Beginner Seeking Ascocentrum Advice - Orchid Board

LobsterOfJustice · #1 05-19-2016, 10:07 PM

I'll get straight to the point with the questions, and you can read my details below for more information if you're so inclined...

What are some ways a beginner can tell they are providing proper care for Ascocentrum?

What is a good way to tell if you are providing the correct amount of water?

I have read they like to dry out (quickly) between waterings - for how long?

Is it okay to gently curve some hanging roots back up into the basket? If roots (or tips) turn brown, are they not getting enough moisture?

What is a reasonable watering schedule for these guys in a typical indoor environment? Soak 3x a week and mist daily?

These are not our first orchids, but they are our first non-phals. My wife and I aren't clueless but we are definitely still beginners.

Not currently having any issues with them (that I know of), but we've only had them a week. I want to be proactive and know what kind of things to look for to indicate if they are doing well or not. Both are hung in a south facing bay window that is bright, but does not get direct sun. Our humidity obviously varies day-to-day, but is higher than average as we have a large saltwater aquarium on the same floor (for example - 70% right now).

The little A. miniatum (or based on what I've been reading online, I guess it could also be A. garayi) is in a plastic basket, which we placed into a larger wood basket (for looks). His inner basket has a bit of medium grade bark/perlite/charcoal mix, but the basket isn't full.

The A. aurantiacum is a little bigger. He's in a small wood basket, mounted above what seems to be a ball of moss? His small basket is also placed into a larger wood basket. He has a lot of roots hanging out of the basket.

I'm worried about keeping these guys too wet or too dry. After a short soak in a bucket, both will dry completely within 2 days. Would a bucket soak every 2 days, with a misting on the day in between, be a reasonable watering schedule? After a soak in the morning, both are still a little moist by the end of the day but not "wet" by any means, is that the goal? Any tips for how to know when you're in the sweet spot of enough water, but not too much, would be greatly appreciated.

---------- Post added at 10:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 PM ----------

Tried to post some pictures (hosted on photobucket) but my posts get denied.