Watering Question

[discgo]

Hello All,

I'm fairly new to orchids and have been using the bamboo skewer method to determine when to water. I water my paphs and phals when the skewer is just slighly damp (a day away from drying) and my dend and oncidium when it is just dry. I have the skewer all the way to the bottom as close to the center as I can.

I just got a few of the AOS books and it says to water when the top inch or so is dry. Following the AOS method I would be watering about twice as much as I have been. Am I underwatering? I've been trying to pay attention to pot weight as well.

I keep them all outside, I live in Maryland, and they are all in clay pots with coarse bark mix. I water the phals and paphs about once a week and the dend and oncidium about every 9-10 days. I water two of the bigger phals that are in 6 inch clay pots every 2 weeks. The bigger phals have been slowly getting droopy and the leaves are soft, not firm. The new growth is firm and looks great. The bigger phals are also a darker green with purple edges. What does this mean?

Any insight on how I could improve my culture would be great! I've really been enjoying them and their growth has been good, I just want to optimize my technique.

Many thanks in advance for any tips or hints.

Cheers and enjoy the long weekend, I know I will!

d-iscgo

[greg_s]

I water the same way you do. Watering that often might be a little much. I would say that as long as the plants are happy keep doing what you're doing. I have run into the same kind of thing about repotting too. Some say every year, some say only every two or three. I think it all depends or how the plant reacts to it. If the plant is happy, you have new growth, and it blooms pretty freely I would just keep it up.

[mayres]

A slight purple tint to the leaves means you are probably optimizing the amount of light they are getting - generally considered good. For me a droopy phal means not enough water to the leaves - either because of rotted roots or not frequent enough watering. Coarse bark in clay pots would dry out fairly quickly in summer - do you soak the bark real well when you water or just pour some through? The frequency doesn't sound too far off but I'm wondering how "well" the media is able to absorb water the plant needs? I'm assuming your roots are healthy here - if not sure pull your most droopy plant out of its pot and check for soft spongy roots. As noted by Greg - sounds like most of what you are doing is fine.

[discgo]

When I water, I use a hose and run water through them for about 15-20 seconds. The water runs through the media and I can tell the pot is heavier after watering. If I'm feeding, I wait 10-15 minutes after watering, use 1/4 strength 30-10-10 fertilizer and let it run through. I usually use a gallon or so of fertilizer for 4-6 plants. The bottom of the mix stays moist for a long time on the large phals.

The two large phals were purchased from Whole Foods in January, they were potted in peat or something, not bark or moss. They are at least 20-24inches across, from leaf tip to leaf tip. They bloomed for 5-6 months and then I repotted into coarse bark. The volume of roots was HUGE, some were 10-12 inches long. There was some rot, but mainly nice, firm, white roots.

I'm thinking that the switch from peat/dirt to bark and the long flowering period is taking its toll on the plants. I'm not really expecting them to flower this winter, but we'll see!

Thanks for the many helpful tips, I'll keep doing what I've been doing and keep my fingers crossed.

Cheers!

[mayres]

Just a few thoughts for the future - again - sounds like you are doing a pretty good job. When you repotted did you put some styrofoam peanuts in the center or bottom of the pot? Many people do in order to provide some air for the roots and prevent wet/soggy spots. One thing that can happen in a larger pot is a wet soggy core or bottom and the rest of the pot quickly dries - a pot full of roots can then have both scenerios occuring - rot, drying up, and then in the middle semi-healthy roots. Ideally you want your entire pot to dry as unifrormly as possible. Many people with bark like to soak their pots for 10-15 minutes to allow more uptake of moisture by the bark. Frequent flushing then becomes doubley important to prevent accumulation of mineral salts.

[discgo]

I did put syrofoam peanuts in the bottom, about an inch or so. I do think there is uneven moisture in some of my pots.

As for soaking, Do i just place the pot in a larger container of water? How far up should the water level be in relation to the top of the bark? When I water sometimes the bark floats up. Can I reuse the soaking water on other plants or should each one get its seperate supply?

Many thanks, and I'm getting ready to leave for the weekend, so I eagerly await any future comments and tips. The help so far has been great.

Cheers!
discgo

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Discgo, you don't have your location in your bio. It helps us to give good advice. Such as, using a hose should be good enough if you do it long enough. BUT, watch out for using cold water on your Phals. It can damge the leaves. Some areas don't have very cold water. Where I am it can get down to the forties (bad for Phals). Reusing water is not a good idea.

The Oncidiums may or may not be getting watered soon enough. Look for accordian leaves on new growths, as this would be a sign of insufficient water. The Dens can use watering like the Phals WHILE they are growing, or in bloom. Dry before watering is good after the last new leaves have opened, and no new ones are coming out. During winter, I leave them dry for several days at a time. The AOS book is probably too general. Pot depth and mix type will make a difference. Cynthia

[jerrymeola]

You have gotten a lot of good advice in these replies.

I wan tot add that any plant not just orchids will stress when moved into new conditions. On my personal orchids I expect almost every leaf to die over the first two to three years. On my commercial orchids it is the new growth that I tell my customers indicates a healthy plant.

As to you watering the plants seem to be doing well. The droopy leaves on the Phals may be out of your control, while the new growth indicates good health.

When something is going well do not be quick to look for a different method.