Recognizing that it’s all about giving the roots of your indoor orchid a balance between water and ventilation is one of the keys to learning how to water it. The intention is to mimic their natural surroundings, where the majority of orchids are accustomed to growing with their air roots linked to trees and receiving regular but infrequent waterings.
This succinct explanation of general watering requirements for potted orchids includes recommended practices:
- Use a potting mixture that is absorbent but still allows the roots to receive plenty of airflow.
- Make sure the pot for your orchid has enough of drainage holes.
- Leave the leaves, stems, and flowers dry and only water the roots.
- The type of potting mixture you use will determine how much water you need to give a phalaenopsis orchid. While sphagnum moss only needs a few tablespoons of water, fast-draining media should be irrigated often.
- Never bathe an orchid’s roots for longer than five minutes, and always let the pot completely dry out after a thorough soaking.
- When the potting soil has mostly dried out but is still wet, phalaenopsis orchids should be watered.
- Beyond generalizations, the best watering advice for phalaenopsis orchids is to follow the plant’s lead and water in accordance with its seasonal requirements, growth stages, and ambient conditions.
- Use a liquid fertilizer made specifically for orchids to regularly fertilize your phalaenopsis orchid while it is in the vegetative phase.
After outlining the fundamental principles, we will examine the specifics of watering phalaenopsis orchids by responding to some of the queries that anyone unfamiliar with these fascinating plants is bound to have. So continue reading to find out more about the various factors involved in knowing how to water phalaenopsis orchids to promote healthy growth and abundant flowering!
How often should a moth orchid be watered?
Before rewatering, let the potting mix for your orchid get completely or partly dry. In a temperate environment, your phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, will typically require watering every 1-2 weeks.
Having said that, it’s crucial to realize that a variety of circumstances, which we will cover in the sections that follow, will affect how frequently you need water any indoor orchid.
When exactly do I need to water my moth orchid?
To keep moth orchids healthy, proper watering is essential. The roots may rot if kept too damp, while they may shrivel and die if maintained too dry.
Moth orchids require weekly irrigation during the growing season, but less maintenance during the winter.
Never allow plants to sit in water, and never let the roots entirely dry out. Always allow extra water to drain.
While you can spritz the plant lightly in the summer to improve humidity, be careful not to splash the leaves or get water into the crown when watering.
Once a week or so, lightly water moth orchids. Pour any water that gathers in the saucer out from above. As an alternative, place the container in a bowl of water or, taking careful not to wet the leaves, hold it under a softly running faucet while allowing it to drain completely.
Feeding
Use a particular orchid fertilizer to feed your plants sparingly but frequently during the growing season to promote healthy growth and flowering.
However, frequent feeding at each watering can cause the compost to accumulate potentially hazardous salts. Every fourth watering, water without feeding to get rid of them.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully when using fertilizer because overfeeding may cause more harm than good. See our fertilizer usage guide.
Encourage flowering
Move the plant to a cooler location and lower the temperature by about 5C (8F) for about a month if it is large and healthy but hasn’t flowered in a while. A fresh blossom stalk should then emerge from it.
After all of the previous stalk’s blooms have faded, trim it back to just above the second node (joint) below the spent flowers in order to encourage repeat flowering. Frequently, a new flowering side-shoot will develop.
Do I need to mist my moth orchid?
While there are some justifications for misting orchids, there are also many justifications for not doing so. Here are my top six arguments against misting orchids.
Risk Of Fungal Spots On The Flowers
The main benefit of keeping orchids indoors is their lovely blossoms, however fungal patches can make the flowers look unappealing. A key contributor to this are the water droplets from misting.
When it’s cool outside, water on the petals won’t drain as quickly, and a small area of fungal illness may appear there. This is irreversible and will endure for the duration of the flower.
I recently purchased a phalaenopsis orchid from a neighborhood shop that has this issue from the start. The orchid was tightly packed with other orchids and covered in cellophane to protect it. I didn’t see several of the blossoms had unattractive fungus patches on them until I got home.
