When to water

[jbozzz]

How often do you need to water paphs? I've seen articles saying to water once a week, every 2 - 3 days. Which one is correct? My paphs are in a medium orchid mix and I water whenever the pots feel light, and is it ok to let them sit it water a couple of hours and then let them dry out. What is the best way to do the watering?

[BillC]

Water paphs once or twice a week. Try to keep them well moist but not to let them get soggy. Never let them dry out! Bill

[Aniko]

The frequency of watering vary according to the circumstances: potting medium, size of plant/pot, climate, etc., so there is no ideal schedule for it.
To find out the right time, you have to inspect the medium, touch and feel the wetness. Later, when you get more experienced you can appreciate it by the look, weight of pot, smell. Until that, try the skewer method.

Skewer use for watering of orchids

[kmarch]

dear jbozzz,

The reason you are finding so much conflicting info on the web about when to water is because people have figured out what works for them and then over generalize, asuming that what works for them will work for everyone. Follow Bill's and Aniko's advice by first getting a good culture sheet which will tell you how to care for a Paph (available on this forum or from the AOS) and then do whatever you need to do to give the plant what it likes. In this case, Paphs like to be kept gently and evenly moist, never dry and never waterlogged. Watch yourplants, water when necessary to maintain that even moisture then see how often that is for you. Also realize that your watering frequency may change with the seasons. I have to water my Paphs twice a week in our hot dry summer but only once a week in our humid, wet winter. Also if you have seedlings in small pots they will dry out faster than a mature plant in a big pot so if you have a variety of sizes you will find that a one-size-fits-all approach to watering will not work.

Finally, ask lots of questions. We're here to help!