how often to water phal in sphagnum moss?

[inkeys]

Hi guys,
I have a question about watering mini phals potted in three inch pots in sphagnum moss. I just got these miniature phals and I love them. They are planted in three inch pots and the medium is sphagnum moss.

I have been watering them every two weeks and the bottom of the pot still seems damp after two weeks. Should I water every three reeks ?

[Wjs2nd]

Most people who grow in sphag water when the top is crunchy. I would say 2 weeks should be okay. Is it a clay pot? The mini-phal I gave to a friend was in a clay pot with sphag. She needed to water every 4 to 7 days depending on her heat. The phal I have in sphag and a plastic pot I spary with water once a week.

[Gage]

If the bottom of the pot is damp after 2 weeks, I would repot into a different medium or a smaller pot with less medium, or both.

[flexdc]

If you repot, mix some bark into the sphagnum moss so the medium would be a bit more open. My mini-phals all seem to like this treatment. Watering would have to increase because of the new medium. For my indoor growing condition, it amounts to about once a week.

[inkeys]

thanks for the replies! the plant is in a plastic pot and i have it in a regular orchid pot (decorative) that is ceramic.

i was hesitant to re pot because of a couple things. first, they are both currently in full bloom and i would like to enjoy the flowers without damaging them. i have heard you should wait to re pot new orchids when the flowers have all dropped.

second, these are mini phals and i thought if i put them in bark, i will probably have to be constantly watering them because the pots are so small! lol

also, not sure if they make a bark small enough for such little plants? my regular bark looks like it would be too big for such tiny plants. they are very small and fit comfortably into their 3 inch pots.

[inkeys]

here are some pictures of the roots and pot

[Slobo]

inkeys

Repotting the plant while in bloom shouldn't hurt it if you are careful. I have done it just recently with four of my phals. Any time I bring a new plant home I repot it into new potting material. I really don't like the tightly packed roots in the moss.

As far as the bark goes, there are different sizes of bark available. The small size should be suitable for your mini phal. I have one of my paphs in 3" pot with small size bark. It is doing really fine.

Slobo

[Leafmite]

It is better to water often because your medium dries quickly than have your orchid stay wet too long in the wrong medium. Many orchids, phals included, have ancestors that grow clinging to trees, roots exposed to the humid air. The medium's purpose, then, is not to keep roots wet but to keep the air around the roots humid in between waterings. I grow bare-root-mounted or in lava rock. I'd rather water more often than worry about rotting roots. As for repotting while in bloom, I haven't lost blooms or had a shorter blooming period because of it. The moss is much easier to remove than bark so you are much less likely to damage roots. Good luck!

[flexdc]

Inkeys, I agree with the other posters assessments. Also some of the roots of your orchids are already brown. I highly recommend repotting. If you worry that the mix dries out too quickly, mix 2 part sphag with one part bark. Just because it is a mini phal doesn't mean it needs mini bark. The mix I recommended would require you to water every 5 days to one week. The bark would provide aeration and the sphagnum will keep the moisture. Remember, don't pack it too tight. Orchid roots with no air pockets will die very quickly! Also, don't use the common orchid ceramic pots with a dish attached to the bottom. Water will collect in the dish and will give your orchids wet feet. Another detrimental condition. I have killed many orchids this way. I don't know why they keep selling those orchid killer pots at home depot!
Andrew

[orchidsamore]

Two things.

Sphag dries from the bottom up so you are not correctly analyzing your situation.

The plastic that you have around it is a very cheap way for the grower to raise millions of them. It is flat on the bottom and does not allow for air circulation. A standard plastic pot is molded to have groves on the bottom that never touch the table. This way air travels under the pot and up over the roots.

Re-pot into almost any other type of pot. Re-potting a Phal in bloom is not a problem. These mini Phals are usually re-potted before sending them out for sale. Whoever sold these was very cheap to sell them still in that plastic sleeve. Most wholesalers re-pot on arrival.

By the way, mixing some small charcoal in with sphagnum moss keeps the moss fresher.

Sphag should be changed every year as it is an anti-fungal when the PH is low in new sphag and becomes a breeding groung for fungus when the PH rises as it ages.