A Detailed Guide to Watering Orchids in Summer (Part 2)

How to Water in the Hot SummerOrchids(Part 2)

I. The Amount of Water to Give Orchid Plants

"Water thoroughly when you water" is a standard for measuring how much water to give orchids. What is "watering thoroughly"? The standard for "watering thoroughly" is not only letting water flow out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot, but also soaking all the potting medium in the pot. Often, after one watering, although water flows out of the bottom hole, it still does not meet the "thorough" standard. To soak the potting medium in the pot through, you can water several times or use the soaking method. For dry granular potting medium, it cannot be watered thoroughly unless you soak the pot, but the soaking method should not be used continuously; there must be an interval of some time to let the orchids have time to breathe. In addition, in winter and early spring, the amount of water used should not be too large; keeping it moist is best.

II. Several Points to Note When Watering Orchid Plants

There are many other points to note when watering orchids:

First, pay attention to water temperature. In winter, do not water with cold water; the water temperature should be close to room temperature, preferably 8-10°C. In summer, do not water with hot water. If you store water in a water tower, you must prevent the water temperature from being too high and damaging the orchid plants and orchid roots; the water temperature must not exceed 25-28°C, and you must not suddenly water with cold water, lest it damage the orchid plants.

Second, pay attention to humidity. When the air humidity is too high, reaching 90-100 degrees, by no means should you water or spray. During the day, humidity around 70-90 is suitable. Too much humidity will weaken the roots' ability to absorb water, affect the number of new roots, and cause the orchid plants to lose their driving force.

Third, pay attention to protecting new shoots. During the period when new shoots are splitting open, it is best to water at the roots, and to sprinkle or spray as little water as possible; otherwise, water poured into the leaf center causes waterlogging and rot, resulting in losses.

Fourth, pay attention not to give half-waterings. Some people mistakenly believe that orchids cannot be watered much, so they do not dare to water, and often give half-waterings. Over time, the potting medium is wet on top and dry below, causing the roots to dry up and wither from lack of water.

Fifth, pay attention to giving less standing water. If water is stored in a water tower for too long, the water molecules become chain-like; the longer the time, the harder they are to break apart, making it difficult for them to participate in metabolic activity and unfavorable for absorption by the orchid plants.

Sixth, pay attention to watering with "revival water." After fertilizing in the evening, the orchid plants, through absorbing over a night, can effectively take in most of the nutrients. At this time they need water most, just as people need to drink tea after a meal, so the next morning you need to water with "revival water." It has two functions: first, to wash away the fertilizer liquid splashed onto the leaves; second, to wash away residual fertilizer in the pot to prevent fertilizer damage.

Seventh, pay attention not to water too frequently. Orchids have a great tolerance for water and are relatively drought-tolerant plants; being a little dry has little effect. On the contrary, being wet is not acceptable; waterlogging for 24 hours will cause suffocation. In dailycultivation, the vast majority of people love orchids too much and water too frequently, causing root rot and even plant death.

Eighth, pay attention to "acid rain." If using rainwater, there are two kinds of rainwater that cannot be used. First, acid rainwater must not be used to water orchids. So-called "acid rain" is sulfides, fluorides and other acidic substances suspended in the air that fall with rainfall to form "acid rain"; this water must never be used to water orchids. Second, water from artificial rainfall: rain-inducing shells contain chemical substances, and these substances dissolve in rainwater; using it to water orchids will also corrode orchid roots.

Ninth, pay attention not to spray water arbitrarily. "Spraying water" is necessary. Besides supplementing water, it can also keep orchid leaves fresh and is beneficial for orchid leaf respiration and photosynthesis, but water cannot be sprayed arbitrarily: do not spray under strong sunlight; do not spray in high-temperature weather; spray less when there is no wind and it is hard to dry; do not spray water containing impurities; do not spray when humidity is too high on rainy days, and so on.