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Caring For Orchids Part One: Watering - Page 2

© Linda Fortner

They also see the water flow out the bottom of the pot as fast as they pour it in the top. Most of my plants are in 4" and 6" pots so I water each orchid thoroughly once a week. Keep in mind, however, that you may need to water more or less often depending on where you live. Orchids grown in a desert or low humidity climate like the American Southwest will need watering more often than those grown in a high humidity environment such as the American Southeast.

Just when I was getting comfortable with my orchids and the bark media, I purchased a Dendrobium that was planted in LAVA ROCK! That brought a new problem because lifting the pot did not work. The rock felt the same wet or dry. I decided to water it on the same schedule as my other orchids and it worked fine. The roots would absorb the moisture when I watered and, believe it or not, it did take a while for the rock to dry.

Going from the extreme of rock to sphagnum moss, I purchased an Oncidium planted in a 6" pot of New Zealand sphagnum moss. I soon discovered that the moss did not dry out as fast as my other media and it remained quite wet in the center. I therefore reduced watering this plant to every 10 days. As you can see, each type of planting medium has different watering considerations. Additionally, each orchid species has it's own requirements as to how wet or dry it likes its environment. Some need to dry out between waterings while others like to be kept moist. You need to check the culture sheet for each species to find this information.

Here are just a few tips on watering that I have learned while growing my orchids .

• 1: You must learn each of your orchids cultural requirements to understand their specific needs. If you are not sure what kind of orchid you have, visit my site and you may be able to identify your orchid.
  
  
• 2: Orchids are not like common house plants that are planted in potting soil. Do not water them like a house plant or you could cause them to rot right in the pot!
  
  
• 3: Never use soft water from a water softener that uses salt. The salt (chloride) will kill your orchid.
  
  
• 4: Use luke warm water and water early in the day. The leaves and crown areas should be dry in the evening.
  
  
• 5: Some orchids (especially Phalaenopsis) can get crown rot if water is left standing in the crown (center) of the plant.