Watering of any plant is not based on a schedule, you can't arbitrarily decide that you'll water every X days. You have to water based on the plants need and that may take some time to figure out, based on pot weight, appearance of plant, local weather, humidity, air movement, etc.

Just say you have hundreds of orchids of various types and you want to water them all at the same time. To do that you vary the sizes of the pots, the potting mix and even have some of them on a mount. Very complicated!

You need to tell the readers here where you are in the world and where you have the orchids.

Echoing what dbarron has said: you need to water your orchids when they need it, not on a schedule. Going on the assumption that they're both phals, water once the media has dried out a bit. For most places in North America, every 4-7 days is the right spread. It will tell you if it needs more frequent waterings: roots will start to look a bit withered, leaves a bit dull.

Generally speaking, moss takes WAY longer to dry out than bark, so you've got the spread backwards: you'll need to water or soak the 3" pot more often. The two in the photo below are in 3" mesh pots, and get soaked every 4-6 days (they take longer to dry in the humid summer days).

Since orchids in moss are typically far too tightly packed by the sellers, I would see if you can work your finger down into the roots ... if you can't, be careful with watering. Use that skewer. Because the outside could be bone dry while the middle is still a suffocating, soggy mess. If I pick up a phal in moss, the first thing I do is take some long tweezers and pull as much moss from the center of the plant as I can. Once it's loose, it's a lot easier to see what's happening in that pot and know when it needs more water.

It's way easier than you think, once you get the hang of it!

I never check with skewer or finger, just weight of the pot, but that's experience speaking. I also don't really like moss on most orchids, only the most absolutely moisture loving ones. In some conditions, I can say phals could use a mix with about 50% moss and 50% bark, well mixed, which would carry moisture longer (in my case as a houseplant that's not a bad idea). It would be a terrible idea in a greenhouse unless you had every plant that way.

I don't use a skewer, either, I only suggested it because I have no idea how else to check moss ... I stay far, far away from moss. As dry as it gets here in NY, seasonally, I still stay away from it. I'd rather just water more often and be able to visually check out what's happening in the pot.

So yes they are phals.

Due to something I read, on 2in, I did unpack the moss when I got the orchid home and made it more airy, but it's also in the terra cotta potta which loses water faster obviously. OK I will keep the schedule I have now but I will try to keep learning with what you said about learning how to tell when an orchid needs watering, (like by heaviness of pot, skewer etc...)

Thanks again!

Z

Good job unpacking some of the moss. With phals it's better to be too dry than too wet.

Show and tell: my coworker handed me another mini phal this morning to re-bloom for him (I have two others from him). It looks a little rough, but hardly in dire shape. HOWEVER: it was very, very soggy. And look at all of the moss I just pulled out of the pot, still leaving PLENTY in there to keep the roots moist for several days. Look at that pile! It's crazy how commercial growers pack these things.

tommy,

If I end up killing any of my phals, I'll try to the clear pot method because honestly it sounds like a great and workable idea!

danny,

I see on your picture that the phal's laves are like dark green with red specks/tinged. What does that mean? Too much light?

Z

To get good advice, certain information is absolutely necessary!

Where do you live? How are you growing your plants...light? temps? media? indoors/outdoors.

Watering is based on those factors. Nothing else!

If your plant is not getting sufficient light and temps, it will not grow, will not take up water, etc.

Please provide the necessary info.

Jane

I'm growing those indoors. My "mini" phal is SE facing window with no direct light. My other phal is on the dining room table (I will move it when it stops blooming). Temps are 69 to 74 degrees. I stated what media I have them in in the previous posts.

Z

Are you in the US, Canada, North America?

If you don't want to give your location, where you are growing your plants help with information. Lighting levels are very different in Florida vs Canada.

East window is good and the temps are okay if you are in a cold climate. If you are in a warm climate, outdoors over summer is always a boost.

Phals like warm temperatures. They like decent humidity but will grow indoors well in warmer temps. If you are growing in North America, a warmer spot than 74 would be better.

Summer is when Phals put on their growth, new leaves. Good light will prepare them for blooming in the winter.

You can keep them in sphag moss if you want but keep an eye on your watering. The media needs to 'almost' dry out. I like to repot them when they are beginning growth, but again, depending are where you live, it might be possible to repot them now without setting them back.

When I grew in NY I always used small bark mixed with sphag moss. The winters were very dry and the sphag helped protect the roots over winter.

Give good light to get growth. Don't be afraid of good light as long as you do it gradually.

Good luck,

Jane

Jane thanks for the tips. I think I may still be watering too much so I'm going to try the following method. Tell me if it's OK: Using bamboo skewer to poke all the way to the bottom of the pot. If the skewer is wet an inch or more from the bottom, I won't water. If it's 3/4 in or less, I will water.

I'm in southern CA. I would love to have them outdoors but I only have two so far and to enjoy their flowers I have them indoors. Next year I will def have them outside in shade in the summer. If I buy another one before too long this season I will put it out for the rest of the warm temp season.

Thanks again!

Z

I'm joining this conversation, I hope you don't mind. I recently bought a couple of orchids at the grocery store. They are in solid opaque containers that don't drain, so I've been soaking them then tilting the pots to drain the excess water out. After the bloom was over I noticed that one of them lost a leaf. It was rotted at the base, so I guess it was overwatered. I've been watering them about ever 7 days. It was confusing, because in one place I read to water every 5-7 days. In another place it said to water every 21 or so days.

