How to make more reasonable choices about watering in orchid cultivation

"Water" is the source of life.

Water: the most common compound of hydrogen and oxygen. Chemical formula h2o. Colorless, odorless, tasteless. In nature it exists in three states of aggregation: solid (ice), liquid (water) and gaseous (water vapor). The air contains water vapor, and sometimes large amounts of water also accumulate in soil and rock layers. Water is an indispensable component of the bodies of animals and plants. At 101.325 kPa, the boiling point of water is 100 degrees and the freezing point is 0 degrees. The density of water is greatest at 4 degrees (1 gram/ml). When water freezes, its density decreases and its volume increases, so ice always floats on the surface of water. Among all solid and liquid substances, water has the greatest heat capacity, and this property is of great significance for regulating climate. Water can dissolve many substances and is the most important solvent.

Orchids are no exception; only with the nourishment of water could "she" reproduce endlessly and survive to this day. In the records of ancient orchid manuals, it is mentioned that for suitable orchid growth, "rainwater" is best, "river water" is second, and "well water" should be avoided. In the environment of that time, this statement should have been promoted. At that time, forest coverage was extensive, industrial waste gas was almost nonexistent, and apart from dust and smoke, other impurities in the atmosphere should be said to have been very scarce (analysis). The environment people chose to live in was inseparable from water sources, and living near water sources naturally meant that pollution from household waste existed. Therefore, the ancients considered "rainwater" to be the cleanest water. Avoiding well water was a clear answer drawn from the ancients' practical experience. Well water is "cold" in nature and contains a heavy amount of "alkali," so it is naturally unsuitable for orchid growth. When well water is used to cook porridge, it generally shows a vegetable-soup color and has a cooked lotus-root fragrance; this is due to excessive alkali content. It is not beneficial to the human body, so people today do not advocate drinking well water.

Analyzing from many ancient orchid books, the ancients already carried out countless practices in the selection of "water" in orchid cultivation before they demonstrated, weighed the choices and clearly defined them as "rainwater best, river water second, well water to be avoided," and recorded this in books for the record.

Today, under the effect of "the development of science and technology," with the rapid development of mining, chemical industry, motor vehicles and so on, pollution of water sources and air has become unprecedentedly active. Under the lure of money, people have artificially (one could say destructively) damaged the air purifier - the earth's forests and green spaces have been logged (developed) without limit, disrupting the earth's ecological balance. And so, today one place reports that "acid rain" fell, tomorrow another place reports that "salty rain" fell, the day after tomorrow another place reports that "mud rain" fell, and there are even reports of "black rain (a composition of soot and dust)" falling. This year floods are rampant here, next year there is drought somewhere else. Just as this pollution has not yet been effectively controlled, some people say this is a law of development, and that only after economic development rises can the environment be governed with greater force. Why? Only when funds are in place can solutions become possible. If so, we shall wait and see.

Now there are still quite a few new "orchid books" that actually still advocate the ancients' water-use standard: "rainwater is best." For this matter, when I first started playing with orchids, I once did a foolish thing (as far as I know, many orchid friends have also done this foolish thing), which was to collect "fallen snow" in winter. While others cleared away the accumulated snow, I collected the accumulated snow and brought it home. Truly, in this freezing weather I still worked myself into a sweat all over, and my hands even gave off heat as if I were practicing martial arts. When neighbors saw it, they thought I was being foolish, or that there was something wrong with my brain. Why? It was all to collect "rainwater" to grow my beloved orchids well! Because of this, my wife even joked that I was being adorably foolish, and asked whether my "second pipe" had a problem. I answered that I was fully willing and just treated it as exercise. Just like that, every basin or bucket at home that could be "emptied" was occupied by me.

Wait! Wait and wait, I finally waited until (at this time one's mood makes time seem to pass especially slowly) the next spring, when all things revived and the temperature gradually rose (and it was precisely in this season when spring buds emerge from the soil). I was elated inside, thinking that now was the time for my "rainwater" (the fallen snow had melted and turned into rainwater) to show its great power. Poor me, I truly looked forward to it three times a day! I looked forward to the arrival and end of the plum rain season, and the result was like a basin of cold water poured over my head to wake me up: "stem rot, soft rot" and so on all occurred in large amounts. I could not control it, and the losses were truly severe! Whenever I think of it, it is still fresh in my memory, just like a "nightmare." This lesson was truly too deep.

Before using it at the beginning, I had not thought of using test paper to check what the ph value of the "rainwater" was (wanting to detect the content and types of bacteria without equipment was simply impossible to clarify), and moreover orchid books, both ancient manuals and new works, all said "rainwater" was good (now quite a few orchid friends have already summarized the advantages and disadvantages of "rainwater"), so what reason did I have to doubt it? Truly, practice brings true knowledge, except that my "true knowledge" was exchanged for great losses.

Now let me summarize the two major unfavorable factors of "rainwater (snow water)":

1. "Rainwater (snow water)" has a mixture of large amounts of bacteria, dust and acidic substances (of course it also contains rich trace elements), and in addition, being stored for too long turns it into truly "dead water."

2. If this "rainwater (snow water)" is stored for too long, it easily causes the water to form "chains," so when this "water" is poured on, it is also not easily absorbed by orchid roots. There is a poem that says: "For it is from the source that living water comes." Therefore, I say that hoarding "fallen snow water" is a major misunderstanding.

Even now, some orchid books still say that "snow water" is "precious." I really do not understand "where snow water is precious." If "snow water" is used, how can it be used without hoarding it?

Originally I wanted to "use the ancient for the present," yet it turned into the reality of "swallowing the ancient without digesting it." Yes! The "rainwater (snow water)" of ancient times is not comparable to the "rainwater (snow water)" of today. One cannot merely consider the trace element content in "rainwater (snow water)" based on wishful thinking and go astray.

In orchid cultivation, water is important, but also not important. For this reason, many orchid friends (especially beginners) are really all over the place in choosing "water," such as "purified water, pure water, mineral water," and even cold boiled water, distilled water and so on. It sounds both laughable and cryable, but those of us who have been through it understand their current feelings very well. Whenever I encounter such a question, I always say: "However good a thousand things are, tap water is still the best!" Because tap water is prepared according to human drinking standards and is very strict; its ph value is suitable for orchid growth, and it also contains various trace elements. On the contrary, the trace elements in pure water and distilled water are filtered out together with impurities. If such water is used for a long time, it will cause nutrient deficiency symptoms in orchids, and the cost is too high, so it is considered inadvisable. Many of our large orchid growers just install a nozzle on the tap water pipe and directly spray water to irrigate orchids, and their orchids all grow very well! No adverse situations have occurred. Admittedly, they are still very strict in the work of disease prevention. For smaller-scale orchid growers, such as those cultivating orchids on balconies, they can store tap water in a bucket for one to two days to let the chlorine dissipate before use, and the effect will be better (I personally advocate this practice).

Finally, may all orchid-growing beginners in the world step out of the misunderstanding about using "water" in future orchid cultivation and management.

At the same time, may your orchids grow even better!