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All green plants need watering. But how to water an orchid at home, which on the one hand is moisture-loving, and on the other, is used to growing not on the usual soil, but on stones or tree branches?
Most of the orchids that decorate the indoor collections of flower growers are epiphytes from tropical regions of Asia, Australia and America. In nature, such plants, not finding a sufficient amount of nutrient soil, are forced to adapt to receive the main amount of minerals and water from the scanty soil deposits on tree trunks and from the atmosphere. In the tropics, the entire need for moisture orchids satisfy due to frequent and heavy rains. And at home natural precipitation should replace irrigation.
How to water an orchid? Does the plant have specific requirements for water coming to its roots?
Water quality for orchid irrigation
The quality of water, namely its composition and temperature, largely determines the well-being of a houseplant. If the open-air rainwater, which the orchid receives, contains almost no mineral salts or acids, then in the moisture that has passed through the water pipes, you can find the entire periodic table, complex inorganic compounds, organic matter and even microflora. Such a rich "cocktail", falling on the roots of a flower and on pieces of the substrate, settles and can have a very unpredictable, but rather negative effect on the plant.
To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is recommended to use soft purified water for watering orchids. Before watering the orchid at home from the moisture should remove all potentially dangerous impurities for the flower.
For this purpose, ordinary boiling is used, during which:
- volatile chlorine compounds present in tap water evaporate;
- precipitate salts forming such a familiar whitish coating on the ground and the surface of the flowerpot;
- destroyed microflora;
- decreases the concentration of ferrous compounds.
Assertion will not give such a result, because at normal room temperature it takes considerable time to get rid of salts and various forms of iron, and the microflora will only manifest itself in full force, causinggreen algae suspension or turbid film on the surface.
But the water filtered with the help of modern household filters is perfect for watering orchids and other indoor plants. The residual content of mineral substances in it is so negligible that it does not affect the health of plants, and all hazardous impurities are quickly and efficiently removed.
If the grower does not have the ability to boil or filter the required volume of water, it is possible to reduce the concentration of calcium unnecessary to the plant by acidifying the liquid. This is done with a small amount of oxalic acid or by passing through a layer of high-moor peat.
The main thing is that the resulting moisture after treatment does not acquire increased acidity.
Using distilled water when watering orchids
Inquiring about how to water the orchid at home, lovers of these spectacular plants often ask about the use of distilled water. The degree of purification of distilled water is very high, but to use such a liquid for watering orchids is excessive and wrong. So pure water can be taken:
- for dilution of liquid dressings;
- for crown irrigation;
- for flushing the root system and soil from excess salt.
In this case, you can ensure that after watering orchids and other hygiene procedures on the foliage and roots will not remain unpleasant whitish spots.
But to heat the irrigation moisture to room temperature or go a little higher is extremely useful. To moisten the substrate of phalaenopsis, the most unpretentious and popular orchid growers, for example, water requires 30–35 ° C.
How to water the orchid?
Unfortunately, it is precisely the irrigation of orchids that most often leads to the weakening and death of flowering plants. In juicy rhizomes, foliage or orchid pseudobulbs can accumulate a significant amount of moisture, so plants without visible damage tolerate missed watering.
Excess water, especially its stagnation in the pot, inevitably leads to the formation of foci of rot on the roots. Losing the ability to eat, orchid weakens and may die.
If a home-grown orchid does not experience extreme temperature changes and is shaded from direct sunlight, the plant can be watered at any time of the day. When the maintenance of a flower provides night coolness, it is better to transfer the procedure of moistening for the morning. During the daytime, the substrate will dry out, and by night the orchid will be in comfortable safe conditions for it.
How often do you water the orchid at home to protect the plant from lack of nutrition and from the risk of overmoistening? The frequency of watering depends on:
- on the season;
- on the life cycle of the plant;
- on temperature and humidity in the room;
- on the features of the orchid cultivation method and the substrate used.
How to water the orchid during flowering and the rest period following it? During the active growing season, the plants should be watered, on average, 2-3 times a week. As soon as the peduncle appears above the rosette of leaves, it is necessary to moisten the soil more often, which is explained by the growing needs of the plant. But when the flowers fade and the colored zone decreases at the ends of the rhizomes, the frequency of watering is reduced by half and they ensure that the substrate dries out between procedures.
Do not irrigate if there are condensate drops inside the pot between the pieces of soil, and the roots themselves are wet.
Throughout the year, the orchid receives the same portions of water, only the frequency of watering changes. And it is possible to determine the need for moistening the substrate not only by touch, but also by the weight of the pot with the plant. Dried soil is much easier wet.
. How to irrigate orchids at home.
. Some orchids grow successfully in nutrient loose substrate; there are many species that prefer a coarse-grained mixture of bark, coal, moss and expanded clay. And some homemade orchids quite cost no traditional pot at all. How to water at home orchids with such different habits? The peculiarity of growth and nutrition of orchids determines the variety of ways to water them.
Watering orchids from a watering can and under running water
With all the unusual plants with thick roots and those seeking to get out of the pot, orchids growing in the substrate can be watered with a regular watering can. Apply the method for orchids, costing completely without soil.
Watering is conducted very carefully, trying to keep moisture evenly across the entire surface of the soil or parts of the root system, but in no case does it accumulate inside the rosette of leaves. The procedure continues until until the water will not flow from the drainage holes. Then she is allowed to drain, and in a few minutes another 2 to 4 irrigations are given.
At the end of watering, orchids are dried, removing accidentally leaked liquid from the leaves, axillary buds and from the center of the outlet with a napkin, cotton pad or cotton swab.
Immersion of an orchid in water
The method is suitable for healthy epiphytic orchids and can be used both for moistening and feeding, if you add
The pot is placed in a container with warm water so that its edge is slightly above the level of the liquid, and the foliage and stem do not get wet. The time of exposure to moisture penetrating through the slits and drainage holes depends on the type of plant, its size and the time of year. It is optimal if for the first time the pot stays in water for 5–10 minutes. Then it is removed, allowed to drain excess moisture and, if necessary, the procedure is repeated. After this watering, it is important to make sure that there is no accumulation of water in the soil.
Spraying Orchid Root System
For orchids grown without a substrate, irrigation of the root system with warm soft water from a spray bottle is carried out as irrigation. Droplets falling on the roots should be as small as possible, which will accelerate their absorption and will not harm the tissues.
A video on how to water an orchid will be a good help for beginning flower growers who have only recently discovered the diverse world of these luxurious plants.
