HOW AND WHEN TO WATER THE ORCHID?

In this article we will try to give tips about how and when to water the orchid. If you want your orchids to be constantly flowering and well-groomed, you need to pay attention to watering. Watering is one of the most important maintenance processes for orchids. Over or under watering will damage your orchids. In our previous article , we gave information about how to take care of orchids. In this article, we will explain how orchids should be watered.

As it is known, orchids are a plant with a high need for moisture and water. Since the living conditions in nature are tropical forests, there is a high humidity requirement in the environment. In the environment where it is located, there should be at least 50% humidity during the day and at least 70% at night. In order to increase the humidity of the environment, air conditioners, stoves, etc., which dries the air first. You will need to keep it away from heaters. The methods of increasing the humidity by directly interfering with the plant are; to moisten the leaves with the help of a spray and to keep the pot on the pebble-water mixture tray.

Let’s say you are watering your orchids at regular intervals, but if it is still not well-groomed and beautiful as you want, you may be having problems with your irrigation method. We recommend that you do not water your orchids at regular intervals. Because the air, humidity, temperature, etc. of the place where the orchids are located. The orchid soil and root structure also differ. In this case, there may be separate irrigation periods for orchids in each environment. The best way to determine the watering time for your orchids is to observe the plant. So how will this happen?

Due to the development of orchids, the pots they are in are usually transparent and have high light transmission. Transparent pots allow us to see the root structure and soil of your orchid. We also argue that the most ideal method for irrigation needs is to observe the root structure.

How is the irrigation need of the orchid according to its root status?

You can determine whether the roots that appear from transparent pots need irrigation according to their color and texture.

• If the root color is gray-white; It definitely needs water and moisture. You will need to water the plant in no time.

• If the root color is dark green; your plant does not need watering, the roots are saturated with moisture. In this case, you can water your orchid for long periods. Moisture supplement is also not required. If you water the orchids unnecessarily, fungus formation and rot can be observed in the roots.

• If the roots are brown and melted; It is an indication that your orchid is being watered more than it needs for long periods of time. In this case, you need to reduce the watering intervals or the amount of water you give.
• If its roots are wrinkled or damaged; indicates that it has been dehydrated and not watered for long periods of time. In this case, increase the watering intervals and water more.

Watering methods of orchids;

The irrigation method of orchids is also different from other indoor plants. Watering methods also vary due to the different soil and root structure. We recommend doing these methods at different watering intervals. If you constantly water in a uniform way, the plant may be damaged over a long period of time. Generally, there are 3 types of methods used in watering.

1. Watering by immersion method; Pour the previously rested irrigation water into a container larger than the pot size. Keep your orchid pot in this container. When the air bubbles in the container are gone, take your orchid from the container and wait for the remaining water in the pot to drain. Another method that indicates how many containers the orchid should be in is; observes the darkening of the color of the soil covering the surface of the pot, namely the tree bark, by absorbing moisture. When the pine bark on the pot is also damp, you can move your pot away from the pot. This time is approximately 10-15 minutes. We recommend that you do not do this method all the time. Because the constant repetition of this method causes the nutrients in the orchid soil to be filtered out and purified from the soil. You can irrigate in this way once a month.

• Watering directly on the soil; It is the most classic irrigation method. In this method, the irrigation water should be rested and at room temperature. Pour off any excess water left on the bottom of the pot. Excess water remaining at the bottom of the pot will damage the roots and later the plant.

• Watering plants with ice cubes; This method can be preferred because the orchid soil consists of pine bark and is permeable. Place the ice cubes on the potting soil so that they do not touch the leaves. In this way, the ice will melt slowly and the plant soil will get the moisture it needs without much water loss. If you place the ice dispersed on the soil surface, you will ensure that all the soil in the pot is moistened. If there is excess water left in the potting soil as a result of melting, remove this water.

How should the orchid irrigation water be?

Orchids do not like chalky and chlorinated water. Therefore, use lime- and chlorine-free water. If you are looking after orchids in your home, you can irrigate without the need for extra water preparation. If you have previously heated or boiled water, you can cool it and use it as irrigation water at room temperature. In this case, the degree of water is also important. Water that is too hot or too cold will damage plant roots. Rested water at room temperature will be sufficient for orchids. You do not need to add additional fertilizer to the irrigation water. However, there is no harm in mixing the fertilizers sold in order to increase the number of flowering into the irrigation water.

Since orchid leaves also require constant moisture, make sure that the water you will use for humidification does not contain lime and chlorine. If the droplets accumulated on the leaves dry before the plant can absorb them, there will be spots on the leaves. To prevent this situation, you will need to pay attention to both the spraying water and the spraying time. The recommended time for spraying is morning-afternoon. You should avoid spraying at night. Spray at night can create spots on orchid leaves.