Another Newbie Question repotting

[Willc73]

Since I am new I have made many mistakes. Everytime I get some Orchids I try something else that sounds like a good idea at the time.
I have three potted in pure bark. Four Phals I recently purchased blooming which are potted in pure Spag. One I just mounted with sphag. 10 on the way bare root.

Now I am thinking the pure bark was a mistake. Should I repot those in a 50/50 bark sphag mix, even though I repotted them a week ago?
The new ones I plan to mount .
I just hate to kill plants.

[Orchid_lady]

You're phals will be fine. I also have four phals in bark and they are doing just fine. You would probably have to water them more often. I also mist the bark, leaves and arial roots everyday to add moisture. To re-pot them would cause stress to the plant.

You didn't say what kind of plants the orchids in bark are. You might consider using the skewer method of watering. Get some shishkabob skewers from the grocery store. Put one in each pot and trim it down and leave it there. The next time you go to water, pull out the skewer and touch it to your cheek or lip. If it's a phal, the skewer should be slightly damp before it needs water. If it's a cattleya, the skewer should be almost dry, as cattleyas like to dry out. If it's an oncidium, the skewer should be slightly moist, as they like lots of water. How wet or dry the skewer is before you water will depend on the type of plant it is.

I started using this method five years ago and have not lost one plant to over watering.

[jerrymeola]

Any of the potting mediums will work fine they just require different watering techniques.

Bark takes more watger than sphag.

Originally Posted by orchid126

You didn't say what kind of plants the orchids in bark are. You might consider using the skewer method of watering. Get some shishkabob skewers from the grocery store. Put one in each pot and trim it down and leave it there. The next time you go to water, pull out the skewer and touch it to your cheek or lip. If it's a phal, the skewer should be slightly damp before it needs water. If it's a cattleya, the skewer should be almost dry, as cattleyas like to dry out. If it's an oncidium, the skewer should be slightly moist, as they like lots of water. How wet or dry the skewer is before you water will depend on the type of plant it is.

I started using this method five years ago and have not lost one plant to over watering.

thanks for the info

[atcrosby]

I have my phals in bark and they are doing fine. For my environment, I soak them for an hour each week in a weak fertilizer / superthrive solution ( 1/4 normal mix) so that the wood chips have the opportunity to absorb the moisture. I also mist the plants down 2X (morning and later afternoon) so that the roots on the surface get their moisture.

The plants sit on humidity trays allowing me to provide a higher level of humidity for them which seems to keep the bark moist longer.

The skewer method described earlier works for me but I also feel the pot to see if it's heavy or not. I'm not sure about clay versus plastic pots yet but I'll figure that out eventually.

[sbb87]

wow
what a great idea re: the skewers....I am going to do this today.
I am new to this site and have been perusing the message boards. I posted a question. I am so embarrassed, I have bugs. I NEVER had them before. I am more than upset. I am so careful with new plants and potting and isolation. I don't know what to do but I wanted to say thanks for the tip on skewers anyway.
sb

[Willc73]

It has really helped me as well. However I keep forgetting which plants need a dry skewer and which plants need an almost dry, etc.. then I feel the skewer and think, it is just slightly moist, I think my phal needs water. anyways, I will get the hang of it, I hope.