How to Water Orchids: Correct Methods and Techniques Explained
A newly discovered plum-type narcissus variety, the crown, with extra-large outer three petals, tender green color, white jade phoenix pouch, and a large lip. In 1990, Hu Huayuan of Jiazishantou Village, Tangdi, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, dug it up at Longfeng in Shaoxing and sold it to Jin Dingxian and Zhao Yinquan. The outer three petals have short stalks and round tips, tightly edged, with thick texture. Fragrant-mouth-style shallow pouch inner petals, rolled lip. The flower scape is tall, flat-shouldered, the flower color is pure green, the flower...
As the saying goes: understand flower growing with one hint, but watering takes three years of skill. From this we can see how profound the knowledge of watering is, and how important it is. Whether you water well or not directly relates to the growth of orchids. When to water, what kind of water to use, and how to water are all major areas of knowledge.
One: How much to water.
Watering varies according to the season, the state of the growing environment, the state of the plant, the state of the medium, and various other conditions. In summer, when the weather is dry and water evaporates quickly, you should water more; conversely, in winter you should water less. Strong seedlings should be watered more, weak seedlings should be watered less; if the medium has poor water absorption, you should water more; conversely, you should water less.
Two: How to water.
When watering, you should water finely and slowly along the circumference of the pot from top to bottom until clear water flows out from inside the pot. When watering, the water pressure should not be too strong, otherwise there will be the following harms:
1: It breaks and damages orchid leaves, affecting their appearance and photosynthesis.
2: The material on the pot surface will be quickly washed away, and some fine particles will also sink down along the gaps in the larger material, thereby clogging the orchid pot, causing water to accumulate in the pot and roots to rot.
3: The orchid plant will also frequently sway, which is extremely unfavorable to the development of orchid roots. Especially orchid plants with poor roots will not grow new roots for a long time.
Three: What kind of water to use.
Orchids like weakly acidic water quality, with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. The vast majority of us orchid growers use tap water. Because water quality differs from place to place, the pH value in the water also differs. If used directly for irrigation, it will have a certain effect on orchids. Especially for some urban orchid growers who grow orchids on balconies, it is recommended to treat the water in advance or, the day before watering, put the water in a large vat or bucket to let the chlorine in the water naturally evaporate before watering. This will be beneficial to the growth of orchids.
Four: When to water.
In the process of growing orchids, the time of watering is also worth our attention. In summer, you should water in the evening or early in the morning before the sun comes out. If you water at noon in midsummer, the water droplets on the orchid leaves are very likely to burn the orchid leaves due to the lens effect, or be absorbed into the medium and, like boiling water, damage the root tips and affect growth. On the contrary, in winter you should water at noon. If you water in the early morning or evening, frostbite is very likely to occur due to excessively low temperatures, damaging the roots. All of these will be unfavorable to the normal growth of orchids.