How often should I water in this situation?

[Mothra79]

I have a phal in an orchid pot that's very airy. Some of the roots are right up against the holes. That plus the quick-drying potting medium make me worry the roots are drying out too quickly. They're looking a little shriveled. How often should I water? Or mist?

[quiltergal]

In that last picture it looks like there might be some white residue of some kind on the roots and the surrounding medium. It could be some salt build up from fertilizing. That could be causing the roots to shrivel a little. Make sure the pot gets a good flushing at least once every couple of weeks.

I'm using slotted plastic pots and I find they dry out much faster than traditional plastic pots. The slots aren't that big, so I would imagine yours will dry out as fast or faster than mine because the openings are bigger. Can you stick your finger in there and feel any moisture? It might also be a good place to stick a bamboo skewer to test for moisture. Try and get the tip of the skewer as close to the center of the pot as possible and leave it there for a day or two. Pull it out and touch the end to your inner wrist or cheek. If it feels cool to the touch wait a day to water.

[Mothra79]

That residue is fungicide/root stimulator I had dipped the roots in when I repotted it. I should have mentioned that! I will try the test with the bamboo skewer (would a toothpick work?). Thanks for the tip!

[quiltergal]

A toothpick might work. Bamboo is a little more absorbant though.

I've read elsewhere that powdered rooting hormone like you can buy at the nursery is intended for woody tissue. I'm not sure it works very well on orchids. If you want to give the roots a little boost I like KLN by DynaGro. Lots of folks here on the board use it. I put 3 drops per gallon with my fert water. I use 1 tsp/gal as a drench when repotting. If you can't find KLN and don't want to order it look for a product called Superthrive. It has 1 of the 2 active ingredients KLN has plus some B vitamins.

[Mothra79]

Okay, I've been using the bamboo skewer to test for moisture, and I'm finding that I'm having to water almost every other day. This seems like a bit much, but even though I drench it when watering, it feels completely dry a couple days later! Is this normal?
(Quiltergal, I purchased some Superthrive. Thank you for the tip!)

[Ross]

I actually think your pot is being watered maybe a bit too heavily. The roots should not remain green indefinitely. They should turn whiteish between waterings. I watch mine (in clear pots) for signs the roots are beginning to dry. That's a nice looking pot and should serve you well in growing Phals.