Orchid Watering Experience and Practical Methods Shared

Since ancient times, there have been sayings about cultivating orchids: "Three years of practice to master watering" and "Only when art reaches its most difficult point does one truly understand orchids." Indeed, in orchid cultivation, as the time spent growing orchids grows longer, I have found that watering is truly quite difficult. In fact, poor root development is mostly caused by unsuitable watering causing excessive transpiration differences in the potting medium. Because understanding of the medium's characteristics is not thorough enough, one cannot precisely master it.

For example, when I first grew ordinary wild-collected orchids using general humus soil in open-air cultivation, I would fill a watering can with fresh tap water and pour it liberally over the whole plant each time, and they actually grew quite well this way. But with named variety orchids this simply does not work - it is directly unsuitable. Under the same management, roots either become hollow from drying out or damaged by waterlogging. This makes me especially admire those veteran orchid growers who use soil. They water by looking at the pot, and tap the pot to listen to the sound to know the water status. I admire them as if they were gods.

They water flexibly according to the pot and the seedling, growing high-quality orchid plants. It gives me the feeling of encountering a master calligrapher who produces masterpieces regardless of the brush. When we students of calligraphy are still agonizing over which brush to choose to write well, those calligraphy masters like Mr. Sha can write exquisite calligraphy with a worn-out brush. Those of us with insufficient skill simply cannot reach that level. We can only look up to them.

Is there room for innovation in orchid cultivation? The answer is certainly yes. With the emergence of all kinds of potting media - soft, hard, mixed, inert - there is a dazzling array. Thus, watering has also welcomed opportunities for reform, such as automatic watering systems in large orchid farms, manual large-volume spray irrigation for small-scale growers, immersion watering and edge watering for balcony orchid growing, and so on - also a dazzling variety.

Watering is easy, but watering well is not easy. This is a systemic issue. Poor handling can lead to root rot, hollow roots, and induce many diseases.

I. Misconceptions in Choosing Water

Recently, a fellow orchid enthusiast discussed orchid-growing experiences with me and mentioned that his precious orchids have always been drinking bottled purified water. This is far too pampered. Moreover, using purified water to irrigate orchids is also unfavorable for their acquisition of certain trace elements. In orchid cultivation, it is better to use water that is naturally and conveniently available. There is no need to deliberately specify any particular type of water.

Ancient orchid growers classified and used river water, rootless water, and well water separately, and gave the summary recommendation that rootless water and river water are best, while well water contains heavy alkalinity and is not easy to use. If there is no water source and it must be used, then it needs to be softened first or adjusted with vinegar before use. Rootless water refers to water that falls from the sky without touching the ground. Around 2002, I collected snow water, but because it was stored a bit too long it became chain-like and was not favorable for use. Moreover, nowadays rainwater is heavily polluted by the atmosphere, containing sulfur, alkali, salts, acids and many other chemical substances. It is no longer as clean as in ancient times when there were no chemical plants, so it is not recommended for use.

Nowadays, except for places far from cities or towns, most areas have a unified tap water supply, so tap water has become people's first choice. Fresh tap water can fully meet the growth needs of orchids. Of course, some places use underground water supply, which can present hard water phenomena such as excessive alkalinity or excessive chlorine, unfavorable for orchid root development. To address this, we can first store it for about two days or add "enzymes" to soften and neutralize the water quality before use. The purpose of letting tap water sit for two days is to let the sterilizing chlorine evaporate, so it can be mixed with beneficial microbial communities such as "Yi Lan Jun" (Orchid-Beneficial Bacteria).

Water mixed and prepared with "enzymes" and "Yi Lan Jun" can meet the needs of orchid cultivation environments of all sizes. It is convenient and simple to use, and is the blended water that orchids like best.

The benefit of flushing watering is that under the impact of water pressure, dust on the leaves can be washed off, and it can also refine the elasticity of the leaves.

II. The Best Time to Water

The best time to water varies with the season and must be grasped flexibly - it is not an unchanging, rigid rule. However, many beginners are uncertain about choosing watering times. The main reasons are: first, office workers have tight schedules and are not at home at noon, so they water in the morning or evening year-round; second, some careless people do things on impulse without really understanding orchids, so the orchids suffer along with them when it comes to watering.

The choice of watering time is very important. In spring, when temperatures are not too high, generally the afternoon to evening is fine. In summer, when temperatures are high and stuffy, steamy conditions easily occur, it is better to water after 6 PM. At this time, the temperature has dropped back and the temperature difference is small. This is also when orchids, after battling high temperatures all day, have finally managed to relax. Watering during this time period is what orchids like best - it provides a cooling shower that promotes cell division, and washes away the stale air that has accumulated in the pot throughout the day, allowing the roots to breathe freely and grow well. In autumn, as temperatures gradually cool, early autumn is treated the same as summer for watering. After late autumn, gradually move the watering time earlier, because roots have a clear need for temperature and do not want to have their heat dissipated by cold water when temperatures are already too low, which is unfavorable for heat retention in the pot for root growth. In winter, when temperatures are the lowest of the four seasons, watering at noon is best. The period from 12-15 o'clock is when the temperature is highest in the day, and the temperature difference produced by watering is small, which is favorable for the respiration of roots during dormancy and the development of winter buds.

The above seasonal watering time choices are based on sunny days. So how should one flexibly handle watering on non-sunny days?

On cloudy and rainy days, since there is no sunlight during the day, the temperature difference is relatively much smaller. It seems like transpiration would be less, but I often find that at these times moisture in the orchid room actually evaporates particularly fast. This may be related to nature's mysterious regulation! Watering on cloudy and rainy days is the most relaxed - no worries, water whenever you want, with no adverse reactions and nothing to be careful about.

