Can orchids be watered with snow water? Keep these precautions in mind

For growing orchids, it is best to use rainwater, snow water, or natural soft water. Water can be divided into hard water and soft water. Hard water contains more alkali; using it to water orchids will cause brown spots on the leaf surface and affect the ornamental effect, so it is preferable to use soft water for watering orchids. Among soft waters, rainwater or snow water is the most ideal, because rainwater is a nearly neutral water, contains no minerals, and has more air, making it very suitable for watering orchids.

So using snow water is the best, but you cannot directly spread snow over the orchid pot. The temperature is too low. You need to melt the snow and put it indoors until it is close to room temperature, then use it to water the orchids.

Many orchid enthusiasts ask me how often orchids should be watered. This question is indeed difficult to grasp, especially for beginners. As the old saying goes: understanding orchid growing takes a moment, but mastering watering takes three years. What potting medium you use for growing orchids, what season it is, what the weather is like, what the environment is like, and what variety of orchid it is all make the watering interval different.

As for how often to water, it is best to water according to the degree of dryness or moisture of the potting medium. Sometimes it is very difficult to judge, because the surface potting medium may be dry, but the inside is still wet.

You can use tools such as disposable chopsticks or plastic tubes and insert them into the potting medium. However, the depths differ. A wooden chopstick can be inserted 10 to 12 cm into the potting medium, while a plastic tube needs to be buried 8-10 cm. After five minutes, take them out and see whether there is moisture, so as to judge whether watering is needed. You can also look at the surface soil.

Generally, after the surface soil turns white, it is best to wait 1-3 days before watering. Based on personal experience, generally during the highest temperatures in summer, water once a day; but in cloudy and rainy weather, reduce the watering frequency, and you can wait until after the rainy days to water; in dry weather with excessively high temperatures, maintain smooth ventilation, water once a day, and do it in the evening.

In spring and autumn, generally water once every three to seven days. In winter, orchids enter dormancy, so water once every ten to fifteen days. In cold weather, do it at noon when it is warmer. Remember that when watering, you must water slowly and thoroughly, and do not pour water into the heart of the orchid.