Do you water orchids from the top or bottom? I recommend watering the orchids from the top. I have reasons for coming to that decision. Do not believe me until you read the reasons. So let’s find out the reasons in this article.
Do you water orchids from the top or bottom?
There are several ways of applying water to the orchids and it is important that you learn how to water the plants precisely so that you can get the best results. However, among all of them I suppose the best would be to go ahead with watering the plants from above while using fresh and pure water. Further, always water them if their soil mix is dry only. If you end up watering the already moistened plants chances are that it would make the soil mix damper. So, let’s dig deep into this and discover more on this.
How much water does an orchid need per week?
To answer the question briefly, orchids would need water to the level that could make their soil moistened. In terms of the frequencies, you can water them once a week during winter. You could speed up watering in summer and water them twice a week when the weather is warm and dry. Furthermore, you need to adjust the watering level depending on the pot size you have grown them in.
Orchids are water lovers, and they would want a thorough watering during each watering session. If you spot the roots are silvery and gray you can go ahead with watering. Further if you are unsure whether you need to water the plants or not, best would be to wait for some more days and then water. What I usually do is water them with lukewarm water.
Can you water orchids with tap water?
Yes you can. I don’t recommend using softened water for the water purpose of orchids as it would contain salt which would bring unhealthy impacts on the plants. You can use chlorinated tap water for the orchids. However, do not use water which has an excessive amount of chlorine as it would suit the plants. Having said that, the perfect way of watering the orchids is by using distilled water. Alternatively, you may also use collected rainwater too.
Refrain from using warm and cold water and always try to go ahead with water at room temperature. Further if you are an experienced orchid grower, you may also use hard tap water and you could still gain the best result from that. Irrespective of the water type you use; you need to ensure that you water the plants to rinse the roots out well which will consequently avoid any mineral build up in the plants.
How do I know if my orchid needs water?
Usually, orchids would prefer their soil to be dry between two watering sessions just like the succulents and cactus. If you are unsure whether your plants need water and if you want to ascertain this, you could first conduct a finger test. Simply all you have to do is check the moisture in the pot by simply placing the finger in the pot. If you figure out that soil is dry, you could proceed with watering and if you find out it is moist you need to wait for two more days.
Alternatively, you could use a toothpick in the potting medium and check whether it Is wet or dry too. Secondly you can observe the draining hole and see whether the potting media is dry there. Furthermore, if you keep growing the orchids for some time, naturally you should be able to tell whether the plants need water by simply lifting the pot. If the pot is light, that literally means the plant is dry and it is time to water them.
On the other hand, if you have planted the orchids in clear plastic pots, then you need to check for condensation on the sides of the plastic and decide whether you need to water them or not. Simply if you spot there is no water condensation in the pot, you can proceed with watering.
Should you mist orchids?
You can mist the orchids. Misting could be done for several reasons. You can consider misting the orchids to increase the humidity levels. As you may already know orchids grow in high humidity levels when they grow in the wild. Thus, you can resemble the same effect by misting the plants when you cultivate them. To do that you can use a spray bottle and mist them.
Secondly you could water the orchids by misting too. Orchids can absorb water faster right after a rainfall. They would grow in soilless mediums when they grow in the wild. So once the rainwater moves through the leaves, they will absorb water rapidly. So, you could consider misting the orchids as a way of watering too and a way of mimicking the same conditions which they get in the natural conditions.
On the other hand, misting could lead to some other risks as well. Constant misting on the plants would lead to fungal spots on the plants particularly on the flowers. Once you mist the plants chances are that there could be water droplets on the flowers. Consequently, it would make fungal spots on the flowers and consequently it would make the flowers look less beautiful.
If there are high humidity levels, those water droplets left from misting would remain on the plants for some time. Ultimately it would create fungal infections in the plants. Secondly misting would create a stick of crown rot as well. In fact, Crown rot could turn out to be lethal on the plants. If you keep misting the plants, there is a high probability for the water to build up among the leaves. Eventually it would create the crown rot in the plants.
If you have grown them in high humidity levels, water evaporation would not take place at a rapid pace and consequently they would tend to get piled up among the leaves and pave the way for leaf and crown rot. Crown rot could be lethal on the plants, and it is very unlikely that you could identify that condition at its initial stage and when you identify it, it would be too late to save the plants.
If you mist the plants infrequently, chances are that it can dehydrate the orchids too.
How to water orchids in bark?
You need to water the orchids in bark to saturate the bark pieces. It would be somewhat time consuming if you use a watering can as it would only give a little sprinkle for the plants. What I recommend you do is to place the whole pot into a bowl which is equal in the depth of the bark lines. Next you can pour water over the bark which will fill the bowl.
Refrain from applying water in the bowl first. If you do so, chances are that it would push the bark out of the pot once it gets in contact with water. Ensure that you soak the bark for about a quarter hour. Next lift the pot out of water and let the excess water to move out. Once this is all done, you could shit the plants to their original pot.
How to water orchids in moss?
The most important thing when it comes to watering the plants grown in moss is that you don’t end up over watering the plants at any given time. The reason for that is because moss does retain more moisture compared to bark. In fact, moss can retain more moisture compared to many other potting mediums.
If you have grown the plants in moss, you can be tactful in repot them in a potting medium which is mixed with bark. Alternatively, you may use bark only too. keep in mind that moss can hold on to a lot of moisture and it can break down quickly too. Further it would not be beneficial for the draining and for aeration as well.
How to water orchids in wood chips?
When it comes to watering the wood chips, you need to do it more often. That is because the water evaporation can take place faster in wood chips Frequency wise, I recommend watering them once a week. However if there are low humidity levels, you need to water them more frequently. If you wish to know whether you need to water the pots, you could simply weigh them and see whether they are light or heavy.
If the pot is light, you could water them as that means the plant is dry. After that, water the plants and place the pot in a sink and allow the excess water to move out. Keep repeating this to make the potting medium moistened. Do not supply water in excess.
How to water an orchid with ice cubes?
You can simply add three ice cubes on top of the orchid media. However, you need to ensure that you don’t allow the water to get in contact with the leaves and with roots as well. Once the ice cubes melt, the roots and the potting medium would absorb water. The colder temperature would not hurt the plants as the ice would melt faster.
The amount of ice cubes you need to apply for the plants would vary depending on the orchid species. In general context three ice cubes per week would do well with the plants. Before you add the ice cubes, you need to still check the moisture in the potting medium by simply poking your finger in the potting medium. Just like in the other methods, if you feel like it is wet, you need to wait for some more days and then proceed with this method.
How often do you water orchids with ice cubes?
You could water orchids using three ice cubes just once a week. But do not do it every week. The cold can cause harm to orchid roots. It could vary depending on the orchid species, weather conditions and on the pot size as well.
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