Soaking vs "watering"

[ardera]

I've seen that quite a few of you actually soak your orchids, to water them. I was wondering why, what the benefits might be? I was originally told to just "water" them for about 30 seconds. I have actually bumped up my watering from 2 twice a week, to every 3 days, because I was getting the wrinkly leaves. But apparently that isn't enough, as another one of my plants is showing some wrinkling now too.

Help?

[slipperfreak]

Originally Posted by ardera

I've seen that quite a few of you actually soak your orchids, to water them. I was wondering why, what the benefits might be? I was originally told to just "water" them for about 30 seconds. I have actually bumped up my watering from 2 twice a week, to every 3 days, because I was getting the wrinkly leaves. But apparently that isn't enough, as another one of my plants is showing some wrinkling now too.

Help?

Well first of all, the frequency that you need to water your plants is dependent on a number of factors, including type of orchid, potting medium, temperature, humidity, and so on. For example, while a lot of people water their Paphs twice a week, I water them every other day according to my conditions. It takes a little trial and error to figure out how much you need to water, which I think you are already experiencing.

When you are watering your plants (and I'm assuming you're using a bark-based mix?), you do need to water them with a large volume of water to ensure that the medium gets well-soaked, since it is so porous. One thing about bark, is that if it dries out completely it loses most of its ability to hold water, and so when you go to water again it dries out very quickly afterward. You may be experiencing this right now, if you are still getting wrinkled leaves after increasing your frequency of watering. You will need to soak the plant in its pot for 24 hours if this is the case, to open the pores in the bark so it can hold more water. I would probably do this anyway, if you have wrinkled leaves; it will rejuvinate the plant. After that, check the pot every day to see how quickly it dries out. As far as when it is ready to be watered goes, it depends on the type of orchid you are growing.

Finally, the question of what watering technique is the best one depends on your personal prferences. Some people soak, some people water with large volumes. Personally, I water at the sink in one growing area, and with a hose in the other. That works fine for me.

[nutgirl]

Hi,

What is your potting medium? If it's bark, 30 seconds is not enough, especially if you live in a dry climate.

I give all of mine a good soaking. The roots have to have time to absorb the water.

Maureen

[orchidsamore]

Both soaking and watering with a hose work fine if you give it enough time with watering.

The root of an orchid is a thick white coating called velum that absorbs the water, It the center of this is a very thin fiber that actually takes the water from the velum to the plant.

Your are not watering long enough to soak the velum into the center fiber when you water only 30 seconds. Compare this to wetting your lips on a hot summer day when thirsty. It may feel good but eventually you will die. You need to get the water into your body, just as the orchid does.

Orchids do best with a 5-10 minute watering or soaking. Once you remove the water source the excess water drains away. Whether you water for 5 minutes or 5 hours (like a rain storm) when the water stops and drains what remains is the maximum the medium can hold. In both cases the amount is the same.

If you want to water in short amounts, water the orchids and then a few minutes water again. This lets more water soak into the roots after the first watering and less runs off with the second watering.

[slipperfreak]

Maybe it is because I live in a totally different climate from nutgirl and orchidsamore, but I have grown many types of orchids for years, in a bark mix, watering them for only 45 seconds or so at a time. Probably the longest I've done it is a minute or so; never 5-10 minutes. The only plants I have ever soaked are mounted plants. I have grown Paphs, Phrags, Phals, Dendrobiums, and Oncidium alliance this way for 4-7 years depending on the group.

When I first started growing tropical orchids back in 2002, I read on the COC (Canadian Orchid Congress) website that potted orchids should be watered with a volume at least equal to the volume of the pot. That worked for me, and I've stuck with it ever since. But of course, everyone has their own experiences. A lot of orchid growing has to do with taking advice from others, and tweaking it a bit until you get it the way it works the best for you.

[Ross]

I'm agreeing with Joe. I typically use the appearance of the bark as an indicator. I use "clear" pots so I can see any moisture against the pot which tends to indicate how the medium is doing. I also vary the timing frequency based on the plant group (Phrags get frequent water and stay wet while Phals are allowed to dry before watering). Mounted plants and some grown bare root in pots are watered daily. I would describe my watering as "dipping" since they are submersed less than a minute, usually. Only a couple of types like Tolumnia get longer soaks because the roots are slow to take up water.

[slipperfreak]

I use clear pots like you Ross. One of the best improvements to my culture I ever made, actually.

[nutgirl]

I agree, I think climate makes a big difference. Mine is relatively dry 4%-25% most of the time. I found that my bark planted orchids (in clear plastic pots) were not happy unless I soaked them for 10 mins or so (phals, cats, dends, oncs).

If I my RH was higher, I'd be dipping 'em too.

Maureen

[ardera]

All of mine are in bark, except my Phal, he came in moss, and I was waiting for him to stop blooming, before I replant him. The Phal only gets water once a week, due to the moss. I'm in Colorado, so it is usually rather dry here. This summer was between 10-20%, but so far, it looks like winter inside this apartment may be bumping up my humidity. The thermometer currently says it is 54%. Must be the fish and turtle tanks helping out with that.

On a side note, I don't have any flowers right now, so my lemon tree is making up for it. It's COVERED in buds, and they have just started opening! I can smell them from where I sit right now (he's inside for the winter)!

[Swamper]

I water everyday, no soaking. That's out of the question once they have wrapped their arms tightly around a tree