Nowadays, some large-scale professional growers use fully automated management throughout. With 24-hour automatic adjustment based on air dryness and humidity, and programmed drip irrigation, there is simply no need for manual watering. Therefore, the watering methods discussed in this essay are choices for small-scale growing enthusiasts.

III. Management After Watering

After watering, ventilation must be carried out. Water accumulated in the leaf cores must be blown dry promptly to prevent waterlogging damage. The higher the temperature, the greater the risk. Many people know this and handle it carefully enough to get through safely, but they often become careless in spring, autumn, and winter, thinking the danger has not arrived or has already passed.

In spring, as temperatures slowly rise, the previous year's autumn and winter buds gradually enter their peak growth period. When cells are rapidly dividing and have not yet hardened, water accumulation in leaf cores can easily cause damage, mainly manifesting as individual shoot core rot. In autumn, as temperatures go from high to low, the vigilant mind gradually relaxes in the long stretch of high-temperature zone. What easily numbs people is that no problems occurred during high temperatures, and they confidently believe that autumn will be fine too. They often think about saving a bit of electricity, and it is precisely premature switching off of electric fans after watering that leaves water in leaf cores not fully dried. Over time, harmful bacteria breed in the accumulated water, slowly causing core rot or inducing "two rots" (soft rot and black rot), causing certain losses. In winter, although the harm of not promptly dealing with accumulated water is less than in other seasons, when noon sunlight shines, there is still the test of short-term temperature rise, and people often become careless and lose what they should not.

Plastic pots flushed heavily and clay pots with water management compared - water once between each interval.

IV. Side Effects of Improper Watering

Many new enthusiasts have not paid attention to the dangers of improper watering, thinking: isn't it just simple watering? Is there really a need to consider so much? But the orchids in their hands grow poorly and they can never find where the real problem lies. Often, the easier and seemingly smaller and simpler the problem appears, the more it reveals where the key and major issues lie. Some time ago, I discussed the watering issue with a new enthusiast in Shanghai, and he had experienced a similar situation.

The harm of half-pouring water: easily causes stuffiness and waterlogging or dry hollowing that damages roots

Among watering problems, half-pouring water is the most harmful. Around 2002, I had been growing orchids in a balcony-style enclosed space of 6 square meters with only 2 small windows. Because there was no drainage design, I could not give large-volume watering, only catching water through basins. Therefore, I could not thoroughly saturate the potting medium or flush out the stale air in the pots. So when using peat soil granules, I could never grow good roots - they easily became dry and hollow.

The harm of immersion watering: easily causes cross-infection and stale air cannot flow away

In the past, when growing orchids on the balcony, in order to water thoroughly, my favorite method was immersion watering. This saved water and was thorough - at the time I thought it was wonderful. But seedlings watered this way never grew ideally, and it easily induced "two rots" or other diseases. Later I learned the reason: this is because with long-term immersion watering, the constantly pulverizing mud particles in the potting medium accumulate and affect stale air discharge, making root respiration labored. Eventually root growth becomes poor, such as rotting and hollowing.

V. How to Water Correctly

Watering also has its particularities in operation. I previously heard that it is enough to water until water flows from the bottom of the pot, but this is actually unscientific. Water flowing from the bottom of the pot does not necessarily mean the potting medium has absorbed enough, because the water passes through the medium too quickly. Before it can absorb to saturation, the water has already flowed away. Especially for granular potting media, you should not water only once each time. Therefore, each pass of watering should not be too long. Let the water slowly absorb into the medium with a buffering process. Water back and forth, and only after 3-5 passes will it truly be saturated.

Now I like to use the 3.2.1 method, and it feels very good. Water the orchid racks one by one. When the first round trip goes three passes, that is the first watering. When starting on the second row or third row, the earlier ones have had better internal absorption and buffering time. In this way, the second watering goes two passes, and the third watering goes one pass.

VI. How to Prevent Sunburn During Watering

When there is direct sunlight, be very careful when watering to prevent water droplets from remaining on leaves for too long, because when water droplets form beads they act as concave-convex lenses, and under focusing they will inevitably burn the leaves, causing spots on the leaf surface.

Therefore, when watering at noon on cold days, be sure to quickly blow dry the water droplets on the leaves to prevent side effects.

VII. How to Deal with Water Temperature Differences When Watering

Temperature differences between the orchid growing environment and the tap water used for watering exist throughout the year. When the temperature difference is too large, it also affects orchid growth, so we must pay attention to it. To prevent this situation, we can first store tap water within the growing environment, with 24-48 hours being optimal. This way, watering at any time has no temperature difference, and it can also soften the water quality - achieving multiple benefits at once.

VIII. The Benefits of Large-Volume Flushing

Among the various watering methods in orchid cultivation, large-volume flushing is the best. In the past, when growing orchids on the balcony, I chose to use a watering can to water around the pot walls. Not only could this not flush away the stale air and pulverized mud in the pot, but over time it also caused dust to accumulate on the leaves, affecting photosynthesis and easily inducing fungal erosion-type disease spots such as leaf spot disease and anthracnose.

Leaves under large-volume flushing are clean and attractive, and their elasticity is also stronger. It has a good inhibitory effect on the breeding of harmful bacteria.

Closing Remarks

Among orchid enthusiasts, balcony growers are limited by conditions, and large-volume flushing is generally not easy to achieve. You can consider finding a water source outlet and an environment with floor drain design, water thoroughly, and then move the orchids back. The workload is greater this way, but the orchids will be much more comfortable. Wait until you have more orchids, and then create better conditions.