Watering Orchids At Home

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Growing orchids at home is not an easy and time-consuming task. In order for these luxurious flowers to please the eye for as long as possible, they need to be provided with proper care: in addition to a favorable temperature regime, periodic feeding and good lighting, orchids need to be taught and properly watered. What nuances of watering should you pay attention to in the first place?

Proper watering

Watering beautiful home orchids should be done only after the potted soil has dried. And the intensity of such watering will depend on a number of important conditions: on air humidity and temperature conditions, as well as on the size of the pot, on lighting, etc.

In nature, luxurious orchids feed mainly on rainwater, which means that the composition of the water that will be used to irrigate them should be similar to it. The water must be soft and warm enough. If only hard water is available, oxalic acid can be used to reduce its hardness - as a rule, it will not be difficult to obtain it in most flower shops. At the same time, it is recommended to dilute the solution about a day before watering, adding half a teaspoon of oxalic acid for every two and a half liters of water. And immediately before watering, the water must be poured into another container (leaving the residue on the bottom) or thoroughly filtered.

In order to slightly acidify the water, it is not forbidden to use high-moor peat - it is placed in a bag, which is then put into water for several hours. As for the water temperature, it is best for irrigation that water is suitable, the temperature of which is in the range from thirty to thirty-five degrees.

Watering frequency

It is in direct proportion to the rate of drying of the soil. If condensation forms on the walls of the pot, it means that the plant does not need watering yet, but if the walls are dry, the beautiful orchid needs to be watered urgently. The fact that orchids do not need watering is also indicated by the bright green color of the roots, as well as the heaviness of the pot. But if the roots have lightened or the pot has become less weight - it's time to pamper your favorite flowers with life-giving moisture. If the pot is not transparent, the soil moisture is determined by immersing a special support stick into it.

The frequency of watering also depends on the type of orchid. Most species are usually watered one to three times a week during the summer months and one to two times a month during the dormant period. At the same time, all watering is carried out exclusively in the morning, so that with the onset of evening in the leaf sinuses there is not the slightest hint of moisture. And to saturate the water with oxygen, vital for plants, right before watering, it is necessary to pour it several times from one vessel to another.

Types of watering

There are several types of watering orchids:

Immersion. The orchid is submerged in the water along with the pot. And so that the dried roots do not push the beautiful flowers out of the container, the pot must be sent into the water slowly. As for the duration of the immersion, it is determined by the size of the pot: pots measuring 12x12 or 10x10 centimeters are kept in water for no more than half a minute, after which they are left for about the same amount in air to allow excess water to escape. Such irrigation is the most economical, and at the same time it is very effective. But it is only allowed to produce it if neither the orchid nor the soil is affected by any ailments.

Hot shower. This watering simulates rain allows you to maximize the saturation of plants with life-giving moisture. After such watering, orchids begin to build up green mass much faster and bloom better. And also systematic rinsing of the leaves with a shower can protect them from infection with various ailments and cleanse them of pests. Having installed the pots of flowers in the bath, they immediately begin to water the plants from the shower with soft water (with a slight pressure), the temperature of which is in the range from forty to fifty degrees. Watering continues until the substrate is completely saturated, after which the pots are left in the bath for another twenty minutes - excess liquid should drain from them. And after forty minutes, young sprouts with leaves are thoroughly wiped with a dry napkin. As for the Phalaenopsis and Wanda orchids, they also need to wipe the cores, otherwise they may start to rot, and the development of plants will stop.

Root spraying. This watering is suitable for those orchids that are grown in blocks (in other words, without a substrate), because the roots of flowers in this situation dry much faster than in pots filled with soil. Such watering is carried out using a spray gun directed directly to the roots, and this is done until they begin to change color (turn green). Every time, as soon as the root system of the orchids begins to dry out, it is recommended to repeat the procedure.

Watering with a watering can. In this case, the surface of the soil in a pot is poured with water from a watering can, while it is important to ensure that the pressure is sufficiently weak. As for the growth points and leaf sinuses, they should not be touched at all. Water is poured from the watering can until water flows out of the holes on the bottom of the pot. After waiting a little, until the excess water comes out, and after pouring it out of the pan, the procedure is repeated. Perhaps this is the easiest watering method that everyone can do!