An orchid is a bright, unusually beautiful flower on a thin and fragile stem. At home, the plant requires complex care, which is full of various nuances. Despite this, its natural sophistication, sensuality and sophisticated fragility attract many lovers of indoor plants.
The process of watering a flower raises many questions:
how to water an orchid in a pot, what kind of water, and how often? Proper watering of an orchid is a guarantee of the successful cultivation of a beautiful and flowering plant. In turn, a mistake made when caring for a room flower can lead to its death.
Features of watering orchids
Orchids for beginners seem to be plants that are almost impossible to grow at home. Despite its exactingness, with good care, the flowers grow beautifully and bloom on the windowsill in any house, like other indoor plants.
Often, when acquiring a plant, beginners are too abundant and often water the orchid. This can cause root decay. Overflow for this capricious and delicate flower is much worse than underfilling.
The main and most basic rule of orchid watering - the frequency of watering depends on the drying rate of the soil and root system. You should not be of the opinion that you need to water the orchid no more than once a week, since this statement is erroneous.
The speed of soil drying in the pot and, accordingly, the frequency of watering depend on many factors: lighting, pot size, humidity level and air temperature in the room
where the orchid grows. How often to water a plant, one cannot say for sure - in different conditions the frequency of watering will be different.
What water to water an orchid?
Water is an important factor on which a plant will delight its owners with an unusually beautiful flowering. In addition to the fact that water is the main source of nutrition for orchids, it performs the function of thermoregulating a plant. In its natural habitat, an orchid receives nutrients from rainwater. But now everyone knows that the water falling with rainfall in urban areas is significantly inferior to rainwater in rainforests in its performance and safety level.
Hardness of water
Water for watering orchids in indoor conditions should be soft. Moderately hard water is also allowed. Since the process of measuring water hardness is quite complicated and not accessible to everyone, there is a popular way - the harder the water, the faster the scum forms in the kettle.
With high hardness,
oxalic acid, which is sold in flower shops or in chemical stores, will help soften the water. For five liters of cold tap water, 1/8 teaspoon of oxalic acid supplement will suffice. Then the water settles during the day. After this, it is advisable to strain the water or drain the liquid without shaking and leaving a precipitate at the bottom of the container.
You can also lower a bag of horse peat into the water at night , which, among other things, acidifies the water. It is desirable to dilute the distilled water with the settled water in a ratio of 1: 1, since after distillation the water loses the necessary minerals.
Another way to reduce stiffness is to use a filter to purify water. The device effectively copes with harmful bacteria, fungi and heavy metals.
The acidity level of water and its optimum temperature
For the successful cultivation of orchids and their flowering, the acidity of water plays an important role, the optimal level of which is 5 (pH = 5). Acidity can be checked with litmus paper. If the acidity level is higher than the required maximum, you can lower it by adding a few drops of lemon juice to the water.
Water for watering the orchid should be at room temperature or even slightly warmer. Ideal for plants is considered a water temperature of 35-40 degrees.
Orchid Watering Methods
In addition to the main issues that everyone who has an orchid in their house faces, how often to water, what water to water and how much, an important aspect of care is how to water the plant. There are different ways of watering an orchid, however, watering a room flower quickly and fully can only be done by soldering.
Hot Shower
This is the most common way to water an orchid, as it recreates the natural conditions of warm tropical rains. Experts note that plants watered in this way build up green mass faster than others and bloom more often. In addition, regular washing of orchid leaves is a reliable protection against various pests. It is important to remember that this method of watering orchids is suitable only for those regions where soft water comes from the tap.
“Hot shower” is that an orchid is placed in the bathroom and watered with a weak stream of warm water through the shower head. The optimum water temperature is 40-52 degrees.
The duration of irrigation depends on how quickly the substrate is saturated with water. After watering, the plant can be left in the bathroom for 10-15 minutes so that the excess liquid is glass.
About an hour after watering, you should thoroughly wipe the leaves with a dry cotton cloth or paper towel. This is done to remove excess fluid from the sinuses of the leaves. If this is not done, the core will rot and the flower will not be able to grow further.
It happens that after this method of watering, deposits of salts in the form of white spots or stains appear on the leaves of the orchid. To remove them, wipe the leaves with a cloth moistened with beer or lemon juice in a ratio of 1: 1.
"Immersion"
If an orchid grows in your house, how often to water it, we have already found out. Let us consider in more detail the method of watering by the method of complete immersion of a pot with a plant in water. Taking the pot out of the water, it is necessary to allow the drainage of excess fluid. For example, by immersing a small pot in water for 30 seconds, it takes the same amount of time for glass to water.
This method saves water significantly, but it is only suitable if the substrate and the plant are not damaged and healthy.
Watering a watering can
Prepared water for irrigation is poured into a watering can and a thin stream is watered over the entire surface of the substrate. It is important to avoid getting water at the growth point of the orchid and leaf sinus. It should be watered until excess fluid begins to flow out of the bottom holes of the pot. After the water drains, after 2-3 minutes you can repeat the procedure and drain the excess water from the pan.
Watering with a watering can should be carried out in the morning.
Spraying the roots
This method is suitable for orchids that grow without soil, that is, located on blocks. The roots of such plants dry out much faster, so they require more frequent watering. Spraying is best done in the morning, so that the roots have time to dry. The spray gun should be set to “fog” mode.
How to water a blooming orchid
Watering orchids during flowering has its own characteristics. The plant must not be allowed to suffer from thirst or to suffer from excess moisture. The average frequency of irrigation is once every 3-4 days. You need to water a blooming orchid early in the morning. The flowering period can last up to six months, so you should also fertilize the plant.
Most often, the orchid will wither due to improper care, including watering. In order to prevent the death of a favorite plant, you need to know the basic rules of watering a room flower. Knowing what the orchid needs, how often to water, what water and how much, you can extend the flowering period of the plant.