Although it’s not the end of the world, this does ruin the appearance of my flowers. To obtain the perfect orchid flowers I love, I will have to wait until the following blooming cycle.
Risk Of Crown Rot
You must be cautious of the orchid killer. If you routinely shower your orchids, some water will pool in the crown and other regions between the leaves as well as drip off the leaves. The water that collects here runs the risk of not evaporating rapidly, especially in environments like those found inside of our homes.
Evaporation is lessened in cooler settings and in spaces with less airflow. Long-term contact between the water and the plant’s leaves and crown considerably increases the danger of crown and leaf rot.
This water will enable crown rot to develop quickly, which can cause significant plant harm. When crown rot occurs, the base of the leaves are quickly destroyed, and by the time it is discovered, it is frequently too late to rescue the plant.
If you spritz your orchids or water them from above, be sure to use tissue paper to wipe away any excess moisture from the crown. I have a whole article about watering phalaenopsis orchids.
But why do orchids in the wild not develop crown rot? Domestically grown orchids do not develop in the same way as wild orchids do. In nature, orchids do not grow erect in pots; instead, they are affixed to trees, where their leaves dangle obliquely downward. This reduces the chance of crown rot by causing any water that collects on an orchid’s leaves to flow off away from the orchid’s crown.
There Are Better Ways To Increase Humidity
There are safer alternatives to misting that are more successful in raising the relative humidity levels around your orchids.
Your orchid will be misted with tiny water droplets all around it. These will land on the plant in large quantities and stay there for a long time before evaporating, increasing the possibility of bacterial and fungal illness.
Instead of water droplets that will sit on plant leaves and flowers, you want water vapor, which will raise the air’s humidity level. In the section after this one, I’ll offer some advice on how to raise humidity properly.
Infrequent Misting Can Actually Dehydrate Your Orchid
Most individuals who mist their orchids can only do so occasionally, so the plant receives little benefit and may even experience accelerated dehydration.
The local humidity level will suddenly and briefly rise when you mist your orchids. The stomata on the underside of the orchid leaves open as a result.
Due to its open stomata from the brief increase in local humidity, the plant is at risk of losing more water than it gets as the humidity levels rapidly decrease following misting. As a result, spraying your orchids sometimes can cause them to become dehydrated.
Watering Your Orchid Via The Roots Is More Effective
When water is available, orchids are adapted to quickly absorb it through their roots. Simply said, misting orchids is unnecessary because regular watering will ensure that the plant receives enough water.
It is best to water orchids thoroughly but sparingly, especially phalaenopsis orchids, which are the most common kind in our homes. A phalaenopsis orchid may absorb enough water in just a few minutes to last for 1-2 weeks if exposed to plenty of water.
Risk Of Fungal And Bacterial Disease
This is the major justification for my recommendation against spraying orchids. More orchids die from bacterial and fungal disease than any other condition. This may be brought on by extreme humidity and misting, or by overwatering, which results in root rot.
Generally speaking, err on the side of less water and lower humidity, and the risk of bacterial and fungal disease is greatly reduced.
To learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of spraying orchids, see my video below.
Do I wait a while before watering the moth orchid?
PHALAENOPSIS One of the longest flowering indoor orchids is the phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, although proper lighting is essential. “Don O’Connor of the nursery Gellert’s, which specializes in houseplants, says that the more light, the better, but cautions against shining direct light through glass because it could burn the plants. However, a little morning sun is acceptable.”
Their dark green leaves will start to fade if there is too much light. If the plant receives insufficient light, it won’t flower and its leaves will get limp. Ideal windows should face east and be covered by net curtains, while in the summer shading from 10 am to 5 pm will be required.
