entirely dry (but don't let Phals remain dry. Replace the skewer back into the same spot you removed it from until next time.

A freshly sharpened pencil can also be used - gently twist into the media approximately half way, wait a few seconds, and remove it. The newly exposed wood will darken from moisture in the media.

I also like to put a small overturned net pot (or other small pot) in the center of the pot, or styrofoam in the center of the root mass - no soggy media at the center, when the rest of the media is dried out. Makes for happy roots! :)

A suggestion is switching to using sphagnum moss in clear plastic pots. Make sure you use some Hydroton or clay pellets, in the bottom so it drains easily. By using clear plastic you can easily moniter the roots and make sure that you don't over water. I have been growing orchids for a number of years and many of my plants now go into them.

Do you mean that you put something in the center of the pot to prevent the root from getting to the center? I thought about this too. If the center roots easily rot because of constant moist, blocking the roots from growing in the center area should be a solution. It's like mounting the plant to the overturned net pot or to the styrofoam, or to whatever you use to force the roots circling around the side. If this method works for you, I'd love to try it.

Ps: why don't they make an orchid pot that has hollow post in center? That will require watering more often i suppose.