All I ever wanted to know about soaking bark, but was afraid to ask

[lotis146]

I too heard advice about pre-soaking bark before repots when I came here & I continue to do so when I have the time. I also water the same day as I repot, I've not had any suffer from this.

My biggest reason for continuing with this practice (pre-soaking) is that I under-water therefore I nd medium to hold water more than less. I am actually planning to convert several Zygonisias to a promix type medium when I am able to repot them. I think I may even incorporate promix into other more thirsty plants. This is b/c I have Zygolum Louisendorff I got in Promix & have yet to repot, this is one of the only plants whose pbulbs have not wrinkled under my care.

My point is that where once Promix freaked me out and others cannot use it lest they kill their plants, for me and my underwatering thirsty plants will be better off in it. Plus I was worried about summer and this mix however Lousidendorf has been outside for quite some time now and we've had a fair bit of rain but as far as I can tell it is doing just fine.

So perhaps you are unable to maintain enough moisture for those plants in bark???

[bethmarie]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

I grow in a greenhouse. I do not pre-soak bark.

I repot carefully, and then I water immediately, several times, the same day that I repotted. On rare occasions a weak plant does not make it, but I do not recall loosing any healthy plants from this treatment.

That was the way my dad did it in his commercial orchid nursery, and it works well for me too.

I can see why this would work. What I missed, and feel kind of doltish about since it seems obvious now, is upping the watering frequency for new divisions or re-pots. I was too concerned about rot and not enough about dehydration.

---------- Post added at 02:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 PM ----------

Originally Posted by lotis146

So perhaps you are unable to maintain enough moisture for those plants in bark???

Yes, that. At least not with the watering frequency I've been using.

Ironically, I was switching from lava to bark because of my under-watering tendencies and to hopefully increase the interval between waterings.

I didn't factor in that it takes time before bark starts holding onto more moisture.

[Leafmite]

Bark. I stopped using it as I could never quite get the watering right. :|

[AnonYMouse]

Since no one has said, do not pre-soak Orchiata. It is coated in something (dolomite?) that you're paying extra for.

[MrHungx]

For those of you who have trouble with the bark drying out evenly, I recommend mixing in some sphagnum moss. My media dries out evenly now and I only water when the top layer of sphagnum is crispy. For those who prefer to grow in straight bark, just add a layer of sphagnum moss on the top.

I immediately water my orchids after I repot to wash out all the sawdust.

[lotis146]

---------- Post added at 02:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 PM ----------

[/COLOR]

Yes, that. At least not with the watering frequency I've been using.

Ironically, I was switching from lava to bark because of my under-watering tendencies and to hopefully increase the interval between waterings.

I didn't factor in that it takes time before bark starts holding onto more moisture.[/QUOTE]


I do believe there's a learning curve to perfecting the art of watering one's orchids.

I'm still learning on the job just which orchids I cannot sustain with mainly bark mixtures.

[Ray]

"Mouse" is correct - Orchiata is treated with dolomite solutions during the aging process. it helps control the pH and provides essential calcium and magnesium to the plant.

The purpose of soaking is to get the bark to "open up" it's structure, allowing it to absorb more water. Once it has been opened up - and that can happen over time with regular watering - it tends to stay that way.

Instead of soaking bark, I pour a small amount of boiling, or at least really hot water on it - just enough to wet it all. Wait 15-30 minutes, and do it again, and it will be ready to use when it cools.

[bil]

Originally Posted by lotis146

---------- Post added at 02:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 PM ----------

[/COLOR]

Yes, that. At least not with the watering frequency I've been using.

Ironically, I was switching from lava to bark because of my under-watering tendencies and to hopefully increase the interval between waterings.

I didn't factor in that it takes time before bark starts holding onto more moisture.

I do believe there's a learning curve to perfecting the art of watering one's orchids.

I'm still learning on the job just which orchids I cannot sustain with mainly bark mixtures.[/QUOTE]


Never was truer wod spoken. Yeah, there is a learning curve.
Personally, I'm tending towards the line of thought that says they should ideally be watered every day (in the summer) -- with the media open enough so that it needs water the following day.

Ray, are there any orchids where the roots HAVE to dry out?

[Raqsharqi]

I learn something new every day. Like yesterday, when my neighbor asked me to look at his phal, which had lost all its leaves. Clearly crown rot. But then I thought I'd look at the root system and the orchid had been in a clear plastic pot (which had never been lifted from the ceramic container) and found green roots so lush and thick they brought tears to my eyes. The plastic pot had split...maybe due to pressure from the roots to escape? There was maybe 1/2-3/4 of a cup of bark in the 4" pot, so the roots were just "there"...not planted in any real sense of the word. And those roots! Sigh! Drool! I can't manage to get mine that healthy.
So perhaps I ought to think more about using bark instead of a bark/sphag mix and also consider watering less.
It's so hard to tell sometimes. In my arid climate, sphag can be dry in a day or two. But maybe they don't really need water as much as I think they do. Maybe bark is really the answer.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Raqsharqi

I learn something new every day. Like yesterday, when my neighbor asked me to look at his phal, which had lost all its leaves. Clearly crown rot. But then I thought I'd look at the root system and the orchid had been in a clear plastic pot (which had never been lifted from the ceramic container) and found green roots so lush and thick they brought tears to my eyes. The plastic pot had split...maybe due to pressure from the roots to escape? There was maybe 1/2-3/4 of a cup of bark in the 4" pot, so the roots were just "there"...not planted in any real sense of the word. And those roots! Sigh! Drool! I can't manage to get mine that healthy.
So perhaps I ought to think more about using bark instead of a bark/sphag mix and also consider watering less.
It's so hard to tell sometimes. In my arid climate, sphag can be dry in a day or two. But maybe they don't really need water as much as I think they do. Maybe bark is really the answer.

I'm very dry here, and I pot phals in 2 inch chunks of bark ONLY. They get two wet days a week, when they are watered till the water runs out, and the rest are damp days, when they get washed down and just given a splash round the roots.