Knowing when to water moth orchid
 

Hi I'm new here and pretty new to orchid keeping,I have had orchids in the past and they end up in the bin :( . can anyone help me with watering tips! Thanks

A method I find foolproof is to pot in large chunks of bark and/or lava rock in clear containers. Whether it has a hole for drainage is immaterial with this method. When wet a Phal's roots are green, and when dry are silver. If the container has drain holes I completely immerse the pot but not the plant for a few minutes then remove and let drain. If there are no drain holes I fill the vessel completely and let it soak a few minutes before pouring out as much as possible. No further water is given in either case until all visible roots are silver.

Welcome to Orchid Board! There are several ways to know when it's time to water. I usually water every 7 to 10 days depending on conditions. It's better to underwater than over water.

1. Weight of the pot, lighter means drier.
2. The roots are silver when dry and turn green when wet.
3. Skewer method.

When in doubt wait one more day.

As mentioned earlier, clear plastic pots make it easier to determine when to water. When the roots turn white or silver, the mix is fairly dry. Also use the smallest pot that the roots will comfortably fit in. Using a pot that is too big is one of the main causes of orchid mortality.

If you pot in large fir bark chunks, then the pot can be as large as you like. Pot size is only a problem with epiphytes like phals if the medium is fine, or is full of moss, or you continually overwater.

I also say get a clear plastic pot so you can see what's going on inside the pot.

Until you get the hang of it, err on the dry side, but do not wait two weeks between watering. lol

At home, once or twice a week watering should be fine for a phal planted in large chunks or medium chunks of barks.
You can water more during the warmer months when the plant is actively growing.

Make sure you water thoroughly especially if the bark is new or very dry due to infrequent watering.
You either dump a lot of water over the pot or simply soak the plant for half an hour or less, which is what I do. saves water that way and the plant gets plenty of water to drink.

:welcomeflowers:

You may want to read the first few, to several, pages of this thread http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ad.php?t=44792

Here is the sticky info on the skewers

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...hen-water.html