| I believe there are 2 seperate issues at work here. I suspect your having to water a lot has much to do with how moisture retentive the mix is and little to do with how long the bark was soaked before potting. These are 2 separate issues. Regarding the frequency of watering, I suspect, as Mike indicated, that as you go on you'll move toward a more moisture retentive mix. I use the same mix on both my Paphs and Phals. Also as you're in summer now you may be watering more because it is wamer and things dry out faster. You may find that come this winter you may only have to water a couple of times per week.
Regarding the soaking of potting mix, I've been buying big bags of orchid bark which are pre soaked. This makes them a !#@%& to haul around but it is so convenient to just open a bag of bark and pot that it's worth it. It also cuts way down on the dust factor. But I'm in Australia. Do any of you in the US buy bark in big bags pre-soaked?
Cheers
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