Orchids Plant Care

7 Tips On Watering And Spraying Orchid Plants

Most orchid plants need to dry out periodically and many adapt well to a weekly watering routine.

A few need watering or misting every day, especially those that are mounted, while others grow best with a long, moist growing season followed by a dry period of several months. The best approach for the new grower is to try to find out as much as possible about the natural habitat of the different kinds of orchids and find ways of imitating the wild environment in the management of a greenhouse.
Rainwater is best, but it should be stored in a dark tank in the greenhouse so that is stays clean and is at the right temperature for the plants.
After repotting, plants will need very little water in the pot because their roots are inactive. Swamping them at this stage may damage those roots which remain. During a period of a month or two, the plant’s moisture needs can be met by spraying or misting over the leaves, early in the day or, on sunny days, several times during the day. It is best to make sure that moisture does not lodge in leaf axils or the apex of new shoots overnight when temperatures drop, because the recently established plants may be more susceptible to water-born disease. Misting over the leaves is always a useful exercise on sunny days as it helps to ensure high humidity in the greenhouse and also lowers the leaf temperature. Once the plants are properly established in their pots or baskets and new root growth is evident, a regular watering regime can begin.
On each occasion plants should be heavily and thoroughly watered, so that the compost is really wetted. If a hose is used, it is helpful to fit a water beaker to it, or to use a watering lance with a fine rose. This ensures a gentle flow of water so that the loose compost is not washed out of the pot.
The frequency of watering will depend on the size of the pot and the kinds of compost used, as well as on the weather.
There is really no substitute for daily inspection of the plants. The need for water can often be assessed by the weight of the pots once one becomes used to handling them. Once or twice a week is a good routine, but daily watering may be necessary in the summer.
During the winter, watering is usually reduced to once every week or two, and for a few plants water is given only monthly. Some people prefer to water their plants early in the day so that the foliage will have dried off by nightfall when temperatures drop.In the tropical habitats of many orchids, however, storms arise at midday or in the afternoons and the plants are frequently still wet at night. Some growers make a habit of watering their plants in the late afternoon and, provided there is good air movement within the greenhouse to prevent stagnation and inhibit pathogens, many plants grow well under this routine.

May 21, 2007 comment TrackBack-URI