Being in search of information on how to properly water a home orchid, it is worth understanding that there are general rules for irrigation and its features that are relevant only during the flowering of this plant. To go to the question of watering a blooming orchid, you must first familiarize yourself with the basic rules of care, since without them the question will not be fully disclosed.
Dependence of water volume on room temperature
One rule never loses its relevance: the warmer it is in the room where the plant is located, the more plentiful and more often it is necessary to water it. However, the pot must have an opening that will allow all that excess water to flow out of it. Otherwise, there will be excessive accumulation of fluid in the middle of the tank. This is a direct cause of decay of the rhizome of the plant and its further death.
For those who are interested in how to water an orchid during flowering, this rule is also relevant.
What threatens an orchid with excessive watering?
We have already said about the dangers of abundant irrigation of orchids. To understand the specific reason for this phenomenon, it is worth studying the characteristics of the plant and metabolic processes in it. For the orchid, its root system is very important. In fact, this is a basic element of life support. As soon as diseases or problems begin on the ear of an orchid, negative changes are displayed throughout the plant. Through the root part, the process of water absorption takes place, without which its further transportation is impossible. If the absorption processes are disturbed, the leaves and flowers slowly fade. As a result, the plant is slowly dying. Therefore, in spite of the fact that the most beautiful part of an orchid is its flowers, in the care most attention needs to be paid to the root.
The consistency of the substrate of orchids, as the main indicator of its condition
The substrate in which the orchid grows must be completely dry at the time of watering. In this case, do not focus on any specific number of days, since everything is individual here. No authoritative source will give a universal answer to the question of how much to water the orchid. The owner of the flower should be in control of the state of the substrate.
It is important to understand that an orchid, being a very “capricious” plant in terms of care, can dry its breed in 6 days this week, and three in the next. When the cloudy days begin, there is a possibility that this period of time will even drag out to twenty. Moreover, this trend is completely independent of the flowering of the representative flora. Thus, how much to water the orchid, you will understand for yourself.
The total weight of the pot is an indicator of the presence of water in it.
People who already have experience of over watering an orchid share one curious observation: the dry top layer of the substrate in which it grows cannot be considered an indicator that the plant needs another watering. It often happens that the top of the rock is dry, but the lower layers contain a sufficient amount of moisture. This should be taken into account when looking for the answer to the question of how to properly water an orchid during flowering.
It is necessary that watering occurs already when the entire substrate has dried out. Its drying is influenced by such factors as:
- total air temperature in the room where the orchid is;
- illumination of the place where the flower pot stands;
- humidity in the room.
To determine whether it is time to water the orchid, it is worth picking up a pot. If it turns out to be light, the plant requires watering. If not, then the dry top layer of the substrate still does not say anything, there is a sufficient amount of water in its lower layers. Remember: an orchid is watered only when, when all its substance has dried.
In the case when it is difficult to find out how many times to water an orchid, there is an even simpler way to determine the moisture of the earth than observing the weight. The soil in which this representative of the flora grows, lightly dig out the side with your finger to understand the degree of its moisture. However, do this carefully so as not to damage the plant itself.
How to water the Phalaenopsis orchid during flowering?
First of all, when talking about watering such an orchid species as Phalaenopsis, it is worth knowing how you should not handle it in any case. Never spray the flower so that water penetrates the core between the leaves. This will provoke decay processes in the plant. As for the conditions of abundant lighting, with them watering flowers and leaves can lead to a burn of the plant. This is due to the rapid evaporation of water.
When answering the question about how to water an orchid during flowering, it is worth mentioning the opinion that flowers should not be wetted, since such actions destroy them. When the plant does not bloom, a hot shower with a temperature of up to fifty-two degrees is recommended for it. Such measures imitate natural conditions, and therefore they are optimal for orchids.
However, the reader may ask how this statement relates to the one mentioned above regarding the fact that it is not recommended to allow water to enter the core. Everything is simple here. After the “hot shower”, those who insist on its usefulness are advised to remove the accumulations of water formed between the leaves in the sinuses with a handkerchief or napkin.
How to water an orchid during flowering: general rules
Speaking about how to water an orchid during flowering, it is necessary to consider the place where it grows. General rules are as follows:
- if the orchid grows in a pot, pour abundantly on its substrate, after which let all the water flow out. The necessary amount of life-giving fluid will remain, and the excess will go away along with various unnecessary substances of the earth: salts, etc.
- for orchids growing on a block (a piece of bark or twigs), apply the soaking technique. We completely immerse the plant in water so that the flowers remain on the surface. This allows you to enrich the rhizome with water, but to protect yourself from the decay of the entire orchid due to the ingress of fluid into the core. The block should be in water for fifteen minutes;
- as for the hanging orchid, we remove it and dip the roots in a container filled with warm water. It is very important to remember that the cobs should be immersed in water carefully. They are naturally dry enough, and therefore in the case of careless handling can break. To get saturated with moisture, the rhizome of the plant takes fifteen minutes. Then we take it out of the water, gently shake it off and hang it in its usual place.
Proper care is the key to orchid health
When thinking about how to water an orchid during flowering, remember that this plant is quite whimsical. Therefore, do not overdo it with water in the substrate, and also protect the flowers from direct moisture.