How dry to you let your orchids get before watering?

[hagfish]

My experience is Phals dislike dry roots which is why some are planted in long fiber sphagnum. If the fleshy leaves get limp this is a sign to water immediately. I use fine fir bark for my P. schilleriana. Cats love coarse bark, especially the big ones. This is also true of their relatives the Laelias and Brassavolas. I water once a week but the best thing to observe is the pseudobulbs. They ought to be plump and if not, the plant needs more water. Epidendrums are relatives of cattleyas but tend to be much smaller. My guess is they would like finer bark and more even moisture. Dendrobiums are a very diverse group, but the hardware store kinds seem to appreciate Cattleya culture. Oncidiums are even more diverse. Tiny kinds can be mounted on bark and the bark then thrown into a tub of demineralized water every other day. Larger sorts can be potted in fir bark, but I use a small grained sort. Their fine root system also allows most of them to be mounted. O. jonesianum can get quite massive, but grows best mounted. Again, the mount can simply be dunked in water to hydrate the plant, very much like a tillandsia.