Phal potting mix questions/ watering questions

[Optimist]

I am a little confused about how much water they actually need.

[kindrag23]

If mine are dry I put them under my sink faucet ×keeping an eye out to make sure that where the leaves meet not to get water on that× and soak them really well and then allow them to drain out, place them back in their spots. Then redo once they are dry again... does that help

[Island Girl]

In My Humble Opinion,
Kindrag, I'd say that since most ppl like this mix, then it sounds just fine! most of it is finding out what works in your environment. I would say, to simplify things/give y'all a good baseline, to have your phal dry out (& need re-watering) within 4-5 days, is good, that is what you want, and should pretty much aim for that. ...but all of this also depends on your conditions, & how much time you have to water ~ for example ~ some ppl who use spag, (wouldn't suggest for a newbie, but just wanna show an example), ppl who grow in greenhouses, with little time to water every single plant (like some phal growers, that don't water overhead) they water every few weeks, not every few days. However, that said, for y'all, I would suggest aim for needing to water every 4-5 days.

Also, you can always modify this mix, if it's not to your liking, if it stays too wet, you could take out the chunks of peat moss, and/or add more horticultural charcoal, LECA, or Lava rock, etc. ~ OR ~ if it stays too dry, you could add in a little chopped up spag into the mix...etc. I will say, that this mix (going by the ingredients, I haven't seen/used this mix first-hand), does sound good for Phals (hell, w/o the peat moss, you could use it on Catts, Dendros, etc.) Growing orchids is more of an art, instead of a science (where everything, everywhere is concrete... Growing orchids, ya just gotta figure out what works & what doesn't in your environment.)

Optimist, if your roots are staying moist, and happy inside those 4 days, then leave them the way they are .... But, if they need more moisture (since ur in a dry climate), you could try adding/modifying your mix w/ chunky peat moss, Or adding a little spag to the mix (wouldn't suggest for a newbie to use either of those ingredients by themselves... Like maybe 60-75% of your mix being this store bought mix, w/ the rest/balance being spag moss). ~ Or ~ you could just put a small layer of spag moss on top of the mix.

[kindrag23]

Thanks I am going to give this a shot. After I transplanted them all. I soaked them very well for 15 min like another user recommended. I am going to see if this helps them out. Some of my others are all ready perking back up. I had them in the miracle gro orchid mix because that was all I could get around here. But it bogged down really bad. So I switched to this brand in hopes of having better luck

[cutie_monster]

i use the same brand...better-gro phal mix. i water once a week by submerging the entire pot (ceramic pot with side holes) into a sink full of water, up to the top edge of the pot. i let it sit there submerged for a good 10-15 mins, sometimes longer if i get distracted. that way, the bark really gets a good soak at each watering. i find that it doesnt dry out as quickly watered that method.

[kindrag23]

Well this makes day 2 and they are still slightly wet. So I think this is going to work great. Wish I had known about submerging them before.

I am starting to see a definite improvement in my littlest phal today. His leaves are starting to perk up again.

[catherinecarney]

I use the Better Gro mixes as well--the phal mix seems to be chunkier than the premium if I remember correctly....

I've added a bit more sphag to the mix for my phals since they seem to dry too quickly now that they're out on the porch for the summer. This may be heresy, but I also use the phal mix for my catts, dens, and epidendrum and they're thriving. The only thing that doesn't seem to like it is my encyclias since they seem to want to dry a bit faster--for them I've taken out the sphag chunks and added more bark....

I do have a couple of oncs that seem to do better in the Better Gro premium orchid mix since they have finer roots and the chunks in that mix are smaller....

My watering schedule is a bit erratic--I've learned to check pots and water when needed, especially this summer with all the crazy weather. I do mist everything daily (early morning), and sometimes mist again in the early evening if it's been a hot, dry, breezy day...

Just remember that this is what works for me up here in central Ohio--your mileage may vary--hope this helps!

Catherine

[kindrag23]

Thats wonderful. Mine all stay inside due to jack rabbits and the grasshopper invasion we are currently enduring. I have been keeping an eye on them since I soaked them for a good 30 min. In my tub they seemed very happy about that. I may have to re soak some tomorrow because of their window placement. Their skewer sticks are getting dry. I may try and hold off until Monday to make sure they have had a chance to dry well.

---------- Post added at 08:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 PM ----------

Now my only issue is if my allergies will tolerate the fir bark. I have seen some things about hydroton(?) That it is some type of clay potting mix? If this does not work out does that work well?

[catherinecarney]

I battle woodchucks here, so my plants stay up on a potting bench on the porch--so far, so good, although given the way the varmints decimated my garden this year, I don't even want to think about what they would do to my orchids.

I find the skewer method really useful for learning when to water--for phals I water when it's just barely moist, catts and others I wait another day.

Hydroton is used with semi-hydroponic systems--my understanding is that it's expanded clay balls that are porous. I don't have any experience with it, but there are plenty of other members that do, and a whole section on "semi-hydro" on the forum.

There's always a learning curve with new plants and new systems. The important thing to remember is to do what works for you. Orchid board has helped me tremendously since I can draw on the knowledge base of our senior members via this forum and (hopefully) avoid at least some mistakes. There's tons of info on old threads about various media, so if you have the time it might be worth doing a search about the mixes and plants you're interested in and see what comes up.

Catherine