In the sad ranking of the most common mistakes in orchid care, incorrect watering takes the inglorious top position. Here you can benefit from well-founded tips on everything to do with maintaining a balanced water balance for a vital, blooming flower diva. How to water orchids properly.
Orchids should be dipped rather than watered
Diving is better than pouring - tips for the perfect water bath
Beginners who water their orchids like a normal houseplant will reliably hunt down the tropical beauty of the flowers. In their habitat, orchids mostly thrive as epiphytes, using their aerial roots to draw the water they need from the short and heavy downpours. By bathing the root system from time to time, the water supply comes close to the natural framework. How to do it right:
- In the summer, immerse the pot with the roots in a container of soft water once a week
- Bathe the orchid so that there is no water in the leaf axils and in the heart
- Dive until no more air bubbles rise
In winter, water the plant less frequently. Under the influence of reduced light conditions and cooler temperatures, the orchid usually reduces its metabolism. Therefore, before each water bath, check whether the root ball has actually dried.
As a rule of thumb, orchids with bulbs are allowed to almost dry out before the next watering. Orchids without bulbs, such as the popular Phalaenopsis, on the other hand, should be kept constantly slightly moist without getting waterlogged.
tips
If you add a liquid orchid fertilizer to every third water bath during the growth and flowering period, the nutrient requirements of your orchid are easily covered. Between November and February, most orchid species get by with a little fertilizer at intervals of 6 to 8 weeks.