aeration vs water retention in potting media

[oscar freak]

this is all very new to me so i'm just learning and experimenting as i go along and hoping not to lose any plants as i do.i recently repotted my phalaenopsis into a plastic pot that i cut out numerous big holes and potted it into a very coarse bark and charcoal mixture.when watering(which i'm doing every morning)currently,the water is gushing out so i know its not sitting in water,the plant is putting out a new leaf and otherwise seems fine.i prefer the idea of using just bark as the potting media because it feels a little more natural to me,i dont have to worry about the plants being waterlogged(for now at least) and then theres the added ease of air movement i imagine.i dont mind the daily waterings,just wondering if i'm doing the right thing and what is the experts opinions?

[tarev]

With my Phals, they certainly enjoy lots of aeration at the root zone, but I do not water everyday. From what I have seen it also likes to approach some dryness before next watering, that is why I find it harder if I have sphag moss in the media. Like you I prefer bark mix or recently I am enjoying my hygrolon baggies.

My watering frequency changes season to season, like every 3 to 4 days during very warm days, and during winter, it can have greater interval, like every 7 days.

I also run my ceiling fans after watering, for overall aeration of the plant, not just the root zone. With the seasons changing now, starting to cool down, opening up the windows helps a lot too, time to encourage the plant to try and make some spikes.

[WhiteRabbit]

As long as they get sufficient water, and your ok with watering as much as needed, it's fine.

[lotis146]

It would seem you should be okay given good humidity and the fact that you're fine with watering more often. There's a mix I've found and supplement with coconut coir, occasionally a little moss, that's got charcoal, medium bark, peat moss chunks, and some lava rock. I used this with more than a couple of Phals but two of which are in pots with holes around the sides and bottom. They're both doing well, in spike in fact. They were outside in Midwest USA all summer where we got a decent amount of rain, but overall didn't get watered anymore than 2-3x/wk (except when we had a lot of rain). Another Phal in a ceramic orchid pot with decorative holes around the side and one in the bottom has been inside and at most got watered twice a week but mostly once and it is doing GREAT, especially considering it was suffering at the beginning of the year. Lots of new roots, a new leaf and now a spike. It sounds like your mix may well be more coarse than mine but my point is you probably don't even have to water daily, just keep an eye on the mix. I've found a great advantage of lots of holes around the pot means you can stick your finger in it to get a sense of how dry it is or isn't. I too have found that my Phals do well when they get a chance to dry.

Your best bet is probably to water every couple of days, not daily, and if the plant doesn't like that it'll tell you with limp leaves. I've found that when you catch the wrinkling early on the leaves will recover. I also like to soak them in a pot for 20-30 min every now and again just not all the time. Good luck, everyone here has helped me a lot so it never hurts to come back and ask.

[oscar freak]

thanks for help guys,i didnt water this morning just a misting before i ran out the door,pot is as light as a feather so im fretting a little bit but tomorrow is a holiday here i'll spend all day with them tomorrow.

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[tarev]

Looks like a happy Phal..I see a nice new leaf coming about in the center and nice aerial roots.

When you mist try not to wet the crown a lot. That is where the problem often starts.

Have fun!

[Ray]

The trick with all orchids is making sure that the void spaces in the potting medium don't stay filled with water, as that cuts off the free air flow to the roots, where the majority of the plants' gas exchange processes occur.

In most, typical bark-, or CHC-based media, that happens if the spaces between particles are too small, whether that be from too fine of a medium, the use of a single component that's too fine (filling the spaces between bigger particles), or it is decomposing and becoming finer and finer.

In sphagnum, it happens when compressed into a shallow, soppy mass.

When using LECA, the stuff wicks so well that it sucks that interstitial water into the particles.

[oscar freak]

my idea was to use coarse bark only so that the gaps were bigger and therefore airflow was better and no risk of wet feet.the plant is stable in the pot its not falling around and even when i water the pot doesnt feel weighted by the water hence i was watering every morning,i'v started skiping a day.

[NYCorchidman]

It looks and sounds great to me.
You are using a large grade bark, so daily watering is needed.
You are doing great.

[oscar freak]

also jhb is on the dry air side,should be getting rain this weekend they predict so will get to see how the plant does in the rain.