Potting and Watering Guidance

[Stella1979]

Hi guys!

I am kinda new to orchids and this is only my 2nd post but I hope to be able to spend more time here this year. It is a new year and it's time for me to finally get community advice, my favorite kind. I'd like to ask your forgiveness in advance for what will probably turn out to be a long post.

My biggest concern is water. I'd like to use less of it. On my SoFlo porch in the summertime, plants can easily dry out in a day but I'd like to water less frequently than that this year... and I think at least half of my collection shouldn't ever get bone dry. Right?

I started this orchid collection last summer and used good water from the start... due to having an already installed RO/RODI system for a reef tank. These filtration systems create waste, as most of you probably know, so while I'm worried about keeping the 'chids hydrated, I'm also feeling guilty about wastewater... and of course, there's always the water bill too.

I'm on the fence about pots themselves. I currently grow in terra cotta pots, most (not all) of which have lots and lots of ventilation holes on the sides. The plants like them, but they're not 'saving water' for me.

The media... I use lecca, Orchiada medium bark, NZ sphag and sometimes small rocks.

The Cats are in lecca and bark with a sphag top dressing

Phals are in lecca, bark and sphag

Dens are in lecca, bark, and sphag... they have a more lecca in their pots than the Phals do

A Paph is in sphag and bark (no extra ventilation holes in this pot)

Liparis grossa (very new to me, a freebie from my first orchid expo a couple of weeks ago) is potted in straight moss, loosely packed. (no extra ventilation)

A Brassia is potted sphag and bark (no extra ventilation holes)

I have the least experience with those last three, and not an entire summer with them at all.

Currently, they get soaked every 3rd day or so, depending on the weather. I water when I think they need it, trying to make it so the Cats are the only ones to get bone dry between waterings. I give NPK, calc & mag with each watering for 3 in a row, then flush on the 4th. They also get a low dose of seaweed a couple of times per month.

It's been working, and they're happy... I'm the one who's unhappy. My 'requirements' are, that I will use less water this summer and that I will limit the need for repotting by using inert/inorganic media for most of my collection... but not lecca because the stuff drives me crazy rolling around. I'd also just like to streamline my potting regimen because as you can see, it kinda went all over the place as I started building my small collection. I figure I have two options and each is based on a YouTuber.

I quite like Rick L and have modeled my feeding and watering routine after his. I could start using pots with fewer holes, perhaps even some glazed and/or plastic pots. Perhaps put humidity trays underneath.

Or, I could go the self-watering route a-la Miss Orchid Girl... who I believe grows in a similar climate to my own. This leaves me worried about ventilation within pots though. As much as I want to save water, I don't want to risk rot.

I'm thinking I'd like lava rock as a new media (I'm happy to increase flushing frequencies if needed)... but what then for inorganic moisture retaining media? Anybody ever tried rockwool? How about living moss? If this is at the top of their pots, will Phals and Dens stay a little wetter than Cats?

Forgive me... I know this is a mess of a post. I just want to start this summer with a clearer idea on how to maintain and build my collection. So, I am grateful for any assistance offered, more than happy to answer any questions, and the official names of the plants are in my profile. Thanks!!

[MrHappyRotter]

It sounds like you might as well look into semi-hydro.

If you absolutely refuse to use leca, you may be able to get away with using other rigid, inert materials for this technique. Lava rock might even be acceptable for this purpose.

[WaterWitchin]

Summer goal of less watering is gonna be a hard one, regardless of your media choice.

I don't know what your water tests out like (and couldn't help you if you told me, but lots of others here could). I also have a problem with RO water waste. It bothers me to see so much go down the drain. When I had aquariums set up I used the water changes, but that doesn't help with a reef aquarium. In the summer I use water from my pond. I try to usually collect the runoff from RO, and use it on houseplants who don't mind.

With a 100+/- orchids, almost all in S/H, it's a LOT of water. The past few years I decided to only water orchids that were sensitive (paph, phrag are examples) with R/O and use tap water on the rest. Plus I'm getting older and can't schlep around water like I used to. So that's a thought... research which orchids tolerate or prefer your tap water, and only use R/O on the ones that require it.

There's an OB member here who uses lava rock a LOT. Can't remember who. Hopefully they'll chime in with their experience with it.

[Stella1979]

Originally Posted by MrHappyRotter

It sounds like you might as well look into semi-hydro.

If you absolutely refuse to use leca, you may be able to get away with using other rigid, inert materials for this technique. Lava rock might even be acceptable for this purpose.

Thank you. I have looked into SH some. Would you say it has any benefits over self-watering using a closed reservoir and a wick?

---------- Post added at 10:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:30 AM ----------

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Summer goal of less watering is gonna be a hard one, regardless of your media choice.

I don't know what your water tests out like (and couldn't help you if you told me, but lots of others here could). I also have a problem with RO water waste. It bothers me to see so much go down the drain. When I had aquariums set up I used the water changes, but that doesn't help with a reef aquarium. In the summer I use water from my pond. I try to usually collect the runoff from RO, and use it on houseplants who don't mind.

