There are so many orchid varieties around the world, each producing unique and beautiful flowers. However, do you know how to water your orchid?
As a tropical plant, watering orchids can be a little tricky. These are quite fussy plants and are notorious for dying if they haven’t been watered correctly.
Ultimately, orchid roots don’t like being waterlogged, as this can lead to root rot and other issues which can then cause your orchid plant to die off.
So to get the very best results from your potted orchid, you will of course need to mimic their natural environment as much as you can.
This will mean placing them in an area of high humidity levels, in the right orchid bark instead of standard potting soil, and placing them in the right type of orchid pot. Then you will need to know how to water your type of orchid properly.
There are several methods to water indoor orchids so that they get the right amount of orchid care that they need. Today, we’re going to cover all the essential watering methods so that you can avoid orchid death and give your plant the best orchid care possible.
What Is The Best Way To Water An Orchid?
There are two main ways to water your tropical orchids. These methods are soaking and the ice cube method. It is also recommended to spray your orchid plant with a fine mister spray to maintain the humid environment that it needs to thrive.
For the soaking method, it is recommended to place your orchid plant in a bowl of water once a week and allow it to soak up the moisture. This should be for around 10 to 15 minutes, before you then place it back in your orchid pot.
You can tell when it’s time to water and the orchid plant needs to be soaked again once the moss has completely dried.
It’s important to remember to avoid excess water lingering around your orchid roots. This is because too much water and other improper watering methods can cause root rot and crown rot, which will then let your orchid plant die. It will be worth ensuring that the orchid pot has sufficient drainage holes to allow excess water to drain away.
You can also water your orchid by giving them a splash of water. It’s significant to remember to give this splash of water around the root area where the moisture is needed.
The last method for you to use is the ice cube orchid watering method. This involved placing the ice cubes on the potting medium of your orchid plant, and allowing them to water your orchid as the ice melts.
Watering orchids with ice cubes is a highly efficient method to use, as it will give them the small amount of water needed to keep them happy without keeping the aerial roots too moist.
Related: Rise To The Occasion: How Often You Should Water Your Orchid
How Much Water Do You Give An Orchid Plant?
It’s essential to make sure that you only give your orchid plant as much water as it needs to stay happy. It’s very different from other types of houseplant, as it really doesn’t like lots of excess water hanging around its roots.
This can cause you a big root rot problem, which will need a lot of attention to prevent the whole plant from dying off.
So how much water should you give your orchid plant? Well, the answer to this question depends on whether you’re using the soaking or the ice cube method.
For the soaking method, you’ll want to ensure that there isn’t any excess water left over after you’ve soaked your orchid plant. If there is, then you may have caused some root rot concerns.
If you’re using the ice cube watering method, then you don’t need to worry about excess water being left behind. Instead, you just need to make sure that you give your orchid enough water to keep it happy.
If you use around 2 to 3 ice cubes, depending on the size of the orchid plant in question, this should be more than enough water for your orchid to absorb once a week.
You may wish to also mix a little household plant fertilizer with some water in a misting bottle, then use this to mist your orchid once a week or fortnight.
Can You Water Orchids With Tap Water?
Even though it may be tempting to use tap water for your orchid purely for ease, this isn’t advised. Tap water often has additional chemicals such as chlorine or fluoride added to it to improve oral health and other issues, so the salts that are contained in this can be harmful to your orchid plant.
It will be best to use distilled water instead, as this will have the right pH levels that your plant needs to thrive. You can also use rain water, however, this can be tricky to harvest if you don’t have the necessary equipment. It will be much cheaper and easier to use distilled water so that your orchid can have everything it needs to thrive.
Should I Spray Water On My Orchid?
Yes, it is recommended to spray water on your orchid. This can help to mimic the natural environment of the orchid. As a tropical plant, orchids are normally found in rainforests along the forest floor.
So in order to give them the humidity that they need, it will be important to use a mister bottle to spray your orchid occasionally.
Your orchid will also need to be fed with fertilizer every once in a while, so you can easily mix a couple of drops of this with your spray bottle water to give your plant the proper amount of care that it needs.
It will be essential to not spray your flower with too much water, as lots of water won’t be able to drain away from your orchid without the proper drainage holes.
Remember that too much water can cause your plant lots of issues, so it will be much better to give it only the occasional spritz to keep your flowers happy.
Related: Replanting Orchids: How to Safety Transplant Your Orchid
Do I Water Orchids From Top To Bottom?
This will ultimately depend on the watering method that you opt for. However, it is recommended to avoid watering your orchid as you would with other types of houseplants.
Whereas other plants would be watered thoroughly from the top and the moisture allowed to percolate down through the soil, this watering method isn’t recommended for orchids.
If you use the ice cube method, then you won’t be adding so much water that there would be loads of excess water collected at the bottom. If you use the soaking method, you should allow the orchid roots to drain before you place them back in their pot.
It will be worth ensuring that any water that’s leftover in your orchid’s pot after watering it is able to drain away.
How Long Can Orchids Go Without Water?
Unlike other houseplants which need regular watering to survive, your tropical orchid is actually a fairly hardy plant. It won’t need to be watered every couple of days as other fussy types of plants do. In fact, your orchid can quite happily survive for between 2 and 3 weeks without any water at all.
In terms of watering, you should use either the soaking methods once every 2 weeks, or you should use the ice cube method once a week.
This will give your orchid more than enough water to stay happy and healthy. Your orchid will quite happily survive without water for days at a time, and trying to water it more than once a week will mean that too much water is hanging around the roots.
In summary
So there you have it! You now know everything there is to know about how to water plants properly. There are two main methods for you to use: the soaking method and the ice cube method.
The ice cube method is the best out of the two, as there is less chance for any excess water to hang around. All you need to do is place 2 to 3 ice cubes on top of your orchid plant’s roots and potting soil, then allow it to water your plant as the ice melts.
The soaking method involves soaking your orchid plant in a bowl of water once every 2 weeks. Make sure to allow the water to drain away properly before you place it back in your orchid pot.
Have you got any other orchid care tips that you think would help others when it comes to watering their orchids? Let us know in the comments below!
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The majority of people who have no interest in the subject, and aren’t green fingered assume that all plants and vegetables require the same growing conditions. This is not the case at all. Each plant has its own unique and interesting history and growing process.
I hope you will find The Natural List useful, and that it will help educate you on the wide variety of different flower and plant species there are across the globe.
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