Watering problem, summer vs winter

[SashaBear]

I'm a lurker here but I find that I really need to ask a question about potting mediums and watering.

I have a number of phals, 1 dend, 1 onc and 1 catt, all doing pretty well.
I have them all planted in clay orchid pots with fine bark and a little bit of sphag.
During the summer they do great in this but come winter they dry out very fast. I end up watering about every 3 or 4 days. I have some moisture trays sitting on the shelves with them. I live in the high desert and our winters are very dry. Will they be o.k. like this? They are all starting to put out a great deal of aerial roots. Is that good or bad? Its difficult to find a balance between summer and winter. If I use much sphag in the pots then they stay too wet in the summer months.
The plants all seem to be doing well. The phals are all in spike and close to blooming. The catt is putting out some new leaves and the dend is blooming. The only one that looks a little sick is the onc.
Is there anything I should be doing differently or does it sound like they are doing o.k.?

Shanna

[mayres]

Sounds good to me. Enjoy your roots! I'd probably mist them in the mornings, but there appears to be different schools of thought out there as to how much actual good this does. You wouldn't want to mist to the point that you are actually "watering" the media. I just enjoy misting my office orchids that are also in a very dry environment - I like seeing the velamin (outer epidermal layer) changing its appearance as it soaks up water - it's one of the ways that I say, "Hi" to the group in the morning. :-) mike

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

The Dendrobium SHOULD dry out very thoroughly before being watered during winter, so no problem there. The Catt CAN dry out pretty good with no damage, and probably should dry out between waterings. I am a little concerned about the fine bark for the Cattleya. Since Catts should normally dry between waterings, fine bark, especially when everything isn't drying out so fast, could keep the Catt too moist, but if you use the skewer technique, you can determine the actual stage of dryness before each watering. The fine bark for the Oncidium is good because they have fine roots and should not dry out completely between waterings. Sounds like the Oncidium needs to be watered more often.

[SashaBear]

Thank you guys. I will try giving them a misting too. I was just worried about how fast they were drying out and I didn't really know if the aerial roots were a problem or not. I did read about the skewer watering method and I'll give that a shot.

[Lucinda Brown]

Hi Sasha, Another good idea is an inexpensive humidifier. I have 4, at present in our sunroom which gets very warm and dry,otherwise,whenever the sun is shining. Humidity trays help a lot,also. I just buy cheap clear saucers and small rock to put in them with a little water[don't let the orchids sit on them with too much water]you don't want 'wet feet'.I have purchased some of my humidifiers around $20.00 at Walmart but several came from thrift stores for about $6.95. Most thrift stores I've encountered will let you add a little water and plug them in to try them out. If they won't,don't buy there. Because they normally gaurantee nothing. Hope this helps!

[SashaBear]

Pffffftt!!! I didn't even think about a humidifier and I even have one sitting in one of my closets. I'll dig it out and start using it. Thanks!