Newly potted with barks mix...how often to water?
 

Hey guys.... I recently potted all of my orchids with BARKS mix in CLAY pots. They are all placed on a humidity tray filled with pebbles and water. How often should I water them? Temp. is around 90-97 indoor, in our poyer, I have a window type, twin motor electric fans that blow air at them all day. I spray the clay pots with water just to keep humidity alittle higher few times during the day. They are all doing good, but I noticed that my two dendrobiums' stem bulbs are wrinkling a bit. They were potted about a week now and watered for one time only, 5 days after potted. What is the best indication that really need watering?

thanks in advance!

Fresh bark will dry more quickly for a while than older bark. My few catt types that I have in bark mix in clay pots need frequent watering, especially the smaller pots, but I'm sure the climate here is much drier than yours. I have bamboo skewers, like for kabobs, in all the pots to help me determine when to water - it is very helpful, especially when plants have new bark.

This is how I go about this - I've developed a feel for the weight of the pot, how heavy is it when just watered and when completely bone dry. I then go from there taking in account the cultural needs of a particular orchid in that pot (as in if it does like to be evenly moist such as Coelogyne or dry out a little between waternings such as Encyclia) As well if the medium inside the pot is still wet, the pot will be cool and moist to the touch opposed to warm and dry. This has so far worked really well for me.

My Sophronitis wittingiana get's dipped every day (almost) as it's a swamp plant. My Laelia (Cattleya) purpurata every 2-4 days in summer and sometime I additionally spray the top of the pots.

I agree that all of the above comments are correct. But, it depends on your growing environment. Putting a 'skewer' as whiterabbbit says above is probably the simplest/easiest /surest method for you to see what your plants need at first. There are lots of threads on this forum talking about 'the skewer method'.
Keep us posted.

I learned alot from all replies...Thank you guys a bunch. I like the skewer idea.

Another point to note isthat some orchids need to be grown drier than others. Besides the two dendrobiums what other orchids do you have?

Other than the dendrobiums the rest of them are Phalaenopsis.