Viewing post #930561 by shadytrake

drdawg said:It appears that the sphagnum has to be pretty much bone dry, at least the top inch or so for this watering method to work. If the moss is the least bit moist, when you apply that water to the top of the moss, it will soak through quickly. If bone dry, it will sort of sit there on top of the moss and soak through more slowly. Is this the way you/he makes the watering work? Are y'all ONLY using sphagnum for Phalaenopsis orchids?

Actually, no. It is the firmness (tightness) in the pot that does it. We water again when it is very slightly damp not bone dry. If you wait until bone dry, the plant suffers minor setbacks.

Phals like to have humidity so slightly damp is a good thing. However, the caveat is if you loosely pack the moss, you will have a wet soppy mess and a dead plant in no time at all.

The plant must be firm so you can pick it up without it falling out. This is even true for some clay pots (though I use pot clips as well because of the weight). That is why it is so important not to overpot. You need the right amount of moss for the size of the plant vs the pot.