How Often Should You Water a Houseplant Orchid? Grow It This Way to Get It to Bloom
As one of the top ten famous flowers, the orchid holds a very high place in people's hearts in our country, and it also accounts for a large number of houseplants.So how often should you water a houseplant orchid? How do you grow it so it blooms?
1. How often should you water a houseplant orchid?
The orchid is a rather “delicate” plant, so it needs careful tending when grown. The techniques for watering orchids are introduced below:
1. Watering intervals for orchids
It grows relatively fast in spring and autumn and cannot go without water, so water once a week; summer temperatures are high and water evaporates quickly, so water once every 3-4 days, but note that if there is a lot of rain, the watering interval should be appropriately lengthened; in winter, water must be controlled, and if the soil is not dry there is no need to water, roughly once every half a month.
2. How to tell whether an orchid needs watering
Whether an orchid really needs watering still has to be judged for yourself. First, you can insert a long bamboo skewer (toothpick) into the potting soil for about five minutes; if the skewer has moisture on it, there is no need to water, and if not, it needs watering; second, lift up the flower pot, and if it feels lighter than usual, it means the soil in the pot is short of water and needs watering.
3. When to water orchids
In hot seasons, when the nighttime temperature is relatively high, you can water in the evening or at night, and avoid watering at noon. In winter, plants that are dormant should be watered sparingly. When watering orchids in spring, summer and autumn, it is best to do so before 9 a.m.
4. The water used for watering orchids
Generally, rainwater, pond water, river water and fish pond water are all very good for watering flowers, or if you keep fish at home, you can also use the water from the fish tank. If you want to use tap water, it must be tap water that has been left in the sun for more than three days.
2. How do you grow a houseplant orchid so it blooms?
The orchid is a plant that likes shade, moisture, fertility and humus, and fears direct sunlight and dryness, so it needs careful tending when grown if it is to produce beautiful flowers. The key growing points are introduced below:
1. Soil for growing orchids
For growing orchids it is suitable to use sandy loam rich in humus. If they are wild seedlings newly dug from the mountains, they must be planted in clay pots, and only after 2-3 years can they be moved into purple clay pots or porcelain pots. If the orchids were bought from a flower market, they can be cared for directly.
2. Light and temperature for growing orchids
In spring and summer, orchids need shading, or they should be placed at an indoor window facing east or south with good ventilation; orchids that are shaded should have their pots turned once every half a month so that all sides of the orchid receive light; when the weather turns cool in autumn, place the orchid in the sunlight in the morning; in winter, a plastic film cover needs to be added to maintain proper humidity on the leaf surface. The most suitable temperature for orchids is generally 16-24°C; in summer the maximum must not exceed 30°C, and in winter the minimum must not fall below 5°C. It is best to bring it indoors to grow, so as not to freeze the orchid; 10-12°C during the day is suitable; if grown indoors, the windows must be opened often to ensure air circulation.
3. Fertilizer management for orchids
When the orchid puts out new shoots, apply a small amount of dilute fertilizer; fertilize in the evening around the spring equinox, the autumn equinox and about 20 days after the flowers fade, generally once every 2-3 weeks; spray with monopotassium phosphate once every 20 days; in addition, if the orchid leaves look yellow and thin, topdressing is needed, while if they are black with scorched leaf tips, fertilizing should be stopped. The fertilizer used can be a special fertilizer bought from the market, or fully decomposed organic fertilizer.
The above is a complete introduction to growing orchids. In addition, a reminder to all flower lovers: when watering orchids, be sure to pay attention to the water temperature; the water used to water orchids is best close to the temperature of the soil.