Here is the new sheet I am going to this weekend's show armed with. It will
take forever to get it up on the web so I just cut and pasted it here.

Pat


How Do I Water My Orchid Properly if it's Planted in Moss?







We plant all our phalaenopsis and some of our other types of orchids in
long-fiber sphagnum moss. This is not your usual craft store sphagnum moss,
which is a short, stubby fibered thing used for decoration. This is a
sterilized, long-fibered moss from New Zealand, Chile, or other locations
around the world. Because it is long-fibered versus short, it will stay
light and airy in the pot and not pack down into a wet mess. We really do
favor this potting medium because we have found it to be clean, less
hospitable as a home for bugs than bark, and easy to detect when the plant
is ready to be watered.



So how do you know when to water your plant? Well, you give it the "pinch
test." Pinch the moss at the top of the pot, no deeper than the first
knuckle on your index finger. If, when you pinch the medium, you can feel
moisture, do not water. If the mix is dry when you pinch it, then it's
ready to be thoroughly watered with lukewarm or room temperature water.
Take the plant to the sink and water the pot until the water is gushing out
of the bottom drainage holes. I said pot, and I meant it. Don't let water
splash into the leaf crevices and sit there. That would encourage crown
rot, which is often fatal. You water this way to simulate a quick, tropical
thunderstorm, which is what the plant would have gotten in its natural
habitat. Let the plant drain thoroughly and then put it back wherever it
was growing happily. When you put the plant back, do not turn the plant
like you would some houseplants. Orchids like to maintain their exact same
orientation towards the light. Turning them forces them to adjust and will
discourage and confuse them.



I must address some watering silliness that has popped up from big box store
sellers. The watering instructions on some of the orchids they are selling
tell you to put a certain number of ice cubes on the plant every week. I
can only assume that they believe your expectations for your orchid are the
same as if it were cut flowers. Watering with an ice cube will prevent you
from killing the plant by overwatering while it is in bloom. Then they
expect you to toss it in the trash like a spent bouquet and buy another.



Tropical plants like orchids have never met an ice cube before. An ice cube
touching a leaf or root will kill that tissue. Over the long term, ice
cubes will not provide enough water to sustain the plant. Food can not be
delivered through ice cubes. If you plan to keep your orchid for any period
of time, do not put ice on it. Enough said.



All of these instructions are appropriate for our plants potted in our
long-fiber moss mix. If your plant is in bark, please ask the grower for
his instructions on proper watering. Enjoy your plant.