I live in northern Arizona, south of Sedona. I have them on the kitchen counter. There is no window close by, but the room gets a lot of light from other windows and sliding glass doors in the adjacent family room.

I guess I'll have to take them out of the opaque pots. There is some moss on the top of the pot, but I assumed that it was just there for show, and that there was bark underneath the moss.

What's the bamboo skewer method?

The bamboo skewer method is stick the skewer into the mix, pull it out and see if it looks damp.

re your watering Question....it depends on the season, the potting mixture and the environment where you have the orchid, sorry a non answer.

In this room (Southern Hemisphere Winter) there is a large Phalaenopsis, purchased the day after Mother's Day in bloom.

It is in the dreaded spag. The blooms are still perfect and I have watered it four times. Most Phalaenopsis are killed with kindness.

Waiting for better times to repot.

Thank you

I have 300 orchids. I water every day. The more you can safely water the better. My goal is to mimic natural habitat. I live in warm Florida. My plants are potted in clay pots. The medium is lava rock. Or they are mounted on cork or on trees. I do not grow phals or phrags or bulbo's. They like their roots deep in the pot mostly. I grow cats, dens, vandas, epis, encyclias, and tolumnias. They like to be on the potting material, not in it. The plant will correctly decide what and how many roots grow into the pot and how many grow in the air or on the outside of the pot.

Because I like simplicity and keeping the effort minimal, I intentionally evolved to this method. Years ago I bought orchids that had flowers that I liked. Now they need to be able to enjoy the culture I have created or they are given away or Darwinized. It works for me because the menu of choices is very large.

In ten minutes all are watered. 15 minutes every 2 weeks to feed them. In between I give a few minutes here and there for various chores that is such light work it does not seem to be work. And with orchids you can stop and start when you want. I can divide a plant and repot days later. There is no rush. The orchids patiently wait.

I know of growers that provide multiple cultural environments. It is much more effort than I want. Simplicity allows me more time to enjoy the beautiful blooms...

Patti, I am guessing that Northern Arizona climate is a bit like here. Never put your Phalaenopsis outside. Outside is a death zone no matter the season. Spag is fine provided you get the watering interval right.

I'm the one that started the thread and I had originally decided to water my 3 in orchid every 5 days. I then changed to once a week because of reading all about root rot and best to "wait a another day to water if you're unsure." Well I guess I waited too long because when I watered after a week, the last orchid unopened orchid flower on each spike turned yellow and then dropped a few days later. I should have gone with my own gut about watering every 5 days!

Z

There are governing factors. the pot will hold more water in plastic than clay. The potting material matters a lot. the least water retention is lava rock. The most is sphagnum moss. the rest falls in between. then there is the environment. The humidity, temperature and latitude. On latitude a good example is a phal. It will take a little direct sun far away from the equator. Example in Florida no direct sun. My opinion is best drainage and frequent watering. But that is not practical for many. With very little time to water you use plastic pots with moss mixed in. There are combinations to fit the middle.

Arthur, what is spag? Is it short for Sphagnum moss? So it's ok to have moss if the watering interval is ok? I haven't checked my orchids yet to see that kind of medium they're planted on.

Sometimes it really doesn't have anything to do with hydration, it's just the adjustment to the new environment. You could give them everything they need, but they're still going to react to the change, however minor. Once acclimated, I'm sure all of your NEXT set of buds will open!

I missed your question about leaf color earlier: the guy who had this did have it in a spot that gets a few hours of full sun, so that could have had something to do with it, but leaf color is not always an indication of light levels. Sometimes it's just that particular orchid's color. Mine all get the same light, but they're all MANY shades of green and purple. I have a feeling that one will still stay darker, as the undersides of the leaves are all a very deep purple. It's often an indicator of flower color. My yellow- and white-flowered orchids have lime green leaves. My purple spotted ones all have purple undersides on the leaves. Time will tell!

So I had a bamboo skewer, and I decided to try it. The skewer stuck in the containers and when I pulled it out, I found that the orchids were in a clear plastic cup, and I saw that they were in moss, not bark. The plastic cups were set into the outer cup. With all the info in this thread, that helps a lot. I guess I'll take out some of the moss, since that seems like the thing to do. How much should I take out?

Patti,

Getting the mix right for what you are growing and then knowing when to water is the difficult part of orchid growing. You need to read some complete culture notes written for Phalaenopsis that relate to your climate.

The plants come in the spag so that they do not need to be watered in the retail outlet. Phals are fine in spag provided they do not get cold and you let the spag dry a bit between watering intervals.

Read what I wrote, many people would think it madness to water a plant at three or four week intervals.

"In this room (Southern Hemisphere Winter) there is a large Phalaenopsis, purchased the day after Mother's Day in bloom.

It is in the dreaded spag. The blooms are still perfect and I have watered it four times. Most Phalaenopsis are killed with kindness."

Patti, I'd pulled out enough so you can see into the roots in the center of the plant. Maybe 50%. You may find you can slide the whole thing out of the plastic pot and gently work some of that tightly packed moss out of the center of the pot without really disturbing the shape, so once you're happy with it, the whole thing will just fit right back in like nothing ever happened! It's much easier to eyeball how damp the roots are when it's in a plastic container like that. You'll know exactly when it's dry and ready to be watered again.

Thank you. I'll try it.