Moth orchids require routine watering that is sufficient to prevent drying out between treatments. Twice a week throughout the summer, but never let them sit in water, advises Don. “Depending on how warm the house is, every seven to ten days throughout the winter. When fresh buds turn yellow and drop off, it’s a good sign they’re not getting enough water.”
Moth orchids require humidity as well. They lack pseudobulbs, which many other varieties of orchids have as a means of storing water. The leaves do contain some water, though. The water will evaporate and the leaves will wilt if the air is consistently dry. Place plant pots on pebbles in a saucer of water to raise the humidity levels.
How should I water an orchid—top or bottom?
Fir bark is a well-draining potting material that is widely used. Orchids dislike sitting in water more than anything else. Bark stops this issue.
Watering from below and watering from above are at least two techniques to irrigate orchids that are potted in bark-based potting material. No matter how you water—from below or above—if you’re using bark, make sure you water a lot.
One of the most crucial components to cultivating healthy orchids is the correct potting mix. I highly recommend anorchid mix from Bonsai Jack.
Recipe for Bonsai Jack’s Orchid Mix:
- 98% of the bark is Douglas fir
- Perlite, 1 percent
- Horticultural charcoal at 1%
Add a few wool rock cubes to the potting mix if you live in a dry region like I do to make the soil more water-retentive.
Keep in mind that the most crucial component of an orchid potting mix is appropriate drainage. The orchid must have effective drainage and must not become moist in the centre. Actually, orchids are planted in tall, thin pots to speed the drying of the pot’s center.
Can tap water be used to water orchids?
The Orchidaceae family of flowering plants includes the enormously well-liked orchid. Orchid plants come in different shapes and hues, with over 28,000 species and 300,000 registered cultivars worldwide. Although several species may grow outside in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 10, they are typically grown as indoor houseplants. When grown indoors, orchids do best when placed 12 to 36 inches from a south-facing window and require daytime air temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Softened water shouldn’t be used to water orchid plants. Salts in softened water could harm the plant. Watering orchids with collected rainwater or distilled water from the shop is preferable, although most chlorinated tap water can be used as long as the chlorine isn’t excessive.
While it is blooming, use distilled water to water the orchid with a watering can about once a week until the potting soil is completely moist. Allow the drain holes on the bottom or side of the orchid container to let the distilled water evenly drain through the potting soil and out. Between waterings, let the potting mix somewhat dry out. Watering should be decreased to around every other week once blooming has stopped until new leaves appear.
In the watering can, combine the 30-10-10 water-soluble orchid fertilizer with the distilled water at the recommended rate specified on the fertilizer labeling. While the orchid is in bloom, fertilize it with the water-soluble fertilizer once a month as part of regular watering. When blossoms start to fade, stop fertilizing the orchid until it starts to bloom once more.
Small river rocks should be placed on a saucer that is somewhat larger than the container the orchid is growing in and should be placed underneath it. Fill the saucer with distilled water until it is slightly above the top of the river rocks. The orchid container should be elevated above the distilled water by the pebbles rather than resting in it. Because orchids dislike dry air, this will help to increase the humidity level around the plant. As the distilled water in the saucer evaporates, replace it.
How long do orchids need to be dry?
Your orchids are demonstrating favorable signals that they are responding well to the irrigation conditions you are giving because you have maintained your watering schedule. Because you might be gone for a while, vacations frequently cause snags in the system. Naturally, you’re worried about the survival of your orchids.
The majority of orchids can do without watering for two to three weeks (a usual vacation period), and on rare occasions even up to one month. As long as their medium is kept moist, Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, and Phalaenopsis may all survive for up to three weeks without watering. Only a few types may survive for two months or more, but only with irreparable harm.
Dehydration is typically indicated by droopy, wrinkled leaves, no root growth, and leaf veins that are visible. This query typically comes up throughout the summer. Your orchid won’t need watering during a usual two-week trip.
There are some suggestions and techniques so the orchid won’t notice your absence as much if you are traveling on a longer vacation of up to one month.