With a 100+/- orchids, almost all in S/H, it's a LOT of water. The past few years I decided to only water orchids that were sensitive (paph, phrag are examples) with R/O and use tap water on the rest. Plus I'm getting older and can't schlep around water like I used to. So that's a thought... research which orchids tolerate or prefer your tap water, and only use R/O on the ones that require it.

There's an OB member here who uses lava rock a LOT. Can't remember who. Hopefully they'll chime in with their experience with it.

I understand and don't mean to imply that I'm looking to or willing to withhold water. I suppose I just feel that I may have overstepped with the amount of ventilation in the pots. I mean... if I'm honest, I'm just super jealous when I hear of folks in similar climates that don't have to water up to twice a day in the summer, (namely, Ms. OG).

That is definitely a good idea as far as using tap for less sensitive orchids. Why didn't I think of that? Because I'm scared of the TDS meter reading at nearly 400. Plants, fish, and humans alike use filtered/remineralized water around here. However, I only know for sure that it's full of nitrates and calcium, so who's to say it's very bad for all orchids? I will do some research and probably test it out on a noid Phal or two. Thanks!

Oooh... I hope the lava rock expert can chime in. I'm particularly interested in its wicking and moisture retention properties... versus lecca that is. Idk, lecca annoys me but I suppose the problem is that it floats and rolls, and I will deal with that if it's best for the 'chids.

[Optimist]

Is the assumption that they are inside correct or not?

I have not found cattleyas to be affected much by tap-water. I use tap water, when I cannot get rain water.

During the warm part of the year I have my cattleyas (actually all orchids but the most tender) outside where they get rain water when it falls, and hose water (tap water) around 2X per day. In an outdoor situation it would be fairly easy to rig a system like one of those store bought shade pergolas and put shade cloth over it, and then put a watering (drip or spray) system on the frame (pointed down) and then at the outdoor spigot, use a watering timer. These systems and the timer can be purchased at hardware stores. One brand is "rainbird."

Inside you would have a harder time but there is a bucket system (plugged into the wall socket, which drips water also on a timer. It is called something like a "vacation watering system" and I have seen a few on amazon. Going semi-hydroponic can help as well, but you need to be mindful of topping up the containers. Some people have been successful at 100% water culture of certain orchids. I have not had much luck at this, so I can't personally recommend it. There is a semi-hydroponic forum on OB, and also a company called "First Rays" has advice, and I think also may sell some of the pots and things. "Repot me" also (I believe) has these kinds of pots. They are also fairly easy to make.

So these are a few suggestions, there may be many more.

[MrHappyRotter]

Originally Posted by Stella1979

Would you say it has any benefits over self-watering using a closed reservoir and a wick?[COLOR="Silver"]

I haven't done the wick thing with orchids, though I've seen it used successfully for things like African violets in the past. So, I'm sure other people would be more qualified to answer this than me.

The biggest benefit I can think of is that semi-hydro is the simpler approach. Fewer parts tends to translate into an easier to maintain and more reliable system.

[Roberta]

Especially if you have outdoor landscaping, there is no reason to put RO waste down the drain... use it for watering anything that grows in dirt - those plants are not likely to be sensitive to the increased solids in the effluent. If your RO unit produces 1 part of pure water to 4 parts waste (as most do) you have only increased the TDS by about 25%. If 1:2 (a very efficient RO unit) increase still only 50% or less. In dry southern California, I use the effluent on the lawn, use no single-pass water there. And the lawn is very happy.

[estación seca]

Your 400 ppm water should be fine for your orchids. I would use that. Save RO for the orchids requiring it.

Humans do better with mineralized water. I myself would drink your tap water instead of bottled water, unless your municipality isn't treating the water to standards.

[Stella1979]

I have no lawn and only a few regular potted plants... but I do have a very efficient filtration system which produces nearly 1:2 filtered to waste. Also, (not to sound defensive), I follow methods to reduce the water changes my fishtanks need and use as much wastewater as I can as grey water. As for drinking the tap, well, I'm sure my municipality is following standards, but it tastes awful, like a dirty but highly chlorinated pool. So... we do drink mineralized water, just not the tap.

As for giving the 'chids tap, I imagine I'd need to change my ferts/dosing regimen if I was using tap that's already full of nitrogen and calcium... yes? Except, (and I'm no chemist, so forgive the ignorance), will the nitrogen and calcium be taken up by the plants when the water has a pH near 9? I'm thinking no, but please, enlighten me about how to correctly use tap water with a feeding plan. Thanks again!

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Your 400 ppm water should be fine for your orchids. I would use that. Save RO for the orchids requiring it.

Humans do better with mineralized water. I myself would drink your tap water instead of bottled water, unless your municipality isn't treating the water to standards.

Yep... 400 ppm is way better than mine. My pH runs about the same. And so far the only thing I must use R/O on are paphs, phrags, a psychopsis and a bulbo. I've heard must use R/O on Tolumnia, and just the opposite. Have gone both ways. Can't tell the difference.

I used to have a lot of pots with holes in the sides as you're describing. Now I only use them in an orchid hospital setting (trying to grow roots on a rescue), which isn't the same thing.

I love LECA btw. I have only a VERY few that aren't in S/H. But I'm not sure it requires less water.