Watering, flush or soak?

[vpsihop@hotmail.com]

Curious as to people's practice. Who soaks their plants while in the pot for an extended period of time vs the traditional flush through of water?

I have a few plants that have improved since I started soaking them for 15 minutes or so versus just pouring water through the medium.

I think this is low risk practice when the medium is airy or has alot of inorganic medium in it.

[jkofferdahl]

Typically I like to flush. If I soak, which I do with particularly needy plants, I still flush afterward.

[UserName]

Mine soak for an hour each.
They are Phals growing in plain fir bark chunks, potted in glazed orchid pots.
Until about a year ago, I was watering them with fifteen-to-thirty minute soaks, and that winter it was necessary, for my comfort, to run the (electric) central heating more. One Phal lost its buds to bud blast.
Now they get appreciably longer soaking time, and this winter the heating system has been used much less. So far, no bud blast this bloom season.

[Dollythehun]

Soaking, always. Alternating with fertilizer, fish emulsion and flushing.

[bil]

I water with a spray till water comes out the bottom. In Summer that usually means three times a week.

[jcec1]

I soak, usually for a couple of hours, then I drain with varying levels of moisture left in the medium; phalanopsis left to completely drain through to zygopetalum which are left quite wet.

[vpsihop@hotmail.com]

Interesting. I may start soaking more of them. Are you all using the same vessel? New vessel and water for every orchid? I imagine cross contamination being an issue

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by vpsihop@hotmail.com

Interesting. I may start soaking more of them. Are you all using the same vessel? New vessel and water for every orchid? I imagine cross contamination being an issue

I did a kind of community soak for years, a couple pots in a big plastic container, changing the water, of course. Then I joined the OB and found out that was a major no, no. Now, everyone soaks in their own little tub with fresh water. I wash out each tub with a soapy sponge between plants. I sometimes pour the water through after soaking, but, recently I started to save it for the greenhouse plants.

I am not as fussy if they came from the same grower at the same time. Primadonnas, they are. And, it's time consuming. Still, they look darned good, imho.

[jcec1]

Originally Posted by vpsihop@hotmail.com

Interesting. I may start soaking more of them. Are you all using the same vessel? New vessel and water for every orchid? I imagine cross contamination being an issue

I use separate vessels.

---------- Post added at 10:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:30 PM ----------

Originally Posted by jkofferdahl

It concerns me that you're just rinsing your soaking bowls out with a soapy sponge. Doing so really won't kill or remove any viruses if such exist in your plants. Each plant should be soaked in its own, sterilized container.

I've never really understood regular soaking, and maybe in part because of my philosophy on watering. As I approach it, the roots absorb the water and the media gets wet with a simple, quick flush. The roots will absorb the water quickly. Once the roots and media are wet, it is the roots which provide water to the plant, while the purpose of the media is to insulate the roots from drying too quickly. I can't imagine soaking to be at all detrimental to the plant (unless you leave it too long) but I can't see how it's beneficial either, unless a plant is essentially desiccated.

I've never known how quickly an orchid takes up water, or if there is a cut off switch when it has taken as much as if needs, I have no idea of plant physiology. So I err on soaking them, thinking if they stop taking water in the soak time, then all that is lost is some time, whereas if I didn't give them enough then that could cause problems. Hopefully, someone will chip in with some physiology about water uptake.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by jcec1

I've never known how quickly an orchid takes up water, or if there is a cut off switch when it has taken as much as if needs, I have no idea of plant physiology. So I err on soaking them, thinking if they stop taking water in the soak time, then all that is lost is some time, whereas if I didn't give them enough then that could cause problems. Hopefully, someone will chip in with some physiology about water uptake.

When you gently spray a root it turns a light green, indicating it's taken some water. If you put a root under a stream of water it very quickly turns a darker green indicating that the velamen is fully soaked, at which point it's absorbed all of the water it can. After that, additional water - say flushing - only serves to flush deposits from the pot.

Once the roots have absorbed the water, your job is done. While the potting media may absorb water, some of which may soak into the velamen, the main purpose of the potting media is to insulate the roots so that they don't dry too quickly under our less than ideal conditions. Roots in sphagnum remain soaked not because of all of the water in the sphagnum but because the roots can't get any air movement and the water can't evaporate, though in this case the roots do get water from the medium. Too much water, and not enough air. The reason Phals, for example, do so well on mounts is because they really are almost air plants, and the humidity slows the evaporative process from the roots. Every mounted Phal I own have root systems most orchids would kill for, and those in baskets are close behind. When the roots dry